Disclaimer: I still don't own anything about this story except for the fact
that I wrote it and the changed parts were my ideas. Again don't sue me
because I think I just said something wrong. O.o *inches away slowly*
A/N: I must thank the reviewer who criticized my work as well as everyone else that is still reviewing. It will help me in the future :) I'll do my best to dim down on the exclamation marks (in dialogue or in descriptions? Or both?) and use proper descriptions (I myself don't actually know much about ships but that won't stop me. I don't however, want to be too technical and confuse people). And yes I know it's a catapult and not a cannon. I just so happened to notice that right after I posted . sorry about that.
A warning though. This particular chapter (along with one or two others) is one in which I added something that is definitely not in the game. Why I added it, I will explain after the final chapter (cause it has a purpose and I don't want you to be distracted while reading now). Oh yeah...and if anyone examined Tetra's room while playing the game, I'm assuming the picture above the couch is a pic of Tetra's mom. But I'm not sure, so if I'm wrong then don't sue me. Actually don't sue me for anything! Ok? Moving on...^_^
Chapter 3: Trouble at Sea -------------------------------------------
Booooooooooooooooonnnnnnggggggggg
The sound of the ship's gong echoed throughout the entire island, attracting the attention of the locals. News on Outset spread like wildfire and in no time flat, everyone knew that Link's sister Aryll had been kidnapped. After finding out that Link was leaving to go save her, the residents gathered at the shore to see off their young comrade.
Link was too busy looking around the ship to noticed them though. He had obviously never been on a pirate ship before. In fact, he had never been on a ship, period! The young boy merely watched in slight fascination as the crew prepared to depart from shore.
Just then, he heard someone call his name.
"Hey Link!" Tetra called to him from the stern of the ship. "Get
over here."
Link climbed the steps and walked up to her.
"What is it?" he asked.
Tetra just gestured toward the shore without saying anything.
Link looked down to see the crowd of locals waving and shouting good- byes to him.
"Good luck saving Aryll!" some were calling. "Take care of yourself!" others were saying.
Link began to wave back. He was going to miss them...all of them. Even if some of them were kinda weird.
Tetra sat behind him and watched the people on shore wave their farewells. For all she knew, this could be the last time the kid would see these people again, so she didn't bother rushing him. She then watched Link as he suddenly made his way to the farthest edge of the ship. She looked over to see him waving with both arms to a woman standing on the porch of one of the houses. The lady looked pretty old so she assumed it was his aunt, or grandma, or something like that.
After a while, Tetra got tired of all this farewell stuff, and
spoke.
"Ugh. How long is this gonna take do you think?" she mumbled,
referring to the length of his sister's rescue.
Link stopped waving and turned around.
She watched him as she continued. "Are you sure you shouldn't
just quit right now? Seriously...think about it." She put her hands
behind her head and eyed him. "I can tell just by that look that
you're only going to get more sentimental from here on out." She
mumbled.
Link gave her a half frown and half pondering look and turned around to face his island. Tetra could tell that he really wanted to go back; but then again she could tell he did not want to go back either. Either way, she had to know for sure what his decision was.
"There's still time you know." She said to his back. "Are you sure we shouldn't just turn around and take you back to your island?"
Link remained silent in thought, but eventually he looked to the
ground and made up his decision.
"I'm going to save Aryll." He said sternly. "Even if it's the last
thing I do!"
Tetra was stunned. She knew this boy wanted to save his sister, but she didn't know how far he would go in doing so. She did have to give him credit though for being so confident, even after all the rumors he heard about the fortress. She stood up.
"Well if you're sure about that, then I guess you will need some help. It's not like the place will just let you in once we get there." With that, Tetra turned around and began to walk towards the bow of the ship to give instructions to Gonzo.
Link continued to stare back at his home island for a little while longer before he turned around and watched her leave. He walked down the stairs to the main deck and stopped upon realizing he didn't have a clue as to where or what he was suppose to be doing on the ship. He feared that if he just stood around and did nothing while on this particular ship, he'd most likely get thrown overboard; so, he questioned the nearby pirates to get instructions.
He just happened to talk to Mako first.
"So you're the new swabbie on board huh?" the small pirate said, fixing his glasses to get a better look.
"Uh...yeah...I guess." Link replied. He never heard the word swabbie before, but he figured it meant new kid or something like that, so he didn't bother asking what it meant.
Mako laughed. "You know, all new swabbies end up doing the chores around here. You know, do laundry, prepare the meals, swab the deck, you know, the usual. Looks like you're the new bottom rug on the pirate ladder." He chuckled lightly. "Boy will Niko be happy."
Link cringed at the thought of having to do all that work when he was only going to be with them for a short amount of time; but he suddenly got curious and asked. "Who's Niko?"
Mako yanked the thick book under his arm up as he replied.
"Oh Niko is the pirate who served us before you came along. All new pirates report to him for instructions and training." He gestured to a door across from where they were standing. "He's through that door, down the companionway. You can't miss it." The pirate turned back to Link and was about to continue, until he noticed the very confused look the boy in green was making at him from his use of nautical terms.
"Oh that's right. You've never been on a pirate ship have ya lad?" he questioned while fixing his glasses again.
Link made a defeated smile and nodded his head.
"Well..." Mako began. "The companionway is-"
"The stairs leading below deck." Suddenly came a voice.
Link and Mako quickly spun around, only to be met by Tetra's harsh gaze.
She crossed her arms and shot a glare over at Mako.
"Now is not the time to be giving lessons, Mako." She said sternly. "You've got duties to perform so snap to it!"
"Y-yes, Miss Tetra." The spectacled pirate responded slowly. He quickly walked off.
Tetra then turned to Link, who quickly tensed up in defense thinking she was going to hit him with her accusing finger. "And as for you...you can't just wander around the ship chit-chatting to my crew. This is a pirate ship if you haven't noticed and they've got work to do." She eyed him as she quickly remarked. "You'll only get in everyone's way."
Link held up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry, Tetra. I really didn't- "
"Of course you didn't know." She quickly finished. "I expected as much." She straightened up and crossed her arms again to let it sink in.
It wasn't until Link made a puzzled face at her did she get off the subject and finally give him orders.
"I've informed Niko to look after you for the trip, so you better get on down below deck for instructions. You don't want to keep him waiting." With that said, she turned around and walked away.
Link grinned at her when she wasn't looking and walked through the door to the lower deck.
By the time the ship had cleared Outset, it was about late morning. Tetra estimated that the trip to the Forsaken Fortress would last until well after the evening hours...that is...if they sailed non-stop.
"We aren't stopping anywhere?" Gonzo said, stunned. Usually they would stop somewhere to eat or possibly restock the ship. Why were they in such a rush? Or the right question would be...why was Tetra in such a rush?
"You heard me!" Tetra replied sternly. "We are going to get to that place as fast as our sails can carry us!"
"But Miss..." Gonzo uttered.
"I am not repeating myself! We are not stopping and that's final!" Tetra replied harshly as she turned and stomped away.
The crew looked at one another, obviously puzzled by Tetra's command. However, they knew their captain must have had some important reason so they didn't persist anymore than they had already.
Tetra quickly entered the door that led below deck. Being a captain of a pirate crew had its share of stress and she needed to calm herself a little, so she went into her cabin and closed the door behind her. Plopping herself on the couch to her right, she stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to clear her thoughts.
She just happened to glance over at a picture hanging above the couch she was laying on. It was one of three pictures that she managed to find in the wreckage of her sunken ship, seven years ago. This one happened to be a picture of her mother.
"Mother..." she silently whispered. The dream she had while she was unconscious suddenly came back to her. The image of her mother disappearing in front of her had reminded her of that day, even if she was reminded every day against her will. Her thoughts also turned to that horrible man in the black clothing.
Tetra suddenly felt anger well up inside her. She knew this man had something to do with her mothers kidnapping; in what way though, she still wasn't sure about. Was he the person behind it all? Was he just a servant or something? Did he control that vicious bird?
She gripped her head. There were so many unanswered questions in her mind it was enough to give her a headache! She turned on her side, and looked at the floor, letting one arm dangling over the edge.
She quickly felt her eyelids start to get heavy, quickly realizing she was more tired then she thought she was. A nap did sound nice at the moment, so she got into a comfortable position and slowly began to doze off. Before she knew it, she fell asleep on the couch...as clouds began to form outside.
~ ~ ~
"Tetra...Tetra wake up!"
"Huh...what..." Tetra moaned. She slowly opened her eyes to see who would dare try to wake her while she was sleeping. Her eyes widened when she saw who was hovering above her.
"Link! What the heck are you doing in my-" she stopped short when she saw her surroundings.
They were not in her cabin and instead were smack in the middle of a huge, barren field surrounded by tall mountains in every angle. Only a few pieces of broken ruins stood around the area, which hung underneath an eerie, reddish-colored sky full of dark clouds. Both her and Link were underneath a large chunk of the ruins, for reasons unknown to her.
Tetra quickly sat up and stood. "Where in the world are we?"
Link put a finger to his mouth, signaling for her to keep her voice down. He motioned for her to look as he slowly peeked around the ruin.
Tetra put her hands on her hips. Since when did he become the boss around here? Curiosity overcame her attitude though as she followed his lead. She looked around the corner, expecting to see something not worth her time.
What she saw though, made her breathe catch in her throat...
Standing with his back turned towards them was that man in black armor!
Tetra gritted her teeth. She didn't know why the man was here or what he was doing...but she knew he only meant trouble.
Without even considering why they were hiding from him, the fearless pirate began to stomp out of their hiding place to go confront this human.
"Stop Tetra!" Link sternly whispered, grabbing her arm.
Tetra was now getting frustrated with this kid ordering her around. She yanked her arm out of his grip, and continued her pursuit toward the dark human.
Link tried to reach out and forcefully pull her back, but he was too slow and couldn't reach her as she continued walking.
"Tetra! Stop!" he quietly shouted to her, hoping the man in black armor wouldn't hear him.
Tetra didn't listen to him and kept walking.
"Tetra, please! Stop!" he persisted.
She still didn't slow down.
Link couldn't take it anymore and shouted, only this time, he didn't bother to suppress his voice.
"Tetra!!!"
His loud call not only made Tetra turn her head, but it also caused the man to be aware of their presence. The man merely glanced over his shoulder and lifted one arm.
A small orb of dark energy formed in his extended reach and began to sizzle with power.
Tetra turned back around and watched as the orb got bigger and bigger. Her eyes widened as she felt the heat that was coming off the ball of darkness, causing her to take a few steps back. She suddenly felt fear begin to stir inside her.
By now, the orb had gotten to the size of a large crate, and its wielder slowly turned around to face the pirate, sensing the emotion within her. His glowing yellow eyes were the only distinct features that Tetra could see. Without hesitation, the man pulled back and flung the orb at her with such force, it made the ground underneath it crumble in its wake!
Tetra froze. She wanted to run, but found she couldn't make herself move due to her being paralyzed by her own fear!
"TETRA!"
Tetra suddenly felt herself get flung to one side by Link, who had body slammed himself into her to get her out of the blasts path. They both tumbled to the ground in a cloud of dust as the energy orb flew past them and crashed into their previous hiding spot. The already beaten down hunk of rubble collapsed, even before the orb came in contact with it!
Tetra and Link slowly looked over at the rubble. Barely any of it was left after the orb had passed through it. They then heard footsteps coming towards them.
Looking toward the sounds direction, Link and Tetra cranked their heads to see the man standing only a few feet away from them!
Tetra didn't think she could be so scared.
"Why am I so frightened?" she thought. "He's not even that scary. Why do I feel like I want to run!"
The man was getting closer.
Suddenly, Tetra heard Link get up from the ground and stand. He placed himself in between her and the advancing man, sword and shield drawn and posed for battle.
"Link...don't!" she thought. "Wait...what am I thinking? Am I actually...worried about him?"
The man stopped as he approached Link. He looked down at the boy only to make a small, evil chuckle. Then he began to speak in a low, evil voice that sent chills down Tetra's spine.
"So...you think you can protect her, boy?" he said.
Link did not answer him. Instead, he squatted a little before he began to charge straight at the man!
But he didn't get far before he was swatted aside like a mosquito by the back of the man's hand. His sword flew out of his hand and landed some distance away as Link fell to the ground.
Tetra fell silent. The kid had just tried to defend her and was slapped away like a rag doll. And he was armed too!
She then heard the sound of a long sword being taken out of its sheath. She looked ahead of her and was met by the end point of the man's long weapon. He chuckled an evil laugh before he raised the sword in the air and with one huge swipe, he brought his sword down.
Tetra's eyes went wide with fright as she watched the sword come down on her forehead!
CRASH!
Tetra shot awake.
She bolted upright and began heaving and gasping for air, trying to recover from her nightmare. Beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead and she quickly wiped them away with her hands. She put her feet on the floor and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was just a dream..." she whispered to herself. She looked over to her right to see a shattered glass bottle that had fallen off one of her counters.
She stood and looked around, thinking someone must have sneaked into her room and knocked it over by accident. As soon as she stood though, she suddenly felt herself trying to keep her balance. The ship was swaying back and forth...but not in a normal kind of way.
Tetra then heard voices coming from the upper deck; and they didn't sound like they were having fun. Without bothering with the mess, she ran out of her room and to the main deck. Once she got out there, she was immediately drenched with hard rain and mist.
The ship had encountered a storm! And no one bothered to wake her?
Her duties as captain sprang awake as she ran around to search for her
crew.
Gonzo was at the wheel trying to keep the ship steady against the
pounding waves. Nudge and Senza were hauling crates and ammo to a more
secure location out of the rain. Right in front of her was Niko, Mako,
and Link, pulling on the ropes used to haul up the single sail so it
wouldn't get damaged in the harsh weather. Zuko was near the wheel,
watching for a way to get out of the storm.
Lightning lit up the sky, as she ran to Senza. She shielded her eyes
against the pounding ran and shouted. "Why did no one wake me up!?"
Senza continued to carry the crate as he replied over the loud sound of the waves hitting the side of the ship, mixed with the thunder. "The storm came out of nowhere, Miss Tetra! I tried knocking at your door, but you didn't answer!"
Tetra made a frustrated humph and quickly ran to the middle of the deck. She cupped her mouth to make her voice heard over the rain.
"KEEP IT TOGHETHER EVERYONE!" she shouted as she turned to Nudge. "Take the wheel! Tell Gonzo to get down here and help with bring up the sail!"
"Aye-aye, captain!" he said as he rushed over to the upper deck.
More lightning flashed and a loud boom from the thunder sounded, causing Tetra to cover her ears. The storm only seemed to get worse and the more they worked to fight it, the more the storm grew violent.
The sail was only halfway up when a huge wave crashed against the ship, knocking everyone trying to raise it to their knees. The two brails they were using to raise the sail slipped out of their hands, causing the sail to open up and began to tear at the seams.
Tetra screamed. "GET THAT SAIL SECURED!"
Everyone scrambled for the ropes and began to pull as soon as they
caught them.
Seeing how the job was taking them too long, Tetra grabbed one of the brails and began to pull along with everyone else. But even with five people working the sail, they were still having trouble getting it secured with the unpredictable wind. To hinder them even further, the waves were pounding the ship, which was throwing their balance off!
Just when they thought they had everything under control, a large wave struck the ship's flank, causing it to lurch violently! The sudden shift in position caused some of the crew to stumble and lose their balance and also their grip on the ropes.
The slippery deck didn't help as everyone, including Tetra, tried to keep their footing and grab onto something to keep her balance. Before the female pirate was able to find something though, a mound of rushing water washed over the deck and swept her off her feet! It didn't carry her far, but the sudden wave of water washing over her head made her tumble a bit before the water washed over board and left her sprawled on deck.
As everyone scrambled back to their feet and ran back to the loose brails, Tetra sat up and rubbed her head. Except for the little bit of stinging in her arm, everything seemed to be ok...but something felt missing...
While rubbing the back of her neck, Tetra suddenly noticed that something was indeed missing. She couldn't feel her necklace anywhere underneath her bandana!
Looking around frantically, she quickly spotted her bright gold accessory some distance away on the deck, drifting a little in a small puddle that didn't wash overboard. The pirate quickly got to her feet and began to stumble over to her fallen item while everyone else tried to keep the sail at bay.
Before she could even get halfway to her fallen necklace however, another mighty wave hit the ship, knocking only her off her feet. The resulting shake and the bit of water that washed back on the deck was all the item needed to slip out of her reach and wash across the deck...right over the edge!
"No!" Tetra screamed. She couldn't lose that necklace! She was told specifically not to lose it by her mother...and she did not intend to ignore that request! Without even thinking about her own safety, the determined pirate ran to the edge where the necklace fell from and began to climb over the ship's railing.
While tackling with the sail's ropes, Link just so happened to look over in time to see Tetra's figure disappear over the ship's railing.
"Tetra!" he shouted.
SPLASH!
Tetra was suddenly engulfed by water, having taken a big breath before she entered the churning sea. She squinted her eyes open to try and spot her sinking necklace, but she immediately closed them back up upon feeling the stinging in her eyes. But she was persistent...she wasn't about to loose the only thing she had left from her mom to the great sea!
Trying to ignore the stinging in her eyes and in her arm, Tetra quickly started to kick her feet and look around in the murky water to find her necklace. A shimmer caught her eye almost immediately and she squinted down to see her necklace slowly drifting and sinking further down into the depths.
Tetra had to move quick. Not only was the necklace sinking further out of reach, but she couldn't swim very well with the crazy surface current the storm was creating, and she was using up a lot of energy and air swimming against it.
With all her strength, the determined girl kicked as hard as she could and reached out her hand to the slowly sinking treasure. She managed to grab a hold of the string and as soon as she did, she quickly stuck it into the little bag at her waist so she couldn't losse it again. She twisted herself around to begin her swim back to the surface.
But something was wrong...her kicking was slowing and the energy she had put into retrieving her necklace had drained her strength. She could barely swim properly and the salt in the water was stinging her injured arm enough so that it hurt when she tried to use it for swimming. Plus, she was running out of air!
Clawing the water with her outstretched hand, the drifting pirate used up even more energy and air to try and reach the surface. But it was just too far above her head...she knew she wasn't going to make it up at the rate she was going.
Tetra shut her eyes even tighter and gripped her necklace as she took one more hard kick with her feet in hopes she would resurface and feel herself get bathed with cool air.
To her relief, her head suddenly emerged out of the water's rough surface. She gasped and tried to take in as much air as she could, but a wave suddenly hit her head and she inhaled a bit of water. She gagged and swallowed as the wave shoved her back underwater, bubbles billowing out of her mouth as she coughed up the rest of her air trying to get the water out of her lungs.
Swimming back up through the twisting current, she struggled to keep her head above the surface to breathe. Wave after wave kept pounding her head and yanking her underwater and after doing this too many times, Tetra soon grew very tired and keeping her head above the water grew more difficult.
As soon as her head emerged back above the surface, Tetra managed to look just in time to see an extremely large wave tower over her and smash itself down on top of her!
The force behind all that rushing water was just too much for Tetra's skull to handle and the jolt immediately knocked her unconscious as it pushed her back underwater. The now helpless pirate could do nothing to get herself back above water, and she slowly began to sink deeper into the depths.
It wasn't until after she blacked out...did a hand suddenly reach through the dark water and grasp her outstretched hand.
It was unfortunate for Tetra not to be awake, for she didn't know that Link had come to her rescue yet again.
Without wasting another minute, the heroic boy in green pulled Tetra toward him and held her close as he tugged with his free hand on the rope that was wrapped around his waist. Instantly, the two were pulled through the water at a quick speed and with the help of Link kicking his feet, their heads quickly emerged out of the restless ocean.
The boy kept his grip on both Tetra and the rope around his waist as he tried to keep both of them above water while trying to swim back to the pirate ship. He didn't have to be worried about getting lost since the other end of the rope was being held by the pirates still aboard the ship, and together, all of them helped in pulling the boy and their captain back to the ship. Eventually, the two hit the ship's flank and were slowly yanked out of the restless sea and over the railing to safety.
As soon as Link and Tetra's forms hit the wooden planks of the main deck, the pirate captain suddenly started to regain consciousness. She began to cough up seawater and tried to catch her breathe as she sat against the railing, dripping wet by all the rain.
The crew quickly gathered around to check and see if she was alright.
"Miss! Are you alright?" Gonzo quickly asked, worry riddled through his words.
"Give her some space!" Link suddenly demanded, kneeling next to the soaked captain, and also dripping wet himself. "She needs rest. Go back to doing your duties. We're not out of this yet!"
The crew, along with a very stunned Gonzo, stared at him. They only took commands from their captain! Since when did this kid have control over them?
Through her constant panting, Tetra gave them all a dirty look.
"You heard him! Get back to work!"
As the crew quickly parted ways without talking back, Link looked back down at Tetra and tried to look her in the eyes.
"Are you alright, Tetra?" he questioned her with concern in his voice.
The soaked captain merely glanced up at him, trying to hide her exhaustion as she replied through short breaths.
"I'm...fine." She said a little sarcastically as she put the necklace back around her neck. "You go back to helping the crew now."
The boy in green nodded and stood up to get back to tackling the
ropes.
Almost suddenly, the wind started to die down a little and the rain appeared to be stopping, which made getting the sail up a little easier. The storm looked like it was clearing up, much to the relief of the crew.
As quick as it had come, the storm disappeared. Not a single cloud was in the sky and the darkness was lit up with the moons rays as it reflected off the oceans surface. Stars began to show and sparkle in the clear night sky. It was a peaceful moment indeed.
The pirates gathered at the side of the ship to take in this moment of calmness. They've been through storms like the one they just experienced. They were lucky nothing or no one got hurt this time.
While taking in the beautiful sky around her, Tetra looked over to Link, who was staring mesmerized at the scenery. Not too long after the wind had died down did one of her crew members inform her that the boy was the one who had saved her from drowning.
It was strange to the young pirate, though. This kid had saved her life twice now! Why was he risking his own life to save someone he really didn't know? And even after she was such a jerk to him.
She shrugged.
She probably would never figure this kid out...
A/N: I must thank the reviewer who criticized my work as well as everyone else that is still reviewing. It will help me in the future :) I'll do my best to dim down on the exclamation marks (in dialogue or in descriptions? Or both?) and use proper descriptions (I myself don't actually know much about ships but that won't stop me. I don't however, want to be too technical and confuse people). And yes I know it's a catapult and not a cannon. I just so happened to notice that right after I posted . sorry about that.
A warning though. This particular chapter (along with one or two others) is one in which I added something that is definitely not in the game. Why I added it, I will explain after the final chapter (cause it has a purpose and I don't want you to be distracted while reading now). Oh yeah...and if anyone examined Tetra's room while playing the game, I'm assuming the picture above the couch is a pic of Tetra's mom. But I'm not sure, so if I'm wrong then don't sue me. Actually don't sue me for anything! Ok? Moving on...^_^
Chapter 3: Trouble at Sea -------------------------------------------
Booooooooooooooooonnnnnnggggggggg
The sound of the ship's gong echoed throughout the entire island, attracting the attention of the locals. News on Outset spread like wildfire and in no time flat, everyone knew that Link's sister Aryll had been kidnapped. After finding out that Link was leaving to go save her, the residents gathered at the shore to see off their young comrade.
Link was too busy looking around the ship to noticed them though. He had obviously never been on a pirate ship before. In fact, he had never been on a ship, period! The young boy merely watched in slight fascination as the crew prepared to depart from shore.
Just then, he heard someone call his name.
"Hey Link!" Tetra called to him from the stern of the ship. "Get
over here."
Link climbed the steps and walked up to her.
"What is it?" he asked.
Tetra just gestured toward the shore without saying anything.
Link looked down to see the crowd of locals waving and shouting good- byes to him.
"Good luck saving Aryll!" some were calling. "Take care of yourself!" others were saying.
Link began to wave back. He was going to miss them...all of them. Even if some of them were kinda weird.
Tetra sat behind him and watched the people on shore wave their farewells. For all she knew, this could be the last time the kid would see these people again, so she didn't bother rushing him. She then watched Link as he suddenly made his way to the farthest edge of the ship. She looked over to see him waving with both arms to a woman standing on the porch of one of the houses. The lady looked pretty old so she assumed it was his aunt, or grandma, or something like that.
After a while, Tetra got tired of all this farewell stuff, and
spoke.
"Ugh. How long is this gonna take do you think?" she mumbled,
referring to the length of his sister's rescue.
Link stopped waving and turned around.
She watched him as she continued. "Are you sure you shouldn't
just quit right now? Seriously...think about it." She put her hands
behind her head and eyed him. "I can tell just by that look that
you're only going to get more sentimental from here on out." She
mumbled.
Link gave her a half frown and half pondering look and turned around to face his island. Tetra could tell that he really wanted to go back; but then again she could tell he did not want to go back either. Either way, she had to know for sure what his decision was.
"There's still time you know." She said to his back. "Are you sure we shouldn't just turn around and take you back to your island?"
Link remained silent in thought, but eventually he looked to the
ground and made up his decision.
"I'm going to save Aryll." He said sternly. "Even if it's the last
thing I do!"
Tetra was stunned. She knew this boy wanted to save his sister, but she didn't know how far he would go in doing so. She did have to give him credit though for being so confident, even after all the rumors he heard about the fortress. She stood up.
"Well if you're sure about that, then I guess you will need some help. It's not like the place will just let you in once we get there." With that, Tetra turned around and began to walk towards the bow of the ship to give instructions to Gonzo.
Link continued to stare back at his home island for a little while longer before he turned around and watched her leave. He walked down the stairs to the main deck and stopped upon realizing he didn't have a clue as to where or what he was suppose to be doing on the ship. He feared that if he just stood around and did nothing while on this particular ship, he'd most likely get thrown overboard; so, he questioned the nearby pirates to get instructions.
He just happened to talk to Mako first.
"So you're the new swabbie on board huh?" the small pirate said, fixing his glasses to get a better look.
"Uh...yeah...I guess." Link replied. He never heard the word swabbie before, but he figured it meant new kid or something like that, so he didn't bother asking what it meant.
Mako laughed. "You know, all new swabbies end up doing the chores around here. You know, do laundry, prepare the meals, swab the deck, you know, the usual. Looks like you're the new bottom rug on the pirate ladder." He chuckled lightly. "Boy will Niko be happy."
Link cringed at the thought of having to do all that work when he was only going to be with them for a short amount of time; but he suddenly got curious and asked. "Who's Niko?"
Mako yanked the thick book under his arm up as he replied.
"Oh Niko is the pirate who served us before you came along. All new pirates report to him for instructions and training." He gestured to a door across from where they were standing. "He's through that door, down the companionway. You can't miss it." The pirate turned back to Link and was about to continue, until he noticed the very confused look the boy in green was making at him from his use of nautical terms.
"Oh that's right. You've never been on a pirate ship have ya lad?" he questioned while fixing his glasses again.
Link made a defeated smile and nodded his head.
"Well..." Mako began. "The companionway is-"
"The stairs leading below deck." Suddenly came a voice.
Link and Mako quickly spun around, only to be met by Tetra's harsh gaze.
She crossed her arms and shot a glare over at Mako.
"Now is not the time to be giving lessons, Mako." She said sternly. "You've got duties to perform so snap to it!"
"Y-yes, Miss Tetra." The spectacled pirate responded slowly. He quickly walked off.
Tetra then turned to Link, who quickly tensed up in defense thinking she was going to hit him with her accusing finger. "And as for you...you can't just wander around the ship chit-chatting to my crew. This is a pirate ship if you haven't noticed and they've got work to do." She eyed him as she quickly remarked. "You'll only get in everyone's way."
Link held up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry, Tetra. I really didn't- "
"Of course you didn't know." She quickly finished. "I expected as much." She straightened up and crossed her arms again to let it sink in.
It wasn't until Link made a puzzled face at her did she get off the subject and finally give him orders.
"I've informed Niko to look after you for the trip, so you better get on down below deck for instructions. You don't want to keep him waiting." With that said, she turned around and walked away.
Link grinned at her when she wasn't looking and walked through the door to the lower deck.
By the time the ship had cleared Outset, it was about late morning. Tetra estimated that the trip to the Forsaken Fortress would last until well after the evening hours...that is...if they sailed non-stop.
"We aren't stopping anywhere?" Gonzo said, stunned. Usually they would stop somewhere to eat or possibly restock the ship. Why were they in such a rush? Or the right question would be...why was Tetra in such a rush?
"You heard me!" Tetra replied sternly. "We are going to get to that place as fast as our sails can carry us!"
"But Miss..." Gonzo uttered.
"I am not repeating myself! We are not stopping and that's final!" Tetra replied harshly as she turned and stomped away.
The crew looked at one another, obviously puzzled by Tetra's command. However, they knew their captain must have had some important reason so they didn't persist anymore than they had already.
Tetra quickly entered the door that led below deck. Being a captain of a pirate crew had its share of stress and she needed to calm herself a little, so she went into her cabin and closed the door behind her. Plopping herself on the couch to her right, she stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to clear her thoughts.
She just happened to glance over at a picture hanging above the couch she was laying on. It was one of three pictures that she managed to find in the wreckage of her sunken ship, seven years ago. This one happened to be a picture of her mother.
"Mother..." she silently whispered. The dream she had while she was unconscious suddenly came back to her. The image of her mother disappearing in front of her had reminded her of that day, even if she was reminded every day against her will. Her thoughts also turned to that horrible man in the black clothing.
Tetra suddenly felt anger well up inside her. She knew this man had something to do with her mothers kidnapping; in what way though, she still wasn't sure about. Was he the person behind it all? Was he just a servant or something? Did he control that vicious bird?
She gripped her head. There were so many unanswered questions in her mind it was enough to give her a headache! She turned on her side, and looked at the floor, letting one arm dangling over the edge.
She quickly felt her eyelids start to get heavy, quickly realizing she was more tired then she thought she was. A nap did sound nice at the moment, so she got into a comfortable position and slowly began to doze off. Before she knew it, she fell asleep on the couch...as clouds began to form outside.
~ ~ ~
"Tetra...Tetra wake up!"
"Huh...what..." Tetra moaned. She slowly opened her eyes to see who would dare try to wake her while she was sleeping. Her eyes widened when she saw who was hovering above her.
"Link! What the heck are you doing in my-" she stopped short when she saw her surroundings.
They were not in her cabin and instead were smack in the middle of a huge, barren field surrounded by tall mountains in every angle. Only a few pieces of broken ruins stood around the area, which hung underneath an eerie, reddish-colored sky full of dark clouds. Both her and Link were underneath a large chunk of the ruins, for reasons unknown to her.
Tetra quickly sat up and stood. "Where in the world are we?"
Link put a finger to his mouth, signaling for her to keep her voice down. He motioned for her to look as he slowly peeked around the ruin.
Tetra put her hands on her hips. Since when did he become the boss around here? Curiosity overcame her attitude though as she followed his lead. She looked around the corner, expecting to see something not worth her time.
What she saw though, made her breathe catch in her throat...
Standing with his back turned towards them was that man in black armor!
Tetra gritted her teeth. She didn't know why the man was here or what he was doing...but she knew he only meant trouble.
Without even considering why they were hiding from him, the fearless pirate began to stomp out of their hiding place to go confront this human.
"Stop Tetra!" Link sternly whispered, grabbing her arm.
Tetra was now getting frustrated with this kid ordering her around. She yanked her arm out of his grip, and continued her pursuit toward the dark human.
Link tried to reach out and forcefully pull her back, but he was too slow and couldn't reach her as she continued walking.
"Tetra! Stop!" he quietly shouted to her, hoping the man in black armor wouldn't hear him.
Tetra didn't listen to him and kept walking.
"Tetra, please! Stop!" he persisted.
She still didn't slow down.
Link couldn't take it anymore and shouted, only this time, he didn't bother to suppress his voice.
"Tetra!!!"
His loud call not only made Tetra turn her head, but it also caused the man to be aware of their presence. The man merely glanced over his shoulder and lifted one arm.
A small orb of dark energy formed in his extended reach and began to sizzle with power.
Tetra turned back around and watched as the orb got bigger and bigger. Her eyes widened as she felt the heat that was coming off the ball of darkness, causing her to take a few steps back. She suddenly felt fear begin to stir inside her.
By now, the orb had gotten to the size of a large crate, and its wielder slowly turned around to face the pirate, sensing the emotion within her. His glowing yellow eyes were the only distinct features that Tetra could see. Without hesitation, the man pulled back and flung the orb at her with such force, it made the ground underneath it crumble in its wake!
Tetra froze. She wanted to run, but found she couldn't make herself move due to her being paralyzed by her own fear!
"TETRA!"
Tetra suddenly felt herself get flung to one side by Link, who had body slammed himself into her to get her out of the blasts path. They both tumbled to the ground in a cloud of dust as the energy orb flew past them and crashed into their previous hiding spot. The already beaten down hunk of rubble collapsed, even before the orb came in contact with it!
Tetra and Link slowly looked over at the rubble. Barely any of it was left after the orb had passed through it. They then heard footsteps coming towards them.
Looking toward the sounds direction, Link and Tetra cranked their heads to see the man standing only a few feet away from them!
Tetra didn't think she could be so scared.
"Why am I so frightened?" she thought. "He's not even that scary. Why do I feel like I want to run!"
The man was getting closer.
Suddenly, Tetra heard Link get up from the ground and stand. He placed himself in between her and the advancing man, sword and shield drawn and posed for battle.
"Link...don't!" she thought. "Wait...what am I thinking? Am I actually...worried about him?"
The man stopped as he approached Link. He looked down at the boy only to make a small, evil chuckle. Then he began to speak in a low, evil voice that sent chills down Tetra's spine.
"So...you think you can protect her, boy?" he said.
Link did not answer him. Instead, he squatted a little before he began to charge straight at the man!
But he didn't get far before he was swatted aside like a mosquito by the back of the man's hand. His sword flew out of his hand and landed some distance away as Link fell to the ground.
Tetra fell silent. The kid had just tried to defend her and was slapped away like a rag doll. And he was armed too!
She then heard the sound of a long sword being taken out of its sheath. She looked ahead of her and was met by the end point of the man's long weapon. He chuckled an evil laugh before he raised the sword in the air and with one huge swipe, he brought his sword down.
Tetra's eyes went wide with fright as she watched the sword come down on her forehead!
CRASH!
Tetra shot awake.
She bolted upright and began heaving and gasping for air, trying to recover from her nightmare. Beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead and she quickly wiped them away with her hands. She put her feet on the floor and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was just a dream..." she whispered to herself. She looked over to her right to see a shattered glass bottle that had fallen off one of her counters.
She stood and looked around, thinking someone must have sneaked into her room and knocked it over by accident. As soon as she stood though, she suddenly felt herself trying to keep her balance. The ship was swaying back and forth...but not in a normal kind of way.
Tetra then heard voices coming from the upper deck; and they didn't sound like they were having fun. Without bothering with the mess, she ran out of her room and to the main deck. Once she got out there, she was immediately drenched with hard rain and mist.
The ship had encountered a storm! And no one bothered to wake her?
Her duties as captain sprang awake as she ran around to search for her
crew.
Gonzo was at the wheel trying to keep the ship steady against the
pounding waves. Nudge and Senza were hauling crates and ammo to a more
secure location out of the rain. Right in front of her was Niko, Mako,
and Link, pulling on the ropes used to haul up the single sail so it
wouldn't get damaged in the harsh weather. Zuko was near the wheel,
watching for a way to get out of the storm.
Lightning lit up the sky, as she ran to Senza. She shielded her eyes
against the pounding ran and shouted. "Why did no one wake me up!?"
Senza continued to carry the crate as he replied over the loud sound of the waves hitting the side of the ship, mixed with the thunder. "The storm came out of nowhere, Miss Tetra! I tried knocking at your door, but you didn't answer!"
Tetra made a frustrated humph and quickly ran to the middle of the deck. She cupped her mouth to make her voice heard over the rain.
"KEEP IT TOGHETHER EVERYONE!" she shouted as she turned to Nudge. "Take the wheel! Tell Gonzo to get down here and help with bring up the sail!"
"Aye-aye, captain!" he said as he rushed over to the upper deck.
More lightning flashed and a loud boom from the thunder sounded, causing Tetra to cover her ears. The storm only seemed to get worse and the more they worked to fight it, the more the storm grew violent.
The sail was only halfway up when a huge wave crashed against the ship, knocking everyone trying to raise it to their knees. The two brails they were using to raise the sail slipped out of their hands, causing the sail to open up and began to tear at the seams.
Tetra screamed. "GET THAT SAIL SECURED!"
Everyone scrambled for the ropes and began to pull as soon as they
caught them.
Seeing how the job was taking them too long, Tetra grabbed one of the brails and began to pull along with everyone else. But even with five people working the sail, they were still having trouble getting it secured with the unpredictable wind. To hinder them even further, the waves were pounding the ship, which was throwing their balance off!
Just when they thought they had everything under control, a large wave struck the ship's flank, causing it to lurch violently! The sudden shift in position caused some of the crew to stumble and lose their balance and also their grip on the ropes.
The slippery deck didn't help as everyone, including Tetra, tried to keep their footing and grab onto something to keep her balance. Before the female pirate was able to find something though, a mound of rushing water washed over the deck and swept her off her feet! It didn't carry her far, but the sudden wave of water washing over her head made her tumble a bit before the water washed over board and left her sprawled on deck.
As everyone scrambled back to their feet and ran back to the loose brails, Tetra sat up and rubbed her head. Except for the little bit of stinging in her arm, everything seemed to be ok...but something felt missing...
While rubbing the back of her neck, Tetra suddenly noticed that something was indeed missing. She couldn't feel her necklace anywhere underneath her bandana!
Looking around frantically, she quickly spotted her bright gold accessory some distance away on the deck, drifting a little in a small puddle that didn't wash overboard. The pirate quickly got to her feet and began to stumble over to her fallen item while everyone else tried to keep the sail at bay.
Before she could even get halfway to her fallen necklace however, another mighty wave hit the ship, knocking only her off her feet. The resulting shake and the bit of water that washed back on the deck was all the item needed to slip out of her reach and wash across the deck...right over the edge!
"No!" Tetra screamed. She couldn't lose that necklace! She was told specifically not to lose it by her mother...and she did not intend to ignore that request! Without even thinking about her own safety, the determined pirate ran to the edge where the necklace fell from and began to climb over the ship's railing.
While tackling with the sail's ropes, Link just so happened to look over in time to see Tetra's figure disappear over the ship's railing.
"Tetra!" he shouted.
SPLASH!
Tetra was suddenly engulfed by water, having taken a big breath before she entered the churning sea. She squinted her eyes open to try and spot her sinking necklace, but she immediately closed them back up upon feeling the stinging in her eyes. But she was persistent...she wasn't about to loose the only thing she had left from her mom to the great sea!
Trying to ignore the stinging in her eyes and in her arm, Tetra quickly started to kick her feet and look around in the murky water to find her necklace. A shimmer caught her eye almost immediately and she squinted down to see her necklace slowly drifting and sinking further down into the depths.
Tetra had to move quick. Not only was the necklace sinking further out of reach, but she couldn't swim very well with the crazy surface current the storm was creating, and she was using up a lot of energy and air swimming against it.
With all her strength, the determined girl kicked as hard as she could and reached out her hand to the slowly sinking treasure. She managed to grab a hold of the string and as soon as she did, she quickly stuck it into the little bag at her waist so she couldn't losse it again. She twisted herself around to begin her swim back to the surface.
But something was wrong...her kicking was slowing and the energy she had put into retrieving her necklace had drained her strength. She could barely swim properly and the salt in the water was stinging her injured arm enough so that it hurt when she tried to use it for swimming. Plus, she was running out of air!
Clawing the water with her outstretched hand, the drifting pirate used up even more energy and air to try and reach the surface. But it was just too far above her head...she knew she wasn't going to make it up at the rate she was going.
Tetra shut her eyes even tighter and gripped her necklace as she took one more hard kick with her feet in hopes she would resurface and feel herself get bathed with cool air.
To her relief, her head suddenly emerged out of the water's rough surface. She gasped and tried to take in as much air as she could, but a wave suddenly hit her head and she inhaled a bit of water. She gagged and swallowed as the wave shoved her back underwater, bubbles billowing out of her mouth as she coughed up the rest of her air trying to get the water out of her lungs.
Swimming back up through the twisting current, she struggled to keep her head above the surface to breathe. Wave after wave kept pounding her head and yanking her underwater and after doing this too many times, Tetra soon grew very tired and keeping her head above the water grew more difficult.
As soon as her head emerged back above the surface, Tetra managed to look just in time to see an extremely large wave tower over her and smash itself down on top of her!
The force behind all that rushing water was just too much for Tetra's skull to handle and the jolt immediately knocked her unconscious as it pushed her back underwater. The now helpless pirate could do nothing to get herself back above water, and she slowly began to sink deeper into the depths.
It wasn't until after she blacked out...did a hand suddenly reach through the dark water and grasp her outstretched hand.
It was unfortunate for Tetra not to be awake, for she didn't know that Link had come to her rescue yet again.
Without wasting another minute, the heroic boy in green pulled Tetra toward him and held her close as he tugged with his free hand on the rope that was wrapped around his waist. Instantly, the two were pulled through the water at a quick speed and with the help of Link kicking his feet, their heads quickly emerged out of the restless ocean.
The boy kept his grip on both Tetra and the rope around his waist as he tried to keep both of them above water while trying to swim back to the pirate ship. He didn't have to be worried about getting lost since the other end of the rope was being held by the pirates still aboard the ship, and together, all of them helped in pulling the boy and their captain back to the ship. Eventually, the two hit the ship's flank and were slowly yanked out of the restless sea and over the railing to safety.
As soon as Link and Tetra's forms hit the wooden planks of the main deck, the pirate captain suddenly started to regain consciousness. She began to cough up seawater and tried to catch her breathe as she sat against the railing, dripping wet by all the rain.
The crew quickly gathered around to check and see if she was alright.
"Miss! Are you alright?" Gonzo quickly asked, worry riddled through his words.
"Give her some space!" Link suddenly demanded, kneeling next to the soaked captain, and also dripping wet himself. "She needs rest. Go back to doing your duties. We're not out of this yet!"
The crew, along with a very stunned Gonzo, stared at him. They only took commands from their captain! Since when did this kid have control over them?
Through her constant panting, Tetra gave them all a dirty look.
"You heard him! Get back to work!"
As the crew quickly parted ways without talking back, Link looked back down at Tetra and tried to look her in the eyes.
"Are you alright, Tetra?" he questioned her with concern in his voice.
The soaked captain merely glanced up at him, trying to hide her exhaustion as she replied through short breaths.
"I'm...fine." She said a little sarcastically as she put the necklace back around her neck. "You go back to helping the crew now."
The boy in green nodded and stood up to get back to tackling the
ropes.
Almost suddenly, the wind started to die down a little and the rain appeared to be stopping, which made getting the sail up a little easier. The storm looked like it was clearing up, much to the relief of the crew.
As quick as it had come, the storm disappeared. Not a single cloud was in the sky and the darkness was lit up with the moons rays as it reflected off the oceans surface. Stars began to show and sparkle in the clear night sky. It was a peaceful moment indeed.
The pirates gathered at the side of the ship to take in this moment of calmness. They've been through storms like the one they just experienced. They were lucky nothing or no one got hurt this time.
While taking in the beautiful sky around her, Tetra looked over to Link, who was staring mesmerized at the scenery. Not too long after the wind had died down did one of her crew members inform her that the boy was the one who had saved her from drowning.
It was strange to the young pirate, though. This kid had saved her life twice now! Why was he risking his own life to save someone he really didn't know? And even after she was such a jerk to him.
She shrugged.
She probably would never figure this kid out...