Disclaimer: I still don't own WW or anything related to it. Although I do
own a copy of the game! Gack! That's something new, huh? *frowns*
A/N: Man I loved how the last chap ended. So sad...*sniff* Oh um...er...don't mind me. I have to say though, this chapter might be a bit boring considering you know who's speeches (those who played the game know who it is). But none the less, its required to get a lot explained so...I did the best I could in trying not to copy the exact words (but there is some mind you). Hopefully I won't put you to sleep with this chapter, but if you last through this one, believe me the next one will be better! Enjoy. ^_^
Chapter 13: Twist of Fate
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All was completely dark and lifeless...
It was indeed a late hour into the night, but this darkness was something of a different nature. It was un-sensing...you could not see anything...you could not touch anything...because nothing would be there. Just black and endless void surrounded this vast cover of night. The only remote hint of life in all this abyss...was your sense of hearing.
This was what Tetra was experiencing...
There was barely any sign of life surrounding the young girl. She couldn't see herself...or anything else for that matter...and yet she could still hear voices. But she couldn't understand them...she may be able to hear them, but her sense of hearing had diminished in all this darkness.
Eventually, the number of different sounding voices changed into one. It's sound was unlike any of the others she was picking out. It was soft, and spoke in a small gentle whisper.
Somehow, the more this voice spoke, the better her hearing got. In fact, everything was starting to come back to life as the voice continued to speak softly to her.
Slowly, Tetra's senses came back to her. The voice that was calling to her was becoming clear, and soon she could make out what it was saying.
"Tetra..."
Upon hearing her name, her sense of feeling returned, and the pirate felt her body move slightly as it began to ache a little.
The young girl suddenly felt relaxed though, when she felt a hand gently touch her arm.
This small touch was enough to get the captain fully awake, and slowly, young Tetra opened her eyes.
"Tetra!"
The pirate blinked a couple of times to get her vision straightened out, and slowly propped herself up into a sitting position as she looked toward the owner of the voice.
"Link!" she said as a smile formed on her face. She couldn't believe it! He was alright!
Link was thinking the same thing. He wasn't sure if she would survive an encounter like the one she had experienced.
The boy in green smiled back down at her as he took his hand off her arm and stood up from his kneeling position next to her, relieved that she was finally awake from being unconscious for so long.
Now that she was fully awake, Tetra suddenly felt her neck begin to feel sore. She lifted her hand and removed her bandana as she rubbed her throat to try and make it feel better.
Seeing what she was doing, Link got a concerned look on his
face.
"Are you alright?" he said to her.
Tetra halted and looked up at him.
"Yeah...I'm fine..." she replied calmly as she went back to her rubbing. "I just have a sore neck, that's all."
Upon hearing about her neck, this reminded Link of something, and he looked back to Tetra.
"You know..." he began as the pirate looked back at him. "...you didn't have to do what you did back there."
Tetra started to wrap her bandana back around her neck but paused again when she heard him say this. She quickly thought up a reply and answered.
"I know..."
She closed one eye and watched him as she added
enthusiastically.
"...but I couldn't let you have all the fun of getting rid of
the bad guy!"
Link couldn't help but smile and shake his head slightly at her answer. It was just like her to give him an answer like that. He reached behind his back and rummaged for something as Tetra started to observe her surroundings.
Both her and Link were sitting inside Link's red boat, which was floating inside a small reasonably good-sized pool of water that had a glowing yellow ring of light near the boat. Steps led out of the water and onto a small grassy courtyard of trees all around the pool, except for the area behind them, which had large steps leading up to a hallway of pillars held up by a small stone bridge.
From what Tetra was seeing, it looked like they were in the backyard of some sort of castle.
As she kept taking in her surroundings, Tetra's eyes went big when she looked up into the sky.
Instead of seeing a sky full of clouds or a night full of stars...she
saw water!
The place they were at was inside a huge pocket of air underneath a large body of water!
Tetra was completely baffled by this sight, yet was also in awe at the same time. She had never seen anything so unnatural but beautiful in her entire life.
While she continued to stare at the water far above her head, the young pirate snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Link speak up.
"Here, Tetra. I believe this is yours."
Tetra looked over to see the boy holding out a dagger to her and motioning for her to take it. She recognized it to be hers, of course, and exchanged glances between it and Link before she cautiously took it out of his hand.
"Thanks..." she managed to say awkwardly and quietly.
Link just smiled and eyed her curiously as he leaned against the side of the boat close to her. He knew now that she was the one who had tied the bird up while he was unconscious. He didn't say anything though, but inside he felt deeply grateful for the help she had secretly given him.
Tetra looked around and spoke up, knocking him out of his thoughts.
"So...exactly where are we?" she questioned him while looking around the place with curious eyes.
Link was about to answer her until she suddenly gasped, which got his attention even further.
Tetra quickly spun her head around and stared at Link as another, more important question, entered her mind.
"And Ganondorf! What happened to him?!" she said rapidly.
Link blinked a couple of times as he tried to take in her fast talk, and lifted his finger...but he was suddenly interrupted...
"Link."
Link stopped.
"Yes, Tetra?"
She blinked.
"That wasn't me..."
The two of them stared at each other with a confused look on their face, then glanced around to see if anyone had sneaked onto the scene without them noticing. But, they didn't see anyone...
"Link!" the voice repeated.
Tetra looked at the boy and pointed.
"I think it's coming from your pocket." she said, confused as to how a person could fit in such a small place.
Link reached inside and fiddled around a bit before he pulled out the Pirate's Charm. It glowed a bright blue as both Link and Tetra looked down at it with wondering eyes.
"Link! What are you doing?" the stone said.
The hero got a smug look on his face. He could answer that question a number of ways...
Tetra was also baffled.
"Who is using that stone...?" she thought. That charm was hers...how could someone else know how to use it?
The voice talking through the stone continued before either of them
could answer.
"You mustn't waste time, my boy." It said. "You must come to the room where you got the Master Sword. Hurry!"
Link blinked a couple times. This castle was indeed where he got the legendary blade, and he knew how to navigate through some of it. But...should he listen to the stone? The voice did sound a little familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who it's owner was.
After a shrug, the hero quickly made up his mind and decided he was going to listen to the rock. Before he pocketed the stone however, he suddenly heard Tetra speak up and looked up at her from his watch on the stone.
"Hold on there!" Tetra quickly said as she pointed an accusing finger at the glowing rock. She sounded pretty annoyed at the inanimate object...
"Link and I are the only ones who can speak through stone." The pirate said as she moved her hand that wasn't pointing at the stone and placed it on her hip as she added. "How dare you use what's not yours!"
The stone glowed a brighter blue as the voice on the other end
replied.
"Your name is Tetra, correct?"
Tetra was about to shout at the thing again, but stopped. She stared at the rock with confused eyes, wondering how the owner of the voice knew her name.
The stone quickly replied, knowing she was too perplexed to answer.
"You must come with Link to see me at once."
Once its sentence was finished, the voice wasn't heard again and the rock faded into a dull grayish-blue color.
Tetra humph.
"Well...don't you sound important..." she scoffed with a smirk as Link put the stone back into his pocket.
"You think we should go see who that was?" the boy questioned her, thinking this could be a trap or something of the sort.
Tetra eyed him like he was crazy or something.
"Of course we are!" the pirate stated. "No one uses my charm without me saying so and gets away with it!"
Once she finished her sentence, the pirate climbed out of the boat and splashed into the waist-deep water below. When Link didn't jump in behind her though, she spun around and glared up at the hesitating kid.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she questioned earnestly. "You heard the stone!"
Link blinked a couple of times before he answered.
"Uh...right!" he said quickly, hoping the pirate wasn't thinking he was scared or anything. He was what you would call...cautious, and wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Upon seeing how Tetra was growing impatient however, he quickly changed his mind and went along with the stone's orders.
He jumped into the water after the young pirate and waded through it until he emerged onto the large steps leading up to the hallway, with Tetra close behind him. Once both of them were out of the water, Link turned back to the pirate and made a quick gesture to the door at the end of the hallway.
"It's this way." He said to her as he turned back around and walked down the hallway.
"I'm right behind you, kid." She replied calmly, not looking the least bit scared as she followed the boy. As she followed slowly behind him, she took one more look back at his boat and added. "You sure do have an odd looking ship..."
Tetra could have sworn she saw the thing's dragon-shaped head make a face, but she dismissed the small distraction and ran to catch up with Link.
Once they reached the large door, the two heaved it open and entered the ancient and mysterious castle.
~ ~ ~
"Whoa! This place is huge!" Tetra hollered with amazement upon passing through the large doorway.
The inside of this particular room was, indeed, large; both in size and diameter. It looked very much like a ballroom, since it was all mostly vacant floor space. Two flights of stairs branched off from the entrance where the two were standing and led up to the walkways held up by large stone pillars on both sides of the room. A large stone statue of a person holding up a sword stood on the platform overlooking the vacant floor, not too far in front of them.
Strangely enough, the statue of the young man had the same outfit and sword that Link possessed.
Tetra had to shake her head with awe. For some odd reason, the place looked eerily familiar to her...like she had been here before at one point in her life...
But...that couldn't have been true. She would have remembered being to a place that was this big and exotic looking. So...why did she feel like she knew this place somehow?
Tetra shrugged.
"Well, that's not important now..." she thought as she waved her hands around. "...right now I want to confront whoever used my stone without permission!" She turned to Link and spoke. "So...where do we go from here?"
Link began to walk forward, toward the statue's pedestal.
"It's down there." He said, pointing down to a hidden stairway right next to the statue's stand.
"Well then, let's go!" the pirate said anxiously as she sprinted down
the steps.
"Hey, wait up!" the boy called down as he ran after the quick girl.
After walking down a dark flight of stairs, Link and Tetra reached a lit chamber that was much smaller in size, compared to the room above them. Several candles were embedded into the wall above two more flights of stairs on either side of them, casting a dim light that barely lit the room. Below them where the two flights of steps ended, a small walkway led up to a raised platform surrounded by very large metallic knight statues. A small stream of water surrounded the circular platform and flowed under the small walkway and several stain-glassed windows on the surrounding wall.
As the two began to pace down one of the flights of stairs, they managed to catch a glimpse of someone standing in the center of the circular platform. And whoever it was, had their back to them...
Being the first to spot the person, Tetra quickened her pace, anxious to give this person a piece of her mind.
"Tetra, slow down!" Link called quietly as he quickly grabbed her wrist. "You don't know who that is."
Tetra halted and looked back at him as he released her arm. From the look on his face, she could tell he wanted to go ahead of her to make sure the human wasn't an enemy; so she reluctantly allowed him to walk ahead, but stayed close behind.
The two stopped once they reached the top of the slightly raised platform, making them only a few feet away from the mysterious human in a red cloak-like robe in front of them.
"Hey you!" Tetra suddenly yelled, much to Link's disliking.
The figure didn't turn around or reply.
"Ok fine. You don't have to turn around." The pirate huffed. "Just answer me this...are you the one who was using my stone without my permission?" She lowered her gaze, waiting for a reply.
Much to her own disliking, the person once again didn't answer or move in response.
"Answer me!" Tetra shouted, not liking that the person wasn't
answering her.
"Tetra, calm down!" Link quietly urged while giving her a look. She certainly wasn't showing much patience...
Tetra glared back at him.
She was about to say something back at the boy, when she was suddenly interrupted by the voice coming from the person.
"Your stone?" an old male voice questioned, still keeping his back to
them.
The young pirate quickly glanced back at the person, with Link doing the same. From the sound of its voice, they both knew now that it was a man. Tetra was about to reply and say it was, indeed, her stone, but the figure spoke up again before she had a chance.
"That stone you possess..." the man began. "...is an enhanced version of the Gossip Stone long spoken of in the legends of the Hyrulian Royal Family." The white collar that covered the back of his head moved slightly, but not enough so they could see his face, and added. "I am the one who made it."
Tetra laughed, while Link just stood there, puzzled.
"You made it... the Royal Family's Gossip Stone...?" Tetra shook her head and put her hands on her hips as she eyed the man's back. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about." she responded in a half confused, half-annoyed tone.
Link shrugged his shoulders.
"Me too..."
The slightly plump man in the red outfit sounded a little perplexed as he responded to their confusion.
"Have neither of you heard the tales?" he began. "The tales of a kingdom spoken of in the legend of the great hero? The place where the power of the gods lies hidden?"
Link was still confused, and so was Tetra, though the pirate was starting to think it did sound just a tiny bit familiar.
Still sensing they were puzzled by his words, he continued on in hopes of getting them to understand.
"...this place, where the two of you now stand...is that kingdom...
...this is Hyrule."
The man turned around to face them and quickly added.
"...and I am its King. Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule."
Link and Tetra exchanged glances to each other, now knowing that they were standing before a king. They looked back at the man with their previous looks on their faces, Link's being confused, and Tetra's having a slightly annoyed look.
The King made a small laugh and looked at Link with his puzzled
expression.
"Link, do you not recognize my voice?"
The boy suddenly got a look of shock, as Tetra made a glance in his direction. He lifted a hand and managed to spit out a few words.
"You mean...you're..."
"Indeed, I am the one who guided you here." The King replied with a smile, not letting him finish his sentence. "I am the boat upon which you sailed the seas in...the King of Red Lions."
Tetra smirked.
"Ha! I knew I saw that boat make a face..." Tetra confirmed in her thoughts, as the King continued to say something to Link about the Master Sword. She didn't stay in thought long however, when the King purposely jarred her out of her thinking with his low, royal-sounding voice.
"Both of you must listen to what I am about to tell you now..." he said in a slightly serious tone.
Link look at him intently while Tetra eyed him with her glare as the King of Hyrule began his speech.
"Long ago, Ganon, the one you know as Ganondorf, had turned my fair kingdom into a world of darkness, hoping to obtain a great power that dwelled in Hyrule so he could use it at his will." The man lowered his gaze and added. "I tried to stop the fiend...but my power alone was not enough...me and my people were left no choice but to give the fate of the kingdom to the gods who had created the great power."
Link and Tetra expressions went back to normal.
Knowing by the looks on their faces that they understood everything so far, the King continued on.
"When the gods heard our plea, they choose to seal away not only Ganon...but Hyrule as well. And so...with a torrential downpour of rain from the heavens..." he paused and waved his hand around like he was motioning to the whole castle and added. "...you can see the result..."
He continued.
"But the gods knew that by sealing away Hyrule, they would be granting Ganon's wish for destruction of the land...so before the sealing of the kingdom, they choose those who would build a new country, and commanded those people to take refuge on the high mountaintops."
The King looked at the two and added.
"Those people...were your ancestors."
Both Link and Tetra got a look of amazement on their faces. By ancestors, they knew he meant their very distant relatives. They had no idea that someone in their family tree was involved with the sealing of a whole kingdom. It was actually pretty incredible when they thought about it.
"Hundreds of years have pasted since then..." the King continued. "As long as Ganon was not revived, my kingdom would remain down here at the bottom of the ocean...never waking from its slumber." He got a look of sorrow on his face and added. "But then, what I didn't expect actually happened. When you, my boy, removed the Master Sword, the power that was sealed from Ganondorf returned to him, and he has once again, become as powerful as he was hundreds of years ago."
The royal being looked down at them with a kind but serious look. "Do you both understand?"
Link and Tetra slowly nodded.
Tetra was more amazed than she thought she would be. From what this king was telling them, both her and Link were descendants of those who fled up to the mountains, which were now islands on the Great Sea. This also included her own mother, and maybe even her crew! The young pirate continued to stare with amazement as the King explained even further.
"The sacred power of the gods that Ganon is striving to possess, and that was ultimately what sealed him away, is the same power that also exists in the world you know above the waves."
The King lifted his head and gestured to the triangular symbol on the floor where the Master Sword's pedestal stood. "This power is called the Triforce. It is a very powerful and sacred treasure that consists of three basic parts, one of which, Ganon already possesses. He is obviously searching for the other two so he can lay his hand on the True Force and have his evil desires granted."
Tetra remained astonished, while Link quickly snapped out of his amazement and spoke.
"Ok, I understand what you are saying...but..." he paused and looked up at the King with a pondering look. "...why are you telling us this...?" he questioned, emphasizing the word "us".
The King of Hyrule got a soft but serious look and set his gaze on the curious Tetra.
"Tetra...please come forth."
The young pirate perked her head up with confusion and shock.
Not sure on whether she should listen or not, the blonde girl looked over to Link, in hopes of getting some advice on what to do.
The boy in green was looking at her with a confused but curious look, much like the one she was expressing. He was obviously too stunned to even speak himself.
The pirate looked back at the royal king. Seeing how Link wasn't going to say anything, she made up her own mind and slowly started to walk toward him, keeping her pace at a minimum. She wasn't sure what he needed her for and because she didn't know, her walk was slow and very cautious. She wanted to question his command and ask why...but right now, she was too curious and amazed to even speak.
When the young captain finally reached the King, her attention suddenly shifted to the strange glow that was coming from below her. She looked down to see her mother's necklace hanging out from under her red bandana, its surface shining with a golden light that made her stare at it with awe.
Then...it vanished with a small flash of light.
Before Tetra could even say anything against what she saw, the King quickly spoke up to make sure she didn't flip out over her necklace's disappearance. Upon hearing him, she looked up to find him now holding her necklace, which had magically warped into the palm of his outstretched hand.
"This necklace..." he began. "...is a part of a sacred treasure called the Triforce of Wisdom, which has been passed down for many ages within the royal family of Hyrule."
With a stern but soft look on his face, the man looked down to the young, wide-eyed girl.
"Your mother gave this to you and instructed you to treasure it...and to guard it with your life..."
Tetra gasped.
"...am I not correct?" the man added quickly.
The stunned pirate's mouth fell open as she gapped at the king, then at the necklace he held.
"How...how did he know?" she questioned in her mind. "How could he possibly know that that necklace was given to me by my mother? And...how did he know my mother said all those things..."
The King watched Tetra's expression shift to a mix of confusion and a bit of sadness.
"Do you know why she told you all of this?" he questioned.
Tetra slowly lifted her head and stared at him, having an expression that told him she had not the slightest idea.
The King moved his hand a little so that the necklace shifted position
in his palm.
"This necklace, which is also a part of the Triforce of Wisdom..." he paused.
"...it is one of the other two pieces that Ganon is looking for."
Not only did Tetra get surprised by this fact, but behind her, Link also had to gasp in shock. It was no wonder Ganondorf said what he did at the fortress!
With astonished eyes and muted lips, the two continued to stare as the King looked back to Tetra.
"The gods placed upon your ancestors the task of protecting this treasure from evil's grasp." He stated. Through his stern but kind eyes, he slowly started to lift his free hand.
"It is time..." he proclaimed. "...time for me to teach you the fate into which you were born...the very reason that you live."
With this said, the royal king opened his now lifted hand to reveal...
...the other missing piece of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Magically, the two pieces started to levitate out of the King's hands, glowing a bright golden color as they moved and floated in front of an amazed Tetra.
The pirate watched with wide eyes as the broken Triforce of Wisdom began to piece itself back together, right in front of her eyes. Closing the gap that was in the sacred triangle, the missing piece quickly wedged itself into its proper place in the necklace, welding itself together and leaving no crack or imperfection in it.
The Triforce of Wisdom was made whole, once again!
Now complete, the sacred treasure began to glow a much brighter gold, preparing to fulfill its second role as the Triforce of Wisdom. And that was...to seek out its holder.
Instead of disappearing however, the golden triangle that was no longer a necklace started to get brighter and brighter!
Tetra wanted to shield her eyes from the immense light but couldn't find the will to move her hands or her head; she was just too amazed and shocked to even move! She merely squinted as she watched her unknown treasure glow brighter.
Suddenly, beams of light shot out of the sacred triangle in all directions, lighting up the room and making a strange crackling sound as it bathed everything in it with its golden light.
The sudden burst of light was too much for the young pirate to stare at and she quickly shut her eyes, suddenly feeling a strong breeze surround her and whip her hair around like a rag doll.
While she kept her eyes shut from the strong light, Tetra could tell just by not looking that something was happening...and it was happening to her.
Other than the wind, she was suddenly feeling this very strange and very powerful sensation begin to enter her body. A chill ran down her spine as the unknown sensation got stronger and spread throughout her entire body, causing her to let out a very silent cry; not from pain...but from the seer shock and the feeling she was getting from this strange power. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight and for a brief moment...her mind went totally blank.
Then...it all finally slowed down and came to a halt. The sensation throughout her body dimmed into nothing...and all became quiet...
With everything now silent and still, Tetra finally regained her train of thought and slowly opened her eyes, wondering what had just happened. She was staring at the floor in front of her and breathing heavily without even realizing it. Once she calmed down a bit, she also realized that she didn't feel that strong sensation anymore. All she felt was a slight tingle on the back of her right hand.
Confused by this weird feeling, the young girl looked at the back of her right hand, only to see nothing at first. Then...out of nowhere, the symbol of the Triforce appeared on the back of her right hand, with the bottom right triangle glowing brighter than the other two.
It shimmered a golden yellow, before the girl finally realized something different about her hand.
She no longer had bare hands, and instead, her hand was covered by a glove that went all the way up a little past her elbow.
Tetra couldn't help but gasp out loud as she looked at the rest of
herself.
She had a completely different outfit on!
Instead of having her pirate clothes, she now had on a dress fit for a royal subject. The dress was a dark pink color and it went all the way down to her feet, covering both of them up. A gold belt was around her waist, and from it hung a blue cloth that had the symbol of Hyrule weaved into it.
Young Tetra couldn't help but stare as so many questions started to run through her mind. Through her seer confusion and longing for answers, she slowly lifted her head and quietly spoke.
"...my...fate...?"
Confusion was written throughout her unchanged voice as she quietly spoke these words.
She finally got one when the King of Hyrule began to speak...but what he said, surprised and confused her even more.
"You are the true heir of the royal family of Hyrule...the last link in the bloodline...
...You are Princess Zelda."
A/N: Man I loved how the last chap ended. So sad...*sniff* Oh um...er...don't mind me. I have to say though, this chapter might be a bit boring considering you know who's speeches (those who played the game know who it is). But none the less, its required to get a lot explained so...I did the best I could in trying not to copy the exact words (but there is some mind you). Hopefully I won't put you to sleep with this chapter, but if you last through this one, believe me the next one will be better! Enjoy. ^_^
Chapter 13: Twist of Fate
-------------------------------------------------
All was completely dark and lifeless...
It was indeed a late hour into the night, but this darkness was something of a different nature. It was un-sensing...you could not see anything...you could not touch anything...because nothing would be there. Just black and endless void surrounded this vast cover of night. The only remote hint of life in all this abyss...was your sense of hearing.
This was what Tetra was experiencing...
There was barely any sign of life surrounding the young girl. She couldn't see herself...or anything else for that matter...and yet she could still hear voices. But she couldn't understand them...she may be able to hear them, but her sense of hearing had diminished in all this darkness.
Eventually, the number of different sounding voices changed into one. It's sound was unlike any of the others she was picking out. It was soft, and spoke in a small gentle whisper.
Somehow, the more this voice spoke, the better her hearing got. In fact, everything was starting to come back to life as the voice continued to speak softly to her.
Slowly, Tetra's senses came back to her. The voice that was calling to her was becoming clear, and soon she could make out what it was saying.
"Tetra..."
Upon hearing her name, her sense of feeling returned, and the pirate felt her body move slightly as it began to ache a little.
The young girl suddenly felt relaxed though, when she felt a hand gently touch her arm.
This small touch was enough to get the captain fully awake, and slowly, young Tetra opened her eyes.
"Tetra!"
The pirate blinked a couple of times to get her vision straightened out, and slowly propped herself up into a sitting position as she looked toward the owner of the voice.
"Link!" she said as a smile formed on her face. She couldn't believe it! He was alright!
Link was thinking the same thing. He wasn't sure if she would survive an encounter like the one she had experienced.
The boy in green smiled back down at her as he took his hand off her arm and stood up from his kneeling position next to her, relieved that she was finally awake from being unconscious for so long.
Now that she was fully awake, Tetra suddenly felt her neck begin to feel sore. She lifted her hand and removed her bandana as she rubbed her throat to try and make it feel better.
Seeing what she was doing, Link got a concerned look on his
face.
"Are you alright?" he said to her.
Tetra halted and looked up at him.
"Yeah...I'm fine..." she replied calmly as she went back to her rubbing. "I just have a sore neck, that's all."
Upon hearing about her neck, this reminded Link of something, and he looked back to Tetra.
"You know..." he began as the pirate looked back at him. "...you didn't have to do what you did back there."
Tetra started to wrap her bandana back around her neck but paused again when she heard him say this. She quickly thought up a reply and answered.
"I know..."
She closed one eye and watched him as she added
enthusiastically.
"...but I couldn't let you have all the fun of getting rid of
the bad guy!"
Link couldn't help but smile and shake his head slightly at her answer. It was just like her to give him an answer like that. He reached behind his back and rummaged for something as Tetra started to observe her surroundings.
Both her and Link were sitting inside Link's red boat, which was floating inside a small reasonably good-sized pool of water that had a glowing yellow ring of light near the boat. Steps led out of the water and onto a small grassy courtyard of trees all around the pool, except for the area behind them, which had large steps leading up to a hallway of pillars held up by a small stone bridge.
From what Tetra was seeing, it looked like they were in the backyard of some sort of castle.
As she kept taking in her surroundings, Tetra's eyes went big when she looked up into the sky.
Instead of seeing a sky full of clouds or a night full of stars...she
saw water!
The place they were at was inside a huge pocket of air underneath a large body of water!
Tetra was completely baffled by this sight, yet was also in awe at the same time. She had never seen anything so unnatural but beautiful in her entire life.
While she continued to stare at the water far above her head, the young pirate snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Link speak up.
"Here, Tetra. I believe this is yours."
Tetra looked over to see the boy holding out a dagger to her and motioning for her to take it. She recognized it to be hers, of course, and exchanged glances between it and Link before she cautiously took it out of his hand.
"Thanks..." she managed to say awkwardly and quietly.
Link just smiled and eyed her curiously as he leaned against the side of the boat close to her. He knew now that she was the one who had tied the bird up while he was unconscious. He didn't say anything though, but inside he felt deeply grateful for the help she had secretly given him.
Tetra looked around and spoke up, knocking him out of his thoughts.
"So...exactly where are we?" she questioned him while looking around the place with curious eyes.
Link was about to answer her until she suddenly gasped, which got his attention even further.
Tetra quickly spun her head around and stared at Link as another, more important question, entered her mind.
"And Ganondorf! What happened to him?!" she said rapidly.
Link blinked a couple of times as he tried to take in her fast talk, and lifted his finger...but he was suddenly interrupted...
"Link."
Link stopped.
"Yes, Tetra?"
She blinked.
"That wasn't me..."
The two of them stared at each other with a confused look on their face, then glanced around to see if anyone had sneaked onto the scene without them noticing. But, they didn't see anyone...
"Link!" the voice repeated.
Tetra looked at the boy and pointed.
"I think it's coming from your pocket." she said, confused as to how a person could fit in such a small place.
Link reached inside and fiddled around a bit before he pulled out the Pirate's Charm. It glowed a bright blue as both Link and Tetra looked down at it with wondering eyes.
"Link! What are you doing?" the stone said.
The hero got a smug look on his face. He could answer that question a number of ways...
Tetra was also baffled.
"Who is using that stone...?" she thought. That charm was hers...how could someone else know how to use it?
The voice talking through the stone continued before either of them
could answer.
"You mustn't waste time, my boy." It said. "You must come to the room where you got the Master Sword. Hurry!"
Link blinked a couple times. This castle was indeed where he got the legendary blade, and he knew how to navigate through some of it. But...should he listen to the stone? The voice did sound a little familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who it's owner was.
After a shrug, the hero quickly made up his mind and decided he was going to listen to the rock. Before he pocketed the stone however, he suddenly heard Tetra speak up and looked up at her from his watch on the stone.
"Hold on there!" Tetra quickly said as she pointed an accusing finger at the glowing rock. She sounded pretty annoyed at the inanimate object...
"Link and I are the only ones who can speak through stone." The pirate said as she moved her hand that wasn't pointing at the stone and placed it on her hip as she added. "How dare you use what's not yours!"
The stone glowed a brighter blue as the voice on the other end
replied.
"Your name is Tetra, correct?"
Tetra was about to shout at the thing again, but stopped. She stared at the rock with confused eyes, wondering how the owner of the voice knew her name.
The stone quickly replied, knowing she was too perplexed to answer.
"You must come with Link to see me at once."
Once its sentence was finished, the voice wasn't heard again and the rock faded into a dull grayish-blue color.
Tetra humph.
"Well...don't you sound important..." she scoffed with a smirk as Link put the stone back into his pocket.
"You think we should go see who that was?" the boy questioned her, thinking this could be a trap or something of the sort.
Tetra eyed him like he was crazy or something.
"Of course we are!" the pirate stated. "No one uses my charm without me saying so and gets away with it!"
Once she finished her sentence, the pirate climbed out of the boat and splashed into the waist-deep water below. When Link didn't jump in behind her though, she spun around and glared up at the hesitating kid.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she questioned earnestly. "You heard the stone!"
Link blinked a couple of times before he answered.
"Uh...right!" he said quickly, hoping the pirate wasn't thinking he was scared or anything. He was what you would call...cautious, and wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Upon seeing how Tetra was growing impatient however, he quickly changed his mind and went along with the stone's orders.
He jumped into the water after the young pirate and waded through it until he emerged onto the large steps leading up to the hallway, with Tetra close behind him. Once both of them were out of the water, Link turned back to the pirate and made a quick gesture to the door at the end of the hallway.
"It's this way." He said to her as he turned back around and walked down the hallway.
"I'm right behind you, kid." She replied calmly, not looking the least bit scared as she followed the boy. As she followed slowly behind him, she took one more look back at his boat and added. "You sure do have an odd looking ship..."
Tetra could have sworn she saw the thing's dragon-shaped head make a face, but she dismissed the small distraction and ran to catch up with Link.
Once they reached the large door, the two heaved it open and entered the ancient and mysterious castle.
~ ~ ~
"Whoa! This place is huge!" Tetra hollered with amazement upon passing through the large doorway.
The inside of this particular room was, indeed, large; both in size and diameter. It looked very much like a ballroom, since it was all mostly vacant floor space. Two flights of stairs branched off from the entrance where the two were standing and led up to the walkways held up by large stone pillars on both sides of the room. A large stone statue of a person holding up a sword stood on the platform overlooking the vacant floor, not too far in front of them.
Strangely enough, the statue of the young man had the same outfit and sword that Link possessed.
Tetra had to shake her head with awe. For some odd reason, the place looked eerily familiar to her...like she had been here before at one point in her life...
But...that couldn't have been true. She would have remembered being to a place that was this big and exotic looking. So...why did she feel like she knew this place somehow?
Tetra shrugged.
"Well, that's not important now..." she thought as she waved her hands around. "...right now I want to confront whoever used my stone without permission!" She turned to Link and spoke. "So...where do we go from here?"
Link began to walk forward, toward the statue's pedestal.
"It's down there." He said, pointing down to a hidden stairway right next to the statue's stand.
"Well then, let's go!" the pirate said anxiously as she sprinted down
the steps.
"Hey, wait up!" the boy called down as he ran after the quick girl.
After walking down a dark flight of stairs, Link and Tetra reached a lit chamber that was much smaller in size, compared to the room above them. Several candles were embedded into the wall above two more flights of stairs on either side of them, casting a dim light that barely lit the room. Below them where the two flights of steps ended, a small walkway led up to a raised platform surrounded by very large metallic knight statues. A small stream of water surrounded the circular platform and flowed under the small walkway and several stain-glassed windows on the surrounding wall.
As the two began to pace down one of the flights of stairs, they managed to catch a glimpse of someone standing in the center of the circular platform. And whoever it was, had their back to them...
Being the first to spot the person, Tetra quickened her pace, anxious to give this person a piece of her mind.
"Tetra, slow down!" Link called quietly as he quickly grabbed her wrist. "You don't know who that is."
Tetra halted and looked back at him as he released her arm. From the look on his face, she could tell he wanted to go ahead of her to make sure the human wasn't an enemy; so she reluctantly allowed him to walk ahead, but stayed close behind.
The two stopped once they reached the top of the slightly raised platform, making them only a few feet away from the mysterious human in a red cloak-like robe in front of them.
"Hey you!" Tetra suddenly yelled, much to Link's disliking.
The figure didn't turn around or reply.
"Ok fine. You don't have to turn around." The pirate huffed. "Just answer me this...are you the one who was using my stone without my permission?" She lowered her gaze, waiting for a reply.
Much to her own disliking, the person once again didn't answer or move in response.
"Answer me!" Tetra shouted, not liking that the person wasn't
answering her.
"Tetra, calm down!" Link quietly urged while giving her a look. She certainly wasn't showing much patience...
Tetra glared back at him.
She was about to say something back at the boy, when she was suddenly interrupted by the voice coming from the person.
"Your stone?" an old male voice questioned, still keeping his back to
them.
The young pirate quickly glanced back at the person, with Link doing the same. From the sound of its voice, they both knew now that it was a man. Tetra was about to reply and say it was, indeed, her stone, but the figure spoke up again before she had a chance.
"That stone you possess..." the man began. "...is an enhanced version of the Gossip Stone long spoken of in the legends of the Hyrulian Royal Family." The white collar that covered the back of his head moved slightly, but not enough so they could see his face, and added. "I am the one who made it."
Tetra laughed, while Link just stood there, puzzled.
"You made it... the Royal Family's Gossip Stone...?" Tetra shook her head and put her hands on her hips as she eyed the man's back. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about." she responded in a half confused, half-annoyed tone.
Link shrugged his shoulders.
"Me too..."
The slightly plump man in the red outfit sounded a little perplexed as he responded to their confusion.
"Have neither of you heard the tales?" he began. "The tales of a kingdom spoken of in the legend of the great hero? The place where the power of the gods lies hidden?"
Link was still confused, and so was Tetra, though the pirate was starting to think it did sound just a tiny bit familiar.
Still sensing they were puzzled by his words, he continued on in hopes of getting them to understand.
"...this place, where the two of you now stand...is that kingdom...
...this is Hyrule."
The man turned around to face them and quickly added.
"...and I am its King. Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule."
Link and Tetra exchanged glances to each other, now knowing that they were standing before a king. They looked back at the man with their previous looks on their faces, Link's being confused, and Tetra's having a slightly annoyed look.
The King made a small laugh and looked at Link with his puzzled
expression.
"Link, do you not recognize my voice?"
The boy suddenly got a look of shock, as Tetra made a glance in his direction. He lifted a hand and managed to spit out a few words.
"You mean...you're..."
"Indeed, I am the one who guided you here." The King replied with a smile, not letting him finish his sentence. "I am the boat upon which you sailed the seas in...the King of Red Lions."
Tetra smirked.
"Ha! I knew I saw that boat make a face..." Tetra confirmed in her thoughts, as the King continued to say something to Link about the Master Sword. She didn't stay in thought long however, when the King purposely jarred her out of her thinking with his low, royal-sounding voice.
"Both of you must listen to what I am about to tell you now..." he said in a slightly serious tone.
Link look at him intently while Tetra eyed him with her glare as the King of Hyrule began his speech.
"Long ago, Ganon, the one you know as Ganondorf, had turned my fair kingdom into a world of darkness, hoping to obtain a great power that dwelled in Hyrule so he could use it at his will." The man lowered his gaze and added. "I tried to stop the fiend...but my power alone was not enough...me and my people were left no choice but to give the fate of the kingdom to the gods who had created the great power."
Link and Tetra expressions went back to normal.
Knowing by the looks on their faces that they understood everything so far, the King continued on.
"When the gods heard our plea, they choose to seal away not only Ganon...but Hyrule as well. And so...with a torrential downpour of rain from the heavens..." he paused and waved his hand around like he was motioning to the whole castle and added. "...you can see the result..."
He continued.
"But the gods knew that by sealing away Hyrule, they would be granting Ganon's wish for destruction of the land...so before the sealing of the kingdom, they choose those who would build a new country, and commanded those people to take refuge on the high mountaintops."
The King looked at the two and added.
"Those people...were your ancestors."
Both Link and Tetra got a look of amazement on their faces. By ancestors, they knew he meant their very distant relatives. They had no idea that someone in their family tree was involved with the sealing of a whole kingdom. It was actually pretty incredible when they thought about it.
"Hundreds of years have pasted since then..." the King continued. "As long as Ganon was not revived, my kingdom would remain down here at the bottom of the ocean...never waking from its slumber." He got a look of sorrow on his face and added. "But then, what I didn't expect actually happened. When you, my boy, removed the Master Sword, the power that was sealed from Ganondorf returned to him, and he has once again, become as powerful as he was hundreds of years ago."
The royal being looked down at them with a kind but serious look. "Do you both understand?"
Link and Tetra slowly nodded.
Tetra was more amazed than she thought she would be. From what this king was telling them, both her and Link were descendants of those who fled up to the mountains, which were now islands on the Great Sea. This also included her own mother, and maybe even her crew! The young pirate continued to stare with amazement as the King explained even further.
"The sacred power of the gods that Ganon is striving to possess, and that was ultimately what sealed him away, is the same power that also exists in the world you know above the waves."
The King lifted his head and gestured to the triangular symbol on the floor where the Master Sword's pedestal stood. "This power is called the Triforce. It is a very powerful and sacred treasure that consists of three basic parts, one of which, Ganon already possesses. He is obviously searching for the other two so he can lay his hand on the True Force and have his evil desires granted."
Tetra remained astonished, while Link quickly snapped out of his amazement and spoke.
"Ok, I understand what you are saying...but..." he paused and looked up at the King with a pondering look. "...why are you telling us this...?" he questioned, emphasizing the word "us".
The King of Hyrule got a soft but serious look and set his gaze on the curious Tetra.
"Tetra...please come forth."
The young pirate perked her head up with confusion and shock.
Not sure on whether she should listen or not, the blonde girl looked over to Link, in hopes of getting some advice on what to do.
The boy in green was looking at her with a confused but curious look, much like the one she was expressing. He was obviously too stunned to even speak himself.
The pirate looked back at the royal king. Seeing how Link wasn't going to say anything, she made up her own mind and slowly started to walk toward him, keeping her pace at a minimum. She wasn't sure what he needed her for and because she didn't know, her walk was slow and very cautious. She wanted to question his command and ask why...but right now, she was too curious and amazed to even speak.
When the young captain finally reached the King, her attention suddenly shifted to the strange glow that was coming from below her. She looked down to see her mother's necklace hanging out from under her red bandana, its surface shining with a golden light that made her stare at it with awe.
Then...it vanished with a small flash of light.
Before Tetra could even say anything against what she saw, the King quickly spoke up to make sure she didn't flip out over her necklace's disappearance. Upon hearing him, she looked up to find him now holding her necklace, which had magically warped into the palm of his outstretched hand.
"This necklace..." he began. "...is a part of a sacred treasure called the Triforce of Wisdom, which has been passed down for many ages within the royal family of Hyrule."
With a stern but soft look on his face, the man looked down to the young, wide-eyed girl.
"Your mother gave this to you and instructed you to treasure it...and to guard it with your life..."
Tetra gasped.
"...am I not correct?" the man added quickly.
The stunned pirate's mouth fell open as she gapped at the king, then at the necklace he held.
"How...how did he know?" she questioned in her mind. "How could he possibly know that that necklace was given to me by my mother? And...how did he know my mother said all those things..."
The King watched Tetra's expression shift to a mix of confusion and a bit of sadness.
"Do you know why she told you all of this?" he questioned.
Tetra slowly lifted her head and stared at him, having an expression that told him she had not the slightest idea.
The King moved his hand a little so that the necklace shifted position
in his palm.
"This necklace, which is also a part of the Triforce of Wisdom..." he paused.
"...it is one of the other two pieces that Ganon is looking for."
Not only did Tetra get surprised by this fact, but behind her, Link also had to gasp in shock. It was no wonder Ganondorf said what he did at the fortress!
With astonished eyes and muted lips, the two continued to stare as the King looked back to Tetra.
"The gods placed upon your ancestors the task of protecting this treasure from evil's grasp." He stated. Through his stern but kind eyes, he slowly started to lift his free hand.
"It is time..." he proclaimed. "...time for me to teach you the fate into which you were born...the very reason that you live."
With this said, the royal king opened his now lifted hand to reveal...
...the other missing piece of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Magically, the two pieces started to levitate out of the King's hands, glowing a bright golden color as they moved and floated in front of an amazed Tetra.
The pirate watched with wide eyes as the broken Triforce of Wisdom began to piece itself back together, right in front of her eyes. Closing the gap that was in the sacred triangle, the missing piece quickly wedged itself into its proper place in the necklace, welding itself together and leaving no crack or imperfection in it.
The Triforce of Wisdom was made whole, once again!
Now complete, the sacred treasure began to glow a much brighter gold, preparing to fulfill its second role as the Triforce of Wisdom. And that was...to seek out its holder.
Instead of disappearing however, the golden triangle that was no longer a necklace started to get brighter and brighter!
Tetra wanted to shield her eyes from the immense light but couldn't find the will to move her hands or her head; she was just too amazed and shocked to even move! She merely squinted as she watched her unknown treasure glow brighter.
Suddenly, beams of light shot out of the sacred triangle in all directions, lighting up the room and making a strange crackling sound as it bathed everything in it with its golden light.
The sudden burst of light was too much for the young pirate to stare at and she quickly shut her eyes, suddenly feeling a strong breeze surround her and whip her hair around like a rag doll.
While she kept her eyes shut from the strong light, Tetra could tell just by not looking that something was happening...and it was happening to her.
Other than the wind, she was suddenly feeling this very strange and very powerful sensation begin to enter her body. A chill ran down her spine as the unknown sensation got stronger and spread throughout her entire body, causing her to let out a very silent cry; not from pain...but from the seer shock and the feeling she was getting from this strange power. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight and for a brief moment...her mind went totally blank.
Then...it all finally slowed down and came to a halt. The sensation throughout her body dimmed into nothing...and all became quiet...
With everything now silent and still, Tetra finally regained her train of thought and slowly opened her eyes, wondering what had just happened. She was staring at the floor in front of her and breathing heavily without even realizing it. Once she calmed down a bit, she also realized that she didn't feel that strong sensation anymore. All she felt was a slight tingle on the back of her right hand.
Confused by this weird feeling, the young girl looked at the back of her right hand, only to see nothing at first. Then...out of nowhere, the symbol of the Triforce appeared on the back of her right hand, with the bottom right triangle glowing brighter than the other two.
It shimmered a golden yellow, before the girl finally realized something different about her hand.
She no longer had bare hands, and instead, her hand was covered by a glove that went all the way up a little past her elbow.
Tetra couldn't help but gasp out loud as she looked at the rest of
herself.
She had a completely different outfit on!
Instead of having her pirate clothes, she now had on a dress fit for a royal subject. The dress was a dark pink color and it went all the way down to her feet, covering both of them up. A gold belt was around her waist, and from it hung a blue cloth that had the symbol of Hyrule weaved into it.
Young Tetra couldn't help but stare as so many questions started to run through her mind. Through her seer confusion and longing for answers, she slowly lifted her head and quietly spoke.
"...my...fate...?"
Confusion was written throughout her unchanged voice as she quietly spoke these words.
She finally got one when the King of Hyrule began to speak...but what he said, surprised and confused her even more.
"You are the true heir of the royal family of Hyrule...the last link in the bloodline...
...You are Princess Zelda."