Chapter 12: The Weakest Link

"Give him time," he'd said. "He deserves it," he'd said. And he'd been right, much to Tetra's chagrin.

Sure, the kid deserved to spend some time on his home island with his family, but people rarely got what they deserved. They were on a tight schedule already, especially since their efforts to track down any leads on the demon lord's whereabouts had been fruitless. They didn't have time to sit idle at an island for hours.

And yet … they were. Because it was the least she could do. She'd brought this hero fate upon him, whether he admitted it or not. She knew it was true, especially now, knowing that she was once a goddess herself. The idea still unnerved her. Mostly because she couldn't remember. Was it her fault then? If she didn't even remember her previous actions? If her memory was wiped with each new life she lived? And were any of those lives happy? More importantly were any of the hero's?

He was trapped in the same cycle she was, after all. Unconsciously, her gaze wandered over to Link who was leaning on the railing, staring longingly at the island as if it were nothing but a painting he wished to leap into.

She sighed. "If you want to explore the island, nothing's stopping you."

"I know," Link replied without looking at her.

"So why don't you?" she asked, genuinely curious. Link didn't exactly make it a secret that he preferred solid ground beneath his feet.

Link shrugged. "It doesn't feel right."

Rolling her eyes at his answer, Tetra let her own uncaring gaze wander across the island, halfheartedly searching for something that would justify Link's response. She found it on the beach.

There, crouched in the sand constructing a castle with smiles on their faces, were Kid and Aryll. Suddenly she understood why Link didn't want to step off of the ship. Even from a distance it was obvious that something surrounded the pair, something fragile. It wouldn't take much to break it. And when it was broken, there was no telling when it could be repaired. If ever.

As she continued to watch the siblings play on the shore, jealousy wormed its way into her heart. What would it be like to have a sibling? What would it be like to grow up with both of her parents? Or even one? To have any relatives at all? She'd never know, and that fact infuriated her. Of course she could try to assign substitutes out of her crew, but that wasn't the same. Though they cared about her, none of them, not even her, acted their age. Their relationship was too backwards to even pretend for a second that they were family.

And yet Kid had an actual family. Granted, he didn't have parents, but he had a loving grandmother and an adorable little sister and that was much more than she had. Tetra found herself yearning for it desperately, then silently berated herself for it. There was no point wishing for things you could never have. It only bred disappointment.

Though she knew she should be happy for her best friend's fortune, she wasn't. Maybe that was why she felt compelled to break that fragile thing around the pair with a shout. "Oi, Kid! Your butt better be on this ship in ten!" She was about to add 'or we'll leave without you!' but she knew it wasn't a threat. Given the opportunity, she was sure Kid would love to stay on his home island. She knew for a fact that if it were her, she would.

"Give him longer than that," Link urged her.

"Why should I?" Tetra demanded, whirling around to face the Hero of Twilight and planting her hands on her hips. "We already spent the night here. If I give him another hour then we might as well stay the rest of the morning, and then you'll insist it's still not enough, and then we'll just wind up giving him more and more time that we don't have, and we'll never get to leave!" Link began to say something but she talked right over him, refusing to take the time to hear his words. "Just drop it, and be grateful that we've stayed as long as we have, alright?!" With that she stalked past him and hopped down to the main deck, feeling a twinge of guilt as she did so.

However, it was quickly forgotten and replaced with annoyance as she caught sight of her counterpart. Zelda was perched primly on the railing, elegantly fanning herself with a floral patterned hand fan while regarding Tetra with those icy eyes of hers. It was almost as if she knew Tetra had just done something out of spite and was silently berating her for it saying, "Now, was that really necessary?" in that prissy voice of hers. No, it may not have been necessary, but it certainly felt good. Just for a moment.

Tetra broke the eye contact between the two of them and continued her dignified march across the deck.

"Are we leaving yet, Miss?" Nudge asked as she approached him.

"In ten minutes," she said begrudgingly. "As soon as we're on our way send Kid, Link, and Zelda to my cabin." Not that she really wanted to talk to any of them at the moment with the mood she was in, but they needed to figure out their next move somehow.

"Aye," Nudge acknowledged her request. She turned to go, but he stopped her.

"Something's bothering you." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, we have no leads on that stupid demon yet," Tetra huffed, turning back to face him.

"It's something else," Nudge observed.

She stomped her foot in frustration. How could he read her so easily? "There's nothing else. Just do as you're told!"

This time she did walk away and, thankfully, he let her.


Whether it was to smite her or not, Link and Kid did not arrive as readily as the princess which meant that Tetra, Zelda, and Midna were left to wait and wonder where the boys had gotten to. It wasn't like they could get lost. Her ship wasn't that big, and even if it was, Kid knew his way around. Just as she was about to get up and search for them herself, the door to her cabin swung open, admitting Kid and Link.

"About time," she muttered as the door shut behind them.

"Sorry," Kid apologized. "We were-"

"I don't care," Tetra glowered. "Just sit."

"What's this for anyway?" Kid wondered as he took a seat next to her on her bed. She chose to tolerate it only because there weren't many other comfortable places to sit. Zelda was using her only chair, and the couch was situated on the other side of the room, so it wouldn't be ideal for their purposes. Besides, some of that guilt from earlier was starting to creep back. If anyone, she should be the one apologizing, but she held her tongue.

"We're here to discuss what our next course of action is," Zelda supplied when Tetra didn't offer the information. Link was the only one that hadn't found a seat of some kind. Actually, he was sizing up her room, and she didn't appreciate it one bit.

"What?" she snapped.

It took a moment for him to realize that she was speaking to him. "Nothing, it's just…" he trailed off, eyes still roving around her cabin, taking it all in and pausing on the portrait of her mother on the wall. "Not what I was expecting."

"Oh? And what, pray tell, were you expecting?" Tetra inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know… skulls on the floor, weapons everywhere, a bed of nails…" he listed thoughtfully.

"This is my room, not a torture chamber," she glowered, shooting daggers in Link's direction that didn't quite reach him.

"I didn't know there was a difference," Link replied, faking ignorance. Beside her, Kid snickered, and she promptly pushed him off of the bed.

"It's not funny!" she yelled at him which only prompted Midna to join in with the laughing. "Shut up both of you!"

"It was just a joke, Tetra," Link reminded her as he finally took a seat on the floor. Suddenly she wished she did have a bed of nails just so she could make Link sit on it.

"We don't have time for jokes," she scowled disapprovingly. "Unless you've forgotten, there's a demon creep out there somewhere."

"Are we certain he really is?" Princess Zelda spoke up as the laughter of their companions dwindled.

"Where else could he be?" Tetra demanded.

"Well, he can teleport anywhere he's been before, so maybe he went back to Hyrule," the princess suggested, though Tetra could plainly see she was uncomfortable with doing so.

"Why would he do that?" Midna wondered. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of coming here?"

"Perhaps," Zelda mused. "Or maybe he wanted to trick us into coming here unnecessarily, so he could go back to Hyrule to take it over without us knowing."

"I don't think he anticipated us to follow him in the first place," Link pointed out, "so I really doubt that."

"Yeah," Midna agreed. "Plus he left Hyrule to Zant. That was their deal. He has no way of knowing that Zant perished."

"If he's here, then why isn't he doing anything?" Tetra wondered, bowing her head in thought.

Suddenly, Fi's now all too familiar monotone filled the room. "I calculate a 75% percent chance that Demon Lord Ghirahim entered this world unprepared for what he would find. It is likely that he is still trying to adjust to the new environment."

"But Fi, you're a sword spirit too, and you're fine," Link pointed out.

"I have my Master. Ghirahim does not," Fi stated.

"Ha! So Mr. Fabulous needs someone to guide him. That's rich." Midna smirked.

"I wouldn't start laughing at him just yet," Princess Zelda interjected. "Remember, he managed to beat us without a Master."

"Then what do we do?" Tetra demanded. "Even if we haven't heard anything about him, that doesn't mean he isn't doing anything."

When no one jumped to propose an idea, Link turned to Fi. "What do you think?" For a moment, Tetra didn't think Fi had even registered his inquiry, for she did nothing but stare stoically into space.

Finally she turned to Link and spoke. "After analyzing the situation I have concluded that the best course of action at the moment is to use the reprieve Ghirahim is providing," Fi announced.

"How?" Link wondered.

"Based on your previous performance, I calculate a 10% chance of victory if you were to face Ghirahim in battle now."

"Ten percent?!" Tetra exclaimed in disbelief. "How's that possible?" The only reason why they'd lost is because their original plan didn't work out as they'd anticipated which put them at an extreme disadvantage. In a fair fight, surely their chances of winning were greater. Weren't they?

"I think I know," Princess Zelda said before Fi could reply. "Our individual skills vary. Some have yet to reach their full potential, so we're not as strong as we could be as a whole."

Tetra jumped to her feet, outraged. "You're not honestly blaming us!"

"I didn't say-" Princess Zelda began.

"But that's what you're implying!" Tetra shot back, appalled at her counterpart's gall. How could she possibly call Kid and her weak after all they'd been through?

"Can you say that your skills with magic are equal to mine?" Zelda asked her.

"Well … no but-"

"Then what I said is justified." When Tetra's glare didn't waver, Zelda hastily continued, "I don't mean it's your fault alone. It's actually not your fault at all. Here, in your world, there was no one to teach you such advanced magic, so there's no way you could have been prepared unless I taught you, and honestly, the thought never crossed my mind until now."

Her words did nothing to appease Tetra. "And what? You don't need to learn anything because you're so perfect?" The princess opened her mouth to respond but Tetra didn't let her. "You're the one that did nothing but get captured when we were fighting!"

"If you recall, our scheme went awry long before then," Zelda reminded her placidly. Tetra had the sudden urge to go over there and slap her counterpart for saying such things as if they didn't carry any weight whatsoever. And she would have, if Midna didn't speak up right then.

"Look, if you ask me, we all have things to work on." She began to list off each point on her fingers. "Tetra has to work on her magic; Zelda has to work on not getting captured; Kid has to work on his swordplay-"

"What's wrong with my swordplay?" Kid wondered, insulted.

"Yeah! He's good," Tetra added. He was much better with a sword than anyone else she knew.

"Good, but not great," Midna countered.

"Like you know so much about swordplay," Tetra scoffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Don't have to," Midna replied, mimicking Tetra's confident stance. "All I have to do is observe those who do, and let me tell you, after seeing Kid and Link in action, I know that Link's way better. Trust me, if they were to fight, Link would win. Easy."

"I don't believe that until I see it," Tetra declared.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to have them fight then," Midna suggested, a mischievous glint in her eye as her gaze drifted over to the two heroes situated on the floor. Kid shifted uncomfortably under her stare.

"Or," Link interjected upon catching the doubtful expression on Kid's face, "we could just ask Fi."

"I don't trust her statistics. She's been wrong before," Tetra objected, but it was too late. Link had already posed the question.

"Master, I do not have sufficient data to accurately predict the outcome of such a scenario," Fi announced. Tetra smirked in victory, and Link shot Kid a "Well, I tried" look.

"Fighting it is!" Midna proclaimed, punching a fist in the air.

"Do we have to?" Kid asked.

"Hee hee!" Midna giggled. "He already knows he's going to lose!"

"He's not going to lose!" Tetra refuted. She turned to Kid, giving him a pointed look. "Right?"

"Uh … right." Kid nodded, but it didn't hold a trace of confidence. For the life of her, Tetra couldn't understand why. It wasn't like Kid didn't have any experience with swordplay. He'd felled countless monsters and beaten Ganondorf, all, more or less, on his own. One person shouldn't be too much of a challenge, even if that person was Link.

Five minutes later they were all gathered beneath the hanging lanterns that made up Niko's obstacle course. From the top of a bunch of stacked crates, Tetra, Zelda, and Midna had an excellent view of the arena. The heroes were positioned across from one another, each wielding their shields and wooden practice swords. If it were up to her, Tetra would have had them fight with their actual weapons. However, Link adamantly refused to engage in any battle with Kid unless some safety measures were taken. Hence, the wooden weapons. Tracking down the practice implements had not been easy. They'd been stashed away in the hold and forgotten a decade ago. It was a wonder they still held their shape.

"The first one to land a killing blow, or what would be considered a killing blow, wins," Midna announced. "Fair?"

At confirmation from both fighters, Midna gave them a signal to start and the two of them dropped into fighting positions.

Tetra watched attentively as they circled each other, neither quite audacious enough to make the first move. Finally, as she knew he would, Kid tired of waiting and dashed towards Link who immediately brought up his shield to block the horizontal slice coming his way.

As soon as Kid's weapon slid harmlessly off of his shield, Link thrust forward. Unfortunately for him, Kid was too nimble and back flipped out of range before the attack could reach him.

When Kid charged him again, Link parried with his sword and soon they two of them were exchanging blows, wooden swords clacking each time they met. Kid managed to slip a few swipes under Link's guard, but not enough to warrant a win. Just as Link stumbled back, off balance from a blow to his side, the motion of the ship, or possibly both, a shout interrupted them.

"Stop!" Midna commanded.

Both fighters started, their battle forgotten and turned to peer up at her, puzzlement written plainly on their faces. Tetra was confused too. Kid had been doing well, Link less so, just as she'd anticipated. What could possibly be wrong?

"What?" Link asked finally when Midna remained silent, staring at him disapprovingly.

"Yeah, what?" Tetra demanded, irritated that Midna had stopped their fight when Kid was winning.

"You know exactly what, wolf boy," Midna shot back, ignoring the fact that Tetra had even spoken.

"Uh … no I really don't," Link replied. "Enlighten me?"

"You're not taking this seriously," Midna accused him. Link shrugged but it was as good as an affirmative.

"Restart, and this time don't go easy on him!" Midna ordered. "This is to prove a point, not to spare feelings."

"Well, that's a bit harsh," Link observed.

"Too bad," Midna declared unsympathetically.

As the boys distanced themselves from each other and resumed their battle stances, Tetra couldn't help but wonder how the Twili could tell the difference. It had seemed like Link was serious enough. Granted, he had been losing, but that was her prediction anyway. Maybe Midna just didn't want to admit that Link wasn't as great at swordplay as she believed him to be.

The only difference she noted was in the way they both stood. Kid was more guarded than before, eyes locked on his opponent's form as they circled one another while Link just looked more … well … ready.

It took some encouraging from the spectators for either of them to act. Just like last time, Kid was the first to strike. However, Link easily parried the attack and then took a swipe of his own at the younger hero. Still as fast as ever, Kid dodged it easily and then dropped to the side, rolling around to hit Link's back. Then, with speed she didn't foresee, Link twirled his sword in his hand so he was holding it backwards and used it to block Kid's attack all without turning around. As Kid's failed attack bounced off of Link's weapon, the elder hero took the opportunity to turn around and thrust forward with his shield.

It caught Kid in the stomach, and he stumbled back, off balance. Link used the opening he'd created to strike, and Tetra sucked in a breath despite herself. She was worried. And as Kid twisted away, barely in time to avoid what would have been considered a fatal blow, she knew she had a right to be. Link really had been holding back. With any luck, that would be the only thing Midna was right about.

Below her, she watched Kid tried to distance himself to catch his breath. For whatever reason, Link didn't want him to, and as soon as Kid's feet returned to the ground from his most recent back-flip, the older hero was upon him.

She shouted any insults she could think of, trying to distract Link and invigorate Kid to find the strength to best his counterpart. To her dismay, it seemed like they were deaf to everything outside of their battle. She couldn't help so she settled for watching and wishing, hands clasped tightly together in her lap.

They continued trading blow after blow, Kid struggling all the while to hold his own, slowly being forced back by the slew of attacks coming his way.

One second was all it took. Kid faltered, and Link got a hit in. Perhaps to save himself the effort of blocking every attack that came his way, Kid ducked behind his shield. It turned out to be a mistake. Link rolled behind him and unlike his counterpart, Link was able to land a blow with this maneuver.

The blow was so powerful that Kid stumbled forward and fell to the floor, involuntarily dropping both his sword and shield. Just as Kid rolled over onto his back the elder hero leapt at him, angling his sword downwards. Kid let out a gasp and brought his arms up as if they would protect him. Link halted the attack before it made contact, the tip of the wooden weapon just a hair's breadth away from Kid's chest.

"It's as I said," Midna whispered into her ear as if speaking loudly would shatter the moment. "Link's the best."

Tetra said nothing as she watched Link toss his weapon aside and hold out his hand for Kid to take. Cautiously lowering his arms as he realized it was over, Kid took the proffered hand, and Link hauled him to his feet, apologizing and muttering something about her and Midna that put a small, wry smile on Kid's face.

Tetra couldn't even bring herself to be mad about that. She was too furious about what had just transpired. It wasn't Kid's fault, she knew. She'd seen it for herself. Link was good. No, great, as Midna had said. Her best friend really had no chance against him, and that was the problem. It meant that Midna was right. They were weak, both of them. And if they'd been so convinced that they were strong when they weren't, then what else could they be unintentionally lying to themselves about?

A tap on her shoulder startled her out of her reverie, and she turned to see the princess. "Come. Let's leave them to train."

"Oh? And I guess that means we're training too, huh?" Tetra glowered. Who said she wanted to learn magic? Well … she kind of did. It'd be amazing to be able to wield fire, but agreeing to train meant admitting she was weak, and she wasn't sure she was ready to do that just yet.

"Yes," came the curt reply. Zelda hopped gracefully down from their viewing platform, and Tetra reluctantly followed, Midna slipping into her shadow.

As soon as they reentered Tetra's cabin and the door was shut, Midna materialized out of her shadow, her form no longer shadowy and dark. "Alright, down to business," Midna said, rubbing her hands together. "How much magic do you know?"

"I can make light arrows," Tetra replied, plopping down onto her bed.

"That's it?" the princess wondered.

"…That's it," Tetra reluctantly confirmed.

"Can you demonstrate?" Princess Zelda requested.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I need an arrow to make a light arrow," Tetra said, rolling her eyes. Who was really the expert here?

"Hmmm, so you need a base," the princess mused quietly.

"What?" she demanded, perplexed.

"She means that you can't perform magic without something to go off of," Midna translated, an amused smirk on her impish face.

"Yeah, but who doesn't?" she shot back defensively.

In reply, the princess closed her eyes, bowing her head slightly in concentration. Before her, she held out her hands as if she expected to catch something that was falling from above. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the air above her glowing hands began to shimmer, soft golden embers shaped the shaft, then the feathers, then the head and suddenly a jagged arrow of light floated above Zelda's hands. Princess Zelda opened her eyes and grinned at Tetra knowingly.

"How… how did you do that?" Tetra stammered, awe-struck.

"Magic," Zelda stated mysteriously, allowing the arrow to dissipate into the air. With it went her awe.

"Alright, then, Miss I'm-Oh-So-Wise. Why don't you teach me how you did that?" Tetra invited her, scowling.

To her irritation, Princess Zelda shook her head. "I can't. Not yet, anyway. It is much too advanced for you."

"Too advanced?" Tetra scoffed. "Please. If I can turn a normal arrow into a light arrow then making one out of thin air can't be too much different."

"Would you be capable of running just after you learned to crawl?" her counterpart inquired calmly.

"Well … no," Tetra admitted.

"Then you understand what I'm talking about when I say it is too advanced for you at the moment."

Tetra sighed heavily in aggravation. "Fine, then teach me how to make those fire balls I've seen you use before."

"No," Princess Zelda refused. "We're starting with something else."

"Why?" Tetra demanded to know.

Her counterpart gestured around them. "For one, there's wood everywhere. Uncontained flames would not be wise to have around." Tetra tipped her head in consent at that. Fair point. "For another, you must learn some discipline."

"So … what? You're going to have me balancing books on my head?" Tetra quirked a skeptical eyebrow, laughing a bit at the ridiculousness of the notion.

Her counterpart didn't even bother to mask her amusement at that comment, but that wasn't what surprised her. It was Zelda's answer. "Yes."

"You're kidding," Tetra said, all earlier mirth gone.

No, it turned out, the princess was not, in fact, kidding. Against her will, Tetra had been instructed to scrounge up any books she could and was now standing across from the princess with three on them balanced precariously atop her head. She felt like an idiot, and she probably looked like one too, judging by the expressions on her companions faces. Tetra fiercely hoped no one walked into her room. They were supposed to knock, but it was rare that her crew ever remembered to do so.

"Alright … what now?" Tetra asked, a much more reluctant student than before.

"I'm going to start by teaching you the art of defense," Zelda announced.

"I know how to defend myself," Tetra reminded her.

"Not with magic you don't," her counterpart refuted. "Now pay attention."

"I am," Tetra breathed, exasperated.

"This spell is called Nayru's Love," Princess Zelda began. "It has many uses. Mostly, it functions as a defense, but at times it can operate as an offense as well. For now, let's just focus on a basic shield. It's easy enough to do. Your base is your hand. Think 'Nayru's Love' to cast it." Princess Zelda held out her hand, palm facing outward. A glassy blue barrier materialized in front of her. Zelda dispelled it a few seconds later and inclined her head towards Tetra, indicating that she should try.

Begrudgingly, Tetra mimicked Zelda's pose and concentrated, willing a round shield of blue to appear. When nothing happened, she repositioned herself, nearly losing the books on her head as she did so and tried again, biting her lip. Nothing. She dropped her hand, frustrated.

"I don't think you're doing it right," Midna observed.

"Thanks for the insight, Midna," Tetra said, her words soaked in sarcasm.

"No, I mean … I don't think you're actually tapping into any power," Midna corrected herself.

"Do you think it's because she doesn't have the full Triforce of Wisdom to command?" Zelda asked the Twilight Princess.

"No … at least not entirely," Midna replied. "I just think she doesn't know how to tap into it." Midna drew closer to Tetra.

"So I'm going to help. Close your eyes," Midna instructed. If it had been Zelda to request this of her, she would have flatly refused but since it was Midna, she decided to cooperate. For now, anyway.

"Now, imagine a door. Any door at all." Tetra did as she was told and a white door popped into existence in her mind's eye.

"See it?"

She nodded.

"Go to it and open it." Tetra imagined herself walking to the door, pulling on the handle and … meeting resistance. She tried her hardest to imagine the door gliding smoothly open for her but it refused. It wanted to stick. Mentally steeling herself, she imagined putting all her strength into it and slowly, very slowly, the door creaked open, hinges squeaking as if they were rusted from misuse. The door was heavy as well and it took a great deal of struggling before she managed to wrench it open. As soon as she did, faux green light greeted her and an odd feeling fluttered into existence within her chest. It felt warm and powerful, reassuring. What she'd felt making light arrows had been nothing but a wisp of what this was.

"And there it is," Midna proclaimed proudly, her voice distant in Tetra's ears. She didn't know how Midna knew she'd found it. Maybe she was smiling. She couldn't tell. The pleasant sensation flowed through her, whispers of strength she never knew she'd possessed. It blocked out nearly everything else.

"Now open your eyes, but don't let it go. Hold onto it," Midna told her. Cautiously, for she was afraid she'd lose she magic she'd found, Tetra opened her eyes.

"Try the spell again. Do not put everything you have into it," Princess Zelda commanded her sternly. "Just use some."

"Imagine scooping out a small handful," Midna supplied helpfully.

With their advice in mind, Tetra positioned herself. She dipped into the supply of power at her disposal. It was difficult to not take more than she needed. The power seemed to rush into her, itching to be used. She managed to quell it, letting a modest amount flow down her arm, through the bones of her hand and fingers and out through her palm. She willed the shield to form itself. 'Nayru's Love,' she thought when it hesitated. She sucked in a breath as she felt some of the warmth twist away from her. Then, to her delight, a circle of transparent blue appeared in the air before her, giving everything beyond it a hazy blue hue.

"Good," Zelda commended her. "Now move to the other side of the room, but keep the shield in front of you."

Undaunted by the new task, Tetra took a step to the right, mindful of the books balanced on her head. She slowly turned and began to take careful steps backwards, keeping Midna and Zelda in sight at all times. The shield wavered once or twice but she managed to keep it intact. When her back hit a wall, she looked to Zelda for instruction.

"Take the magic back. Do not let the magic disperse on its own or you will lose it," Princess Zelda informed her.

She was about to ask exactly how to do that, but Midna jumped in to provide her with aid. "It's like performing the spell backwards. Make it enter the way you made it leave. Just retrace your steps." Tetra concentrated on the magic before her, willing the shield to decompress into her palm, chasing the magic it had been made out of back through her hand and fingers, back along her arm, back to that warmth in her chest. As soon as it was done, she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"Remember to do that whenever you can," Zelda advised her. "It makes your magic last longer." Tetra nodded in comprehension. She saw how that would be advantageous in battle.

"So what's the next spell?" she wondered. This wasn't that hard after all, and it was kind of fun, making things appear out of nowhere.

"Do not jump ahead of yourself," Princess Zelda said. "We are still on Nayru's Love."

"But you just taught it to me," Tetra protested. "I can make a shield."

"Can you?" Zelda mused, as if Tetra had just declared she could fly.

"Yes. I can," Tetra declared confidently, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Come here and show me then," Zelda invited her.

Sighing, Tetra quickly made her way over to the princess, putting a hand on the books atop her head, so they wouldn't fall. This time, casting the spell wasn't as hard, but she still had to put effort into it. She stared at her counterpart through the transparent shield, daring her to defy her.

The princess took her up on her silent challenge, tapping a finger against the shield. Instantly the tinkling of glass hit her ears as her shield shattered into a million pieces, shards dissipating into the air a few seconds later and leaving her feeling a bit colder than before.

"That was not much of a shield," Princess Zelda remarked knowingly.

"I didn't tell it to shatter!" Tetra objected, stomping her foot in indignation.

"You didn't tell it to protect you either," was the princess's response. "If you want it to be a real shield, then you need to reinforce it. Anticipate the force that will be exerted on it and strengthen it accordingly."

"You could've told me that earlier," Tetra muttered in annoyance, creating another shield.

"One step at a time," Zelda replied.

"Whatever. How do I reinforce it?" Tetra asked.

"Brace yourself so that if you were to take the blow you would not flinch. Of course, the harder the blow, the harder it will be to brace yourself so in those instances it's best to imagine your shield as a sturdy wall."

"Okay, so what blow am I bracing against?" she wondered.

"Mine!" Midna shouted, suddenly rushing towards her, hand curled into a fist. Tetra tensed instantly out of reflex.

Before she hit the shield, the Twilight Princess came to an abrupt halt and then proceeded to lightly bump the shield with her fist.

"Eee hee!" Midna laughed. "You should've seen your face!"

"What the heck did you scare me like that for?" Tetra demanded, outraged. Midna grinned and rapped her knuckles against the blue shield, and it was then that Tetra noticed it was still whole. Not a crack showed.

"Oh…" she said, her anger dissipating.

"Aren't I a great teacher?" Midna asked, grinning.

"The best," Tetra agreed with a smirk.

"Alright," Zelda said. "Now that you know how to reinforce it, let's see how well it holds up under pressure."

"Does that mean I can really hit it this time?" Midna wondered hopefully.

"Yes."

Tetra took a deep breath, her eyes on the Twilight Princess who was hovering in front of the shield, painted various shades of blue by the hue of it. As Midna reeled back her arm, Tetra planted her feet firmly on the floor, muscles tense, and awaited the impact. Midna punched the barrier, and Tetra hissed in irritation as she saw a spider web of cracks appear from the impact zone. With a bit more magic, she managed to erase the fractures and the shield was as good as new.

"Okay, let's see how you take this!" With that, Midna formed her orange hair into a giant fist and slammed it against the shield. Tetra was thrown to the ground instantly, the sound of breaking glass ringing in her ears.

"Heh … whoops," Midna said sheepishly. "That might've been a bit too much."

"Ya think?" Tetra groaned, sitting up and glaring at Midna who just shrugged apologetically.

"Tetra, are you alright?" Zelda asked her.

"Yeah." She began to pick up the books that had fallen off of her head when she fell.

"Leave the books," Zelda told her. "They were for my amusement only." It took a second for her words to register but once they did, Tetra grabbed the nearest book and chucked it at the princess, spitting a curse as she did so. Unfortunately, her counterpart had seen this coming and deftly deflected the book with a shield of her own.

"New skill," Princess Zelda stated, picking up the book Tetra had thrown at her. "Quick summoning." The princess then threw the book back at Tetra. Her reflexes were the only thing that spared her from suffering a direct hit to the face.

"Use magic," the princess ordered her.

"Fat chance. I can't get a shield up that fast!"

"Just try," her counterpart urged her.

"Not with you throwing things at me," Tetra refused.

"If nothing's coming your way then you'd only form the shell of the shield like before. It doesn't matter how quick you can put it up if it breaks as soon as something touches it," Zelda pointed out. "This exercise will be beneficial in the end."

"Fine," Tetra conceded, kicking two of the books so they slid towards the princess. The third Midna made a grab for, probably so she'd have ammo as well, but as soon as Tetra caught sight of the cover she marched over and ripped it away from the Twili.

"Not that book," she said quickly, hugging it to her chest to protect it.

"Why? What is it?" Midna wondered. Tetra didn't bother to answer her as she stalked over to her bed and set it down carefully on the bedspread. It was stupid that she even cared. She had the story memorized after all. She didn't need the book anymore. But her mother had read to her with it. She didn't want memories, especially those memories, to be thrown around so carelessly.

"Just take one of the other books," Tetra snapped at Midna when she persisted. She was relieved when the Twilight Princess did so, and then instantly regretted it as she found a book sailing towards her face.

She ducked. "I wasn't ready!" she yelled. Midna just laughed and retrieved the book. Despite herself, she found a smile creeping onto her face. It was sort of funny.

Tetra didn't know how long the exercise lasted. Maybe it was an hour, maybe two, maybe even more. All she knew was that by the time they stopped she was out of breath and the magic within her had depleted to the point where roughly half of her reserves remained. Her counterpart assured her that it would refill given time and rest, but she really wasn't worried too much about that. She'd done fine without magic before, and she really doubted she'd come to depend on it anytime soon.

Magic was exhausting to work with. Even though they were just training, if she made a mistake, she would feel the consequences. It wasn't a good feeling, having the magic inside her dim. What had once been a bright, burning bonfire had dwindled to a much more modest flame. Still, it was a foreign sensation and one she didn't much like to control. Half the time it didn't do what she wanted it to, and calling on it swiftly was very difficult. It had to be coaxed, and that took time, more often than not time she didn't have.

Still, by the end of the session she'd managed to shield herself from a few of the projectiles, something Midna told her she should be proud of, not being an avid magic user. At the moment, she didn't feel pride, just fatigue, and she was glad when Zelda declared they could take a break. Or rather, she was glad that the princess suggested it so she didn't have to fight her on the matter, because Tetra would be taking a break whether her counterpart liked it or not.

"Should we go see how the boys are doing?" Midna proposed.

"Perhaps in a moment. I want to ask Tetra something first," Zelda said.

"Then ask," Tetra told the ceiling. She was currently laying on her back on her bed, storybook cover down on her stomach. Not that the others could read it if they tried.

"You mentioned something a few days ago. A vision you had." Zelda stated. Tetra recalled it. Being immobile in the air. The black scaled monster that she somehow had a name for. The golden light. But none of it mattered. Things were already complicated. They didn't need this, whatever it was, on top of everything else. Zelda had been stupid to mention it at all to her counterpart.

"Zelda mentioned it," Tetra corrected her counterpart, adamantly refusing to acknowledge she and that timid princess were one and the same. She would never do half the things that girl did.

"Still you," Zelda pointed out, impervious to how Tetra despised it. Or maybe she knew and just didn't care. That was an option too. "What do you think it meant?"

"Gods, Zelda," Tetra groaned in irritation. Couldn't her counterpart just let her relax for a while? "I don't know."

"Wait a second, what vision?" Midna cut in.

"Tell her," Zelda ordered her.

Sighing, Tetra reluctantly complied, describing the scene she was forced to play a part in. "I have no idea what it was," Tetra finished. "It definitely wasn't a dream; I was awake the entire time."

"That is odd," Midna agreed. "Are you sure you weren't just stressed out and imagined it all?" Tetra shrugged. It was possible and honestly, she'd prefer it if that was all it had been. She didn't want to meet that monster in person.

"I doubt it was just her imagination," Princess Zelda spoke up. "That name of that monster she saw, The Imprisoned … it sounds familiar, but I can't place it…"

"That makes two of us," Tetra muttered.

"I believe I can clarify, Your Grace." Fi's voice startled them all, and Tetra sat up, ignoring the book as it fell into her lap. Immediately her eyes went to the Master Sword which Link had left lying on the couch alongside Kid's sheathed blade. The sword spirit was floating in the air beside the sea-green couch, the fabric of her cape-like arms undulating gracefully.

"Please do," Princess Zelda invited her, seeming relieved. As much as she didn't want to know, she did, so Tetra listened as Fi began to speak in that dull voice of hers.

"The Imprisoned was the demonic vessel of Demise during the time he was sealed by the Goddess Hylia. When the seal broke, Demise regained his true form. The situation you have described aligns perfectly with an event I have sufficient data on. Therefore, I can conclude that you have regained a memory of Hylia's."

Tetra blinked, dumbfounded. A memory? From Hylia? One of her past lives? That wasn't okay. It didn't feel okay. She didn't like the knowledge of being cursed to be reincarnated over and over again, but she could look past it. After all, she didn't remember anything from those other lives. She was always reborn a blank slate. Or so she thought. Could she really be a blank slate if she could regain lost memories from another life?

"How is that possible?" Princess Zelda's voice snapped Tetra out of her reverie.

"I can only theorize," Fi said, "but it is likely that a similar circumstance to a previous one could have triggered a memory that was lost during the reincarnation process."

"Then why didn't she get the memory back too?" Tetra demanded, jabbing a finger in Zelda's direction accusingly and feeling that the goddesses were very much against her. Unlike Tetra, her counterpart had actually been in the position, experienced having her soul used to resurrect evil, so why didn't she get the accursed memory?

"I was unconscious at the time," Princess Zelda reminded her. "I couldn't see what was happening. If I had, I probably would have regained it too."

"Great. Now I have a stupid memory of hers," Tetra fumed. "Does that mean I'll get more?" She didn't know who she was asking. She didn't even know if she wanted an answer at this point. It was just all too much. Ages ago, she was just a little girl with a pirate captain for a mother. She'd been happy then. Now she wanted nothing more than to go back to that. A time where she didn't have to worry about her identity because she'd had none then. She'd been no one, just a girl, and she'd liked it that way.

"If you witness events that are homologous to those that one of your past selves has experienced then that is likely, Your Grace," Fi answered, unaffected by Tetra's distress and probably unaware that she was making it worse.

"But I don't want her memories," Tetra protested, too worked up to care that she sounded like a whiny child. "I don't want anyone's memories but my own!"

"Technically speaking, they are your memories, Your Grace," Fi said.

"Stop calling me that!" Tetra snapped, shooting a menacing glare at the sword spirit but knowing as she did so that it was a wasted effort. Nothing could faze Fi.

"What shall I call you?" Fi asked.

"Tetra," she said clearly so Fi couldn't mistake it for anything else.

"Understood." Fi droned, but Tetra knew she didn't understand. She was programmed to log information. She wasn't programmed to understand it.

Suddenly she found herself marching to the door and throwing it open, muttering that she wanted to go see how the boys' training was coming along. But it was a lie. She didn't really care. She just needed to get away. Away from the emotionless Fi. (Oh, how she envied her!) Away from her counterpart who should've been able to sympathize with her but couldn't because it was Tetra that had gotten the short end of the stick, not Zelda. Away from Midna who could never hope to understand her, though she may try.

As soon as Tetra entered the spacious room, she nearly turned back. No longer were Link and Kid alone. Niko had joined them, but she knew for a fact she'd given him chores to do and without a swabbie to help him, there was no way he could be done. Linebeck was there as well, watching the two of them train.

Since she didn't like any of the alternatives, Tetra decided to stay, sitting by the ledge and letting her legs dangle into the empty space, the floor a few feet away. Upon noticing her, Niko scurried away, presumably to resume the chores he decided to neglect in favor of coming here. Linebeck stayed where he was, but unfortunately, he didn't stay silent.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"It's my ship," she said, keeping her eyes on Link and Kid. They didn't seem like they even noticed they were being watched.

"Speaking of ships, why's mind gotta wait so long?" Linebeck asked her.

"You have no reason to complain," Tetra admonished. "We're sailing there right now."

"Not very fast," Linebeck pointed out. "That's the problem with these sailing ships." He patted the ground. "They're too slow. Now my ship…" Linebeck whistled lowly. "She's fast. I'll tell ya, engines are the way to go."

"Engines fail, the wind doesn't," Tetra countered, welcoming the debate with open arms. Ships. Something she was familiar with. Something that had always been a part of her life.

"Engines can be fixed and replaced," Linebeck said, easily dismissing her argument. "And with them you can go in any direction you want, wherever you want, whenever you want, because you don't have to wait for the wind to decide to cooperate."

"With Kid, we don't have to wait for the wind," Tetra replied.

"Just because he can change the direction of the wind doesn't mean he can make it blow any harder," Linebeck argued. "What's up with that, anyway? Since when did the kid have witchy powers?"

"They're not witchy powers," Tetra refuted, rolling her eyes at his choice of words. "The baton he uses is magic."

Linebeck was silent as he absorbed this information and when he didn't say anything for a few seconds Tetra thought their conversation was over. That turned out to not be the case. "How much do you think something like that would be worth?"

"You're terrible," Tetra said.

"Hey! I'm just asking a question," Linebeck defended himself. "I'd think you'd be interested, being a pirate and all."

She shrugged. "I'm a different kind of pirate."

"Is that because of the whole princess thing?" Linebeck wondered. It was an innocent question on his part. It wasn't like he knew she hated all reminders that she was a princess, but the inquiry still lit a spark of rage within her. Rather than fuel it, for once she quelled it and changed the subject.

"What were you doing at Four-Eye Reef anyway? Looking for treasure?"

"No, I was actually looking for you guys so this is sort of convenient."

His answer threw her off. "Why were you looking for us?"

"Because I have something I thought you'd be interested in, but now I'm not so sure," Linebeck replied wistfully.

"Why?"

"Because it doesn't seem like you're as eager to find treasure as I thought."

"I'm all for treasure, just not for selling priceless artifacts," Tetra informed him.

"Ah, alright then."

A few moments passed in silence. "…So are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Nope."

"Why the heck not?" Tetra demanded to know, tearing her eyes away from the heroes to glare at him.

"Because it's a surprise," Linebeck said, leaning back lazily.

"I don't like surprises," Tetra glowered.

"Oh well." Linebeck shrugged unsympathetically. "You won't know until we reach my ship."

"I'll just get Kid to weasel the truth out of you," Tetra declared, knowing fully well how annoying her best friend could be when he wanted to be.

"Tch. Good luck with that," Linebeck scoffed. "If I could survive Sparkles' nagging, which I did, then I can survive the kid's."

"I could have my crew toss you overboard and refuse to help you until you talk," Tetra mused.

"Well, then I'd die, and you wouldn't know for even longer."

"I hate you," she stated.

Linebeck laughed. "What woman doesn't?" He actually sounded a bit proud of that statement. Men. She'd never understand them.

"I don't see why you need to keep secrets," Tetra mumbled, redirecting her gaze to the training session taking place below.

"It won't be a secret forever," Linebeck pointed out. "The faster we reach my ship, the faster you'll know."

Tetra sighed, exasperated. "I told you already, we're sailing there as we speak."

"And I told you, we weren't going very fast," Linebeck reminded her.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Tetra huffed, turning to look at him. They were already sailing at full sail per her orders.

"Tell the kid to get the wind blowing in the right direction, for one," Linebeck advised.

"It is…" Tetra trailed off as she realized that it had been a few hours since they'd started sailing.

"Last time I checked Four-Eye Reef wasn't to the east."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Tetra demanded, getting to her feet. Every second they wasted sailing was another second that they could be looking for Ghirahim. Not that they were ready to face him just yet, but that was beside the point.

"In my defense, I was coming down here to tell the kid to fix it, but then I got … distracted," Linebeck's attention wandered to the two training heroes, and Tetra followed his gaze.

As she watched the two of them it became quite apparent to her that Kid was struggling with whatever Link was trying to teach him. Part of her was glad to see it, as it proved that she wasn't the only one having difficulty acquiring new skills, but another part of her despised the revelation because it only served as further proof that their counterparts were stronger than them.

Unconsciously she balled her hands into fists, almost as if she believed somewhere deep down that the action would make her stronger. "Oi, Kid! Take a break, and go change the wind direction!" Tetra ordered.

"We're kind of in the middle of something here," Link called over to her. It was clear the interruption irked him. "Can't that wait a minute?"

"No!" she snapped. "Kid, go do it. Now." Kid didn't protest. In fact, he almost looked relieved as he laid down his weapon and moved to comply with her wishes. Thankfully, Link didn't stop him.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Link wondered as he set both of the wooden swords off to the side. "Aren't you supposed to be training with Zelda?"

"Worry about yourself," she told him. Of course, she knew he wouldn't listen.

"Did you guys fight? Like argument wise?"

"Are you deaf? I said to worry about yourself!"

Link held his hands up in defense. "Alright."

"Word to the wise," Linebeck spoke up, addressing Link. "Don't speak to women when they're angry. I've learned that the hard way."

Link gave a small laugh. "Noted."

If they said anything else, Tetra didn't hear it, for she turned on her heel and exited the room, heading, somewhat against her better judgment, to her cabin. The only good thing that she noticed upon entering her room was that Fi was once again tucked away inside the Master Sword. With any luck, she'd stay there.

"So how are the boys doing?" Midna wondered conversationally, floating in the air on her stomach, head propped up by her hands in interest and legs crossed behind her.

"Fine," Tetra said curtly, walking over to pick up the story book she'd dropped earlier in her anger.

"How are you doing?" Princess Zelda questioned her.

"I don't know why you're asking if you don't care," Tetra replied, her attention on wiping micro particles of dust off of the book in her hands.

"What make you think I don't care?" her counterpart asked, actually managing to sound curious.

"Because you're so unfeeling about everything!" Tetra exclaimed as she whirled around to face the princess. "How can all of this not bother you at all?"

For a long time, the princess didn't say anything, and Tetra began to wonder if Zelda had no idea what she was even talking about. When her counterpart spoke next her voice was low, soft, "It did."

"It did," Tetra repeated, as if to confirm she'd heard correctly.

"Yes."

"But it doesn't anymore?" Zelda shook her head. "Why not?"

"Well…" her counterpart said, drawing out the word as if she was buying time to come up with an adequate answer. "I just realized that it's all irrelevant. Hylia was a goddess once, just like Din, Nayru, and Farore, but she died. Hylia, the real Hylia, doesn't exist anymore."

"But we're her reincarnations so she does!" Tetra argued.

"In a sense, yes, she does," Zelda conceded. "However, she isn't us, and we're not her. We may have some remnants of her inside of us, the magic for instance, but aside from that we are our own people. If you really think about it, it doesn't matter what we were. It only matters what we are now, what we choose to be."

"I don't have the power to choose to be anything, though!" Tetra countered. "I might not have to be a goddess, but I have to be a princess whether I like it or not!"

"True, but being a princess isn't so bad. You have a lot of power," Midna spoke up.

"Which is useless if I can't do what I want," Tetra pointed out sulkily.

Midna shook her head as if she thought Tetra was being silly. "Oh, but you can."

At Tetra's puzzled expression, Midna elaborated, "Look you have an advantage being younger. Assuming you find a place to assert dominion over soon, you'll definitely need a regent until you're older which means you can basically do whatever you want while another person deals with the whole ruling the country thing."

"But what if I don't like how they rule?" Tetra wondered. Of course she didn't want to bear the responsibility herself, but that didn't mean she didn't care how her kingdom would be run someday.

"Don't worry, you'll still have a say in what goes on," Midna assured her. "My point is that with a regent, you could basically continue sailing around like this. Maybe not all the time, but you could still to do some treasure hunting or whatever. How's that for choice?"

Tetra couldn't help but crack a small grin at Midna's assertiveness. She had to admit, it was a good idea. She honestly hadn't even known it was possible to have someone rule in place of her, at least for a while. The thought made her feel a little better, but it didn't completely ease her worries. After all, she was still a princess. Nothing could change that.

As if she sensed Tetra still needed some convincing Midna said, "Trust me, being a princess is very fun! You get to enslave people!"

"Midna!" Princess Zelda gasped. "Do not fill her head with such notions. That is a terrible way to rule."

"I know, I know," Midna assured Zelda, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion. "I was just joking, though I did enslave Link once…"

"How?" Tetra demanded, intent on learning the secret to getting Link to listen to her. She'd been trying ever since she met him, and if Midna had a way to get it to work…

"Oh! That's right!" Midna said. "You weren't there when we told Kid about Link's adventure so you never heard how we met."

"Tell me," Tetra commanded. The Twilight Princess didn't argue and Tetra listened attentively as the tale was told. She couldn't help but be impressed by Midna's manipulation skills. Link really had followed her every command like a lost puppy. Though, now that she thought about it, he really didn't have any other choice if he wanted to save his friends. Still, it was manipulation at its finest and although it meant she'd probably never be able to get him to obey her, the knowledge still made for a good laugh.

"Why don't we get back to training?" Princess Zelda suggested once the tale was over. Tetra found herself agreeing. She really didn't mind learning magic so much. It could be fun … but most of the time it was frustrating, especially since her counterpart made it look so effortless.

"Just how long have you been doing this?" Tetra wondered, catching her breath after yet another failed shield spell.

"I started when I was ten," Princess Zelda informed her.

"Well, that explains it," Tetra muttered.

"Practice makes perfect," Midna piped up sagely from where she was perched on the back of Tetra's desk chair.

Tetra sighed in exasperation. "So I've heard, but is it true?"

"Yes," her counterpart said. "Now try again."

Reluctantly, Tetra complied but after a time it became boring and repeatedly more frustrating each time she failed. When Tetra complained and demanded to learn a different spell, her counterpart refused. However, she did agree to teach Tetra other skills she could perfect given time.

Pleased with the change of pace, Tetra listened readily and followed her counterpart's instructions. Soon she was able to construct what she liked to call a "bubble shield" around herself. Though it was difficult to move with, it did offer much more protection than the basic shield spell that only covered her front, if she managed to do it right, of course.

By the time they were rounded up for lunch, Tetra had learned much more than she thought was possible. While Nayru's Love was only a single spell, there were many different ways to mold it. Frankly, it amazed her to see just how flexible one spell could be. Not only could she protect herself, but she could also protect objects and people as well, though that took up much more energy. That, Zelda had told her, was the cost of magic. The more you asked of it, the more it took from you.

Even though it made sense, Tetra didn't like it one bit. Still, food helped just a little and then they retreated back to her room to continue training.

"Seriously, why are you hiding?" Tetra asked when Midna slipped out of her shadow and settled herself on the couch.

"Seriously, why do you care," Midna shot back playfully, a spark in her eyes.

Tetra blinked. Why did she care? It wasn't like she cared about Fi not being known to everyone so why Midna?

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just thought maybe it's boring hiding out in the shadows all the time, and you don't get to eat with us or anything. Doesn't that bother you?"

As she reclined on the arm of the couch, Midna appeared to be truly contemplating her words. At last, the Twilight Princess shrugged. "Maybe a little, but I don't really need to eat. Most of your light dweller food is terrible anyway."

"Wow, thanks." Tetra rolled her eyes.

"Besides," Midna continued, "the way I look now, the rest of them will think I'm some monster or something."

"No, they won't."

Midna gestured to herself. "I'm an imp. Does this look human at all to you?"

"You're a Twili," Tetra pointed out. "You're not human anyway."

"They don't know that. They won't even know what that means, and you really can't explain it because the Twilight Realm doesn't exist here." Tetra bit her lip. Midna had a point.

"Kid and I didn't know that or what the Twilight Realm was when we met you and we didn't judge … much," she added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, but you two aren't ordinary and you're kids besides. Of course you'd be open to this."

"But-"

"Look, I'll stop hiding when this curse is broken," Midna declared with finality. "And that can only happen when Ghirahim's dead so why don't you continue training to kill him?"

"Wait a moment, Midna," Zelda interjected. "If the Twilight Realm doesn't exist here … what of your power?"

"What do you think?" Midna shot back, annoyance plain in her tone.

"I saw you use magic earlier, so it can't all be gone," Zelda noted.

"It's not. It can't be completely gone but I'm automatically weaker because of the curse and now this…" Midna sighed. "Don't expect me to warp anyone anywhere because I can't do that now."

"Can you still help us fight Ghirahim when we find him?" Tetra wondered.

"As much as I'd love to, I really don't think so," Midna said dejectedly, looking at her hands and seeming to silently curse the lack of power they held. "Unless we break this curse or I find some other shadowy realm to draw power from, I can't do much."

"You can't draw power from regular shadows?" Tetra wondered. They needed as much strength as they could get to go up against Ghirahim since he now possessed the Triforce of Power.

"No, not unless they're attached to a mortal which would mean I'd have to drain power from one of you guys in a fight, and I won't do that because it'll make you weaker."

"Perhaps we can find a different way to break the curse on you," Princess Zelda proposed.

"How?" Midna wondered.

"I'm … not sure," Zelda admitted, frowning.

"A great fairy?" Tetra spoke up as the thought popped into her head.

"Fairies use light magic," Midna informed her. "I'm a shadow being. See the issue?"

"Yes," she said, frowning as well. "But there must be some way to change you back without Ghirahim's help."

Midna sighed. "Look, if there is, we don't know it, so there's no point in talking about it."

"I agree. Let's focus on training for now," Zelda said.

Tetra couldn't switch her focus just like that though because she realized that she did understand what Midna was going through. She was cursed into an entirely different form than she was used to, a weaker form made even weaker by their location. It wasn't so unlike Tetra being stuck as a fair-skinned princess a few days ago in Hyrule.

Unfortunately, the act of understanding didn't make fixing it any easier. If her counterpart was capable of helping Midna regain her true form then there was no doubt in Tetra's mind that it would have happened already. So Tetra could do nothing but agree with her companions and push the topic to the back of her mind in order to resume training. They'd figure it out eventually just like they had with her. It was only a matter of time.

For her, time seemed to be drawn out longer and longer the more she practiced defending herself from ridiculous "threats." The challenge had been entertaining at first, but now it was just dull. Her successive complaints eventually led to Zelda conceding to teach her how to use Nayru's Love offensively, much to her delight. She barely listened as Zelda warned her that it would be far more difficult and taxing than anything she'd done thus far. It didn't deter her in the least. If anything, it invigorated her. She liked to prove her counterpart wrong. If it was something Zelda didn't think she could do just yet, she welcomed it.

Unfortunately for Tetra, her counterpart was right. The skill was reserved for experts of Nayru's Love, which she was not as of yet. There was no way to retrieve the magic she used with this particular move, so she soon found her supply of magic nearly depleted causing Zelda to force her to revert to practicing the simpler versions of the shielding spell in order to prevent her from over exerting herself.

Though she grumbled about it, as it felt like she was taking steps back instead of forward, her counterpart did have a point. She could only build off of what she knew so if she perfected the basics, the more difficult things would become easier to execute.

Nonetheless, by the time dinner rolled around, Tetra was exhausted and firmly against doing any more training, at least for today. When she entered the mess hall, she could see that her best friend felt the same way, though she doubted Link was pushing him hard. She couldn't imagine Link being a strict teacher. Kid had probably gotten more breaks than her.

She couldn't stay bitter about it though, not with what was in front of her. Soup. And not just any soup. Kid's grandmother's soup. With all the training, she'd forgotten that she'd requested this as payment for staying past dawn. At the time, she'd only thought it a good decision because it'd taste good, but now she knew it was a great decision for reasons far beyond that.

Tetra had no idea what Kid's grandmother could possibly put in the soup to make it so delicious and rejuvenating, but whatever it was, it apparently restored magic too, a trait that didn't go unnoticed by her counterpart. Of course, when Zelda questioned Kid about the contents of the soup, the young Wind Waker had no idea.

After the meal, they went their separate ways once again. Adamant about what she'd decided prior to dinner, Tetra refused to train anymore.

"I feel good right now. I'd rather not have to sacrifice that until tomorrow," Tetra declared.

"Fair enough," Zelda conceded. "What shall we do then?"

"Talk?" Midna suggested.

"About what?" Tetra wondered.

"Whatever we want," Midna said, her tone indicating that doing so was a rare privilege. To be fair, it kind of was. Tetra never really got the chance to talk about anything that wasn't imperative to something they were doing. She had no idea what it was like for a princess with a kingdom to run, but she imagined it wasn't much different if Midna's tone was anything to go by.

But there was a problem with that kind of freedom. "I don't know what I want to talk about," Tetra admitted.

"How about…" Midna trailed off in thought before snapping her fingers as an idea came to her. "Your ship?"

"My ship? There's nothing interesting about my ship," Tetra stated.

''How long have you lived on it?" the princess asked, apparently deciding the topic was intriguing enough to discuss.

"All my life," Tetra declared proudly. Not many could say they were born and raised on a ship.

"Well, I could've guessed that," Midna said. "It's obvious that the constant motion doesn't bother you at all." She cracked a smile. "It does bother Link though."

"Yeah, I noticed," Tetra assured her with a smile of her own. Then she turned to the princess. "By the way, why aren't you bothered by it too?"

"Because, unlike Link, I have sailed before," Princess Zelda announced.

"I thought Hyrule was landlocked," she said.

"It is," her counterpart assured her. "However, Labrynna is not."

"Labrynna?"

"It is a country neighboring Hyrule," Zelda explained. "It's bordered by an ocean, the Zora Seas."

"Why'd you go there?" Midna wondered.

"It was for vacation a few years ago," Zelda stated.

"Bet you weren't on a pirate ship," Tetra smirked.

"No, I was not. That would have been troublesome."

"Were there pirates?" Tetra inquired.

"Not that I know of," Zelda replied, "But there were Zora…"

Soon, Tetra and Midna found themselves listening as Zelda described her vacation in Labrynna, adding comments of their own here and there. It sounded like a great place to visit, and Tetra couldn't help but be fascinated by the ocean Zelda described. Not only did it have fish, but Zora lived there too. Supposedly, there was even a mysterious bit of ocean, known as the Sea of Storms.

She grew comfortable casually talking with her companions about things that didn't matter, so it was no wonder she was surprised when she was summoned above decks by a shout from one of her crew informing her that they had arrived.

As soon as Midna disappeared back into the shadows, Tetra and Zelda made their way to the main deck. A light rain filtered down from above, but it was nothing to worry about.

They were just in time to witness Linebeck hop down to his own ship. Even in the relative darkness of night, Tetra could see dark gray smoke puffing out of the pipe that normally emitted steam. Jolene's torpedoes really were fearsome then. Tetra doubted her ship would still be standing if it had been struck by one.

Tetra waltzed over to the railing where Kid and Link were stationed, and leaned over, trying to assess the damage. She could see the impact zone clearly. The front hull of the ship was dented, but other than that it didn't look too bad, all things considered.

They watched as Linebeck wrenched open the door to the innards of the ship and immediately recoiled as a generous amount of smoke billowed out. The sea captain cursed, waving the smoke away with his hand.

"Do you need help?" Kid wondered.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Go below and open all the portholes," Linebeck said as Kid hurdled the railing and made the short leap to the smaller vessel. "And for goddesses sakes, stay low." This last part, Linebeck grumbled while pushing Kid towards the stairs that led to the lower deck.

"Nothing's on fire in there, is it?" Link checked, making Kid pause and glance back at Linebeck for an answer.

"If this ship hasn't blown yet, then it isn't going to. It's fine," Linebeck assured them, waving for Kid to go on ahead.

"But-" She never did get to hear Link's protest, for it was drowned out by a call from above.

"What is it, Zuko?" Tetra shouted up to the pirate looking down at her from the crow's nest.

"Enemies approaching fast on our starboard side!" Zuko announced, sounding concerned. Tetra hurried to the starboard side of the ship, head spinning. Zuko never fibbed. He wasn't one for jokes or pranks so he couldn't possibly be pulling her leg. Yet what did enemies mean anyway? Were they normal ocean enemies? If so, why did he sound so frantic about it? Was Ghirahim actually doing something? As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, they weren't ready for that. Not yet.

Tetra gripped the railing anxiously, eyes scanning the ocean for any sign of the opponents that Zuko had warned her about. For what felt like forever she saw nothing. Then she blinked and everything changed.

Fins. Dozens of them, hundreds, cutting through the water and heading straight for them.

"Are those sharks?" Link breathed from beside her, actually sounding a tad intimidated. She didn't have time to be startled by his sudden presence, only relieved.

"Gyorgs," she corrected him sharply, her eyes never leaving the water. "Get your bow out."

Link didn't argue. He swiftly drew his bow from his inventory and nocked an arrow, aiming it at the water in anticipation of the first shark-like monster's approach.

The literal wave of monsters came far quicker than either of them anticipated, and Link loosed his arrow, striking one and killing it. Tetra would think this would enrage the rest of them, but it didn't. They just kept swimming, passing the pirate ship and occasionally brushing the hull with a fin.

Link readied another arrow but didn't release it. "They're not attacking," Link observed after thirty seconds passed in tense silence as they watched the Gyorgs stream past the ship, turning the water dark purple with their mass of powerful bodies.

"No," Tetra agreed. "They're fleeing." Which didn't make sense. Gyorgs were renowned for being ocean killing machines. They didn't flee from anything, even things that wanted them dead.

"What are they afraid of?" Link pondered, lowering his weapon.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, we don't want to find out," Tetra declared, stepping away from the railing and turning to retrieve Kid. They needed to get out of here. Now.

She got about halfway across the deck before the ship shook so violently that even those skilled at sea like her were forced to the floor. It continued to buck as if they were caught in a nasty storm but they weren't. The drizzle falling from the sky was nothing near drastic enough to cause such movement. Exclamations of surprise rang out across the deck as everyone tried in vain to figure out what was happening while simultaneously grappling for any handhold they could find.

Then, just as soon as it started, it stopped. Soon after, the rest of them settled into an uncomfortable silence as they all waited for something to happen. After a few seconds, Tetra cautiously began to get to her feet, which prompted her crew to do the same. Link and the princess were more hesitant but she really didn't care about them at the moment. She was more concerned about whatever had just rocked her ship.

'It could've just been a rogue wave kicked up by those Gyorgs,' she reasoned silently to herself as she approached the railing. As soon as she reached the wooden beam she leaned over it, peering into the still, black waters, brows furrowed.

Nothing was there. No. Wait. There was something. Tetra leaned over the safety rail as much as she dared, engaging in a staring contest with the water. It was almost as if the sea was staring back at her with an eye of its own, made entirely of sea foam. The sight mesmerized her. Unconsciously, she leaned closer, unwilling to blink for fear of shattering the illusion before her. It turned out, she didn't have to. The watery eye blinked for her.

She drew herself up a little straighter at that, wary. Was she just seeing things or…?

Suddenly a tentacle shot up from the water, startling Tetra into abandoning her post at the railing. She scrambled back, but it didn't feel like it was fast enough, or far enough, to be safe.

Before she could think to distance herself farther, shouts rang out from behind her. She whirled around to see the majority of her crew gawking at the port side where five tentacles, identical to the one that had startled her, were stationed, swaying in the air.

They didn't stay that way for long. Tetra watched in horror as the tentacles on the other side of the ship began to descend towards her frozen crew.

"Move you idiots!" she yelled at the immobile men who were captivated by the suction-cupped things that were quickly approaching them.

She was so concerned for them that she forgot to assess the situation on her own side until it was too late. Before she could utter a sound, Tetra was slammed onto the deck, and soon pain was all she knew.