AN: Here's the second chapter! Thanks for all the great reviews! Normally I don't do this, but I've decided to reply to a few reviews. So here we go!
i3aNi3-727: Well, there are a lot of questions in the story, and if it drives you crazy, as well as me, how do you think poor Zelda/Tetra feels? I'm sorry if they bother you, but I'm just trying to show all of Zelda's confusion, 'cause there are a lot of questions to ask about the past and present. Thanks for the review! J
The Kirby Kid: Only second best? eyes well up with tears lol, thanks!
Maniac Mosli: Thanks!!!
link no miko: Well, I just took a guess and decided that since Oot Link was ten, that I'd make the wind waker link ten as well. I'm just guessing ages….. J thanks for the review!
Zonr-00: I think you have this Zelda fic confused with my other one, lol. GAH! Not the pigs!!!!!! Like you'll hear in the Zelda's Trial update, the only thing that ever killed me in Wind Waker was that stupid pig Link!!!!! runs away
Thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well! Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!
Link was chasing his thirteen-year old sister around Outset Island. She had woken him up that morning by putting a crab in his shirt. And he'd been having an interesting dream too… It had all started when he had pushed her in the water as a joke, and now they were at full out war with each other. It was all in good fun, and it wasn't like there was anything else to do around the island. He trained with Orca, though he had surpassed him skill and was also a lot younger, but it kept him on his toes, and occasionally he went and fought the various creatures in the hole on the cliff above the houses. But even those monsters got boring after a while. He craved adventure, and missed his time on the open seas.
Because Link was thinking while he was chasing his sister Aryl, he wasn't really paying attention to what was going on. He had just caught up to her because she had stopped to look at something, and when she saw her brother coming for her, darted out of the way at the last second. Link missed, and since he had lunged to catch her, he lost his balance and fell over the side of the Look Out tower.
He closed his eyes as he waited to fall into the water, but instead, felt a hand suddenly grab his wrist. He looked up, confused and surprised, to see Tetra looking down at him, leaning over the side of her ship. She had a mischievous smile on her face that Link didn't notice at first, too happy was he to see her. And then he realized just what she was going to do as she winked at him slyly.
Link fell into the water as Tetra let him go, laughing, and he couldn't help but laugh too when he bobbed to the surface. When they had stopped, he called up to her from the water.
"How've ya been?" Link noticed that she hesitated before answering.
"Okay. You?"
Link grinned. "Bored out of my mind. So what brings you here?"
"What, I can't just visit you?" She asked, but her smile did not reach her eyes.
Link frowned. "Something wrong?"
"How about you get out of the water and come on the ship?" Tetra asked, but it wasn't really a question.
Within five minutes Link was out of the water and up in the crows nest with Tetra, while his sister talked with the pirates on the deck of the ship.
"So what's going on?" Link asked concernedly, and Tetra sighed before answering. She felt kind of foolish, being there with Link, like a year hadn't gone by without them seeing each other.
"Has anything unusual happened to you lately?" She asked, noticing how tall he was. He was nearly six inches taller than she was, and as for the green outfit, well, he looked like he was in his pajamas.
"Well if you call waking up with a crab in your shirt unusual, then yes." Link grinned boyishly, and Tetra turned away. A slight blush crept at her cheeks. When he hadn't been so close, it had been easier to keep her feelings under control, but now…. She was a girl, and he was a cute boy, so the reaction was just natural, right?
"I take it that wasn't the right answer," Link said slowly, then asked, "Has anything unusual happened to you?"
He hadn't really expected her to answer truthfully, and was surprised when she did. "Actually…I've been having some strange dreams lately."
"Dreams?" That rang a bell.
"Yeah… About the past."
"Well now that you mention it," Link scratched his head sheepishly; "I did have a weird dream last night."
Tetra turned to him with wide eyes. "Really? What was it about?"
Link frowned. "I'm not really sure. It was kind of fuzzy. I was riding this horse, and then I was fighting Ganondorf again. The rest of it I can't really remember, but it was weird. I mean, no ones seen a horse in years!" He smiled again, but it left his face at Tetra's frown. It was always so hard to get her to smile when she wasn't laughing at something stupid he had done.
"I see…" She looked away again.
"Was that the past?" Link asked, looking down when he saw his sister run off with a pair of glasses in hand.
"I think so. I remember a horse in my dreams too."
"What else was in your dreams?" Link asked curiously.
Tetra stiffened. "Nothing specific. It's very fuzzy, like you said. But these dreams only just started, and you had one last night. What does it mean? Why now?"
Link regarded her seriously. "Is that why you're here?"
She looked up at him. "What?"
"Are you here because of the dreams?" He sounded kind of disappointed.
Tetra allowed herself to smile. "That, and because I was wondering what you were up to."
"Well, as you can see, nothing much," Link replied, and they smiled at each other. After a moment he asked, "So how long are you guys going to be sticking around?"
"Why, trying to get rid of me?" Tetra asked, only half-joking.
"Actually…." Link grinned playfully.
She glared at him and he laughed, and finally, she smiled too.
* * *
They spent the day together, laughing, talking like the friends that they were, but Link knew that she was bothered by her dreams more than she let on. And when night came….
Princess Zelda looked out the window of her room, where the sun smirked at her by shining bright and beautiful. What had happened to him? She knew the Tri-force had left him, three years ago…She had known it, and it had nearly destroyed her. Had he been killed? Why wouldn't he have come back?
She wanted him, needed him, loved him. But he had not come back, and today, she was marrying someone else. She would never love him. Her body would be his in order to produce an heir, but never her heart. She loved Link too much, even if that love had not been reciprocated. In her eyes, the gown she wore was the final nail in her coffin.
Zelda smiled at the sweet child in her arms. She'd given birth to a daughter, whom they had named Zelda, as was the tradition. She loved the little girl with all of her heart, but she could never be happy with just her and a husband she did not love. Never.
There was so much blood…much more than he expected. Zelda watched, mesmerized, as the red washed over the white. Pretty…she mused, smearing one of the rivers of blood with her finger.
"I love you, Link."
Tetra gasped as she sat up in bed, tears streaming down her face. What had she done?! What had she done?!
Tetra's quiet sobs filled the room. If anyone heard her, she knew they would not come. She was not in danger, not here, not at Outset Island, and while there was no night watch this particular night, she knew there would still be someone awake, wondering what as wrong, but not bothering to see what was. Tetra had yelled at them countless times when they had questioned her for showing her emotions, so they would not come, because she was only crying. She would not be crying if she were being attacked. She wasn't like that.
So Tetra's crying went uninterrupted, that was, until she heard a loud thump outside her room, on the deck. She dried her tears, trying to calm her breathing, and grabbed her dagger. She could hear the sound of footsteps coming closer by the second, and she slowly approached her door. Who would be coming to see her at this time of night? What had been that noise?
Tetra ignored her heart and focused on her pirate instincts. Who could possibly think they were a match for a group of pirates? Unless…..
Tetra flung open the door to see Link standing there, looking confused, his hand raised and ready to knock. The sight of him immediately sent her reeling and she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. After a moment she felt him place his arms around her as well.
"What's wrong, Tetra?" Link asked. He had never seen such a display of emotion from her before. Not once in all the time he had known her had she hugged him, and now she was hugging him like she was afraid to let go.
"I had another dream…" She murmured into his chest.
"What was it about?" His voice seemed strained.
"Zelda…she married someone else…they had a child…. And then she killed herself."
Tetra felt Link stiffen in her arms. "WHAT?"
"She couldn't take it…. She missed him too much." Tetra pulled away from him and looked at him as though the thought had just occurred to her. "What are you doing here?" Her pirate demeanor had taken over again.
"I had a dream too," Link replied, once he had recovered from his shock.
"About what?" She asked curiously. He looked pale. What could have sent Link to her in the middle of the night?
"I—Link was being tortured," Link began hoarsely, remembering the horrible pain he had felt. He could still feel the acid burning on his chest, still see it in his head.
Tetra's eyes widened. "Torture?"
"He wasn't in Hyrule…he was somewhere else. He wanted to go back…desperately…but he was too weak," Link finished, his eyes glazed and distant. They were suddenly clear as he looked down at her. "What's going on Zelda?"
Her true name. Tetra could only stare at him, speechless. He hadn't called her by her true name in five years. Link looked surprised too.
"I'm sorry," he said, "it just fits you better…" He shook his head. "Something strange is going on, Tetra. That dream, nightmare, that was the first time I had it. I've only had the other dream once, too. And that one wasn't like this one…. Tonight's dream was horrible…."
"Zelda."
"What?" Link asked, confused.
Tetra smiled at him, which was strange in the current situation. "Call me Zelda. I renounce the name Tetra."
Link frowned. "Why…?"
"I never was Tetra, I was always Zelda, no matter how much I fought, fight, against it. And that name…" She looked at him, suddenly serious. "Something is happening, Link. What happened to the Hero of Time? He left Hyrule," a sudden thought came to her, "and I need to leave to!"
Tetra, in her haste, darted past him, through the doorway, but he caught her arm, stopping her, and she looked at him in surprise.
"What are you doing?" He asked, frowning.
"I need to wake up my crew. We're leaving these lands." Tetra answered, but still he did not release his gentle grip. She could have broken free, but she found herself needing to hear what he had to say.
"The storms will stop you again," he said, his dark eyes unusually bright.
"Somehow, I don't think they will this time," she replied. Link let go of her arm. He believed her.
"Then do you think that maybe you could leave in the morning? I'd like to say some good-byes first, and everyone's asleep." Link grinned sheepishly at her, and her mouth fell open in surprise.
"You're going to come?"
"Well of course! You didn't think I'd let you solve this mystery by yourself, did you?" Link replied with a smile, then added teasingly, "And where's the Princess Zelda without her hero?"
AN: HA! Chapter two is done. I hope you guys like it. I've been having serious writer's block, and I hope these two aren't too out of character. Let me know! REVIEW! Don't flame me please, cowers. FLAME It burns! It burns! runs around, stops, looks around confusedly, falls to ground, rolls around, puts out flames Ha! Take that! dodges another flame; brings out hose MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Seriously though, flames make me sad, so just be constructive, kay?
