Disclaimer: I just realized something...I'm running short on chapters. I
won't have to do this anymore soon! Weeee! *coughs* Um...Zelda, Wind Waker,
and all related characters are copyright of Nintendo. *inches away with a
sheepish smile*
A/N: Wow...I'm nearly done with completing the story! There's only one more chapter after this one(not including the summary)! Gack! My, where did the time go?! *shrugs* Well all good things must end eventually so...oh geez, why am I babbling on about the last chapter? This is the second to last chapter! Ha! Um...forget what I said. Now after you read this chapter (and perhaps the first half of the next one), please don't think me mean or nothing for doing what I'm about to do to Tetra's feelings. Just like everything else that is questionable in my story, there is a reason (and a good one...I hope). And like I said before, I am not making Tetra and Link kisses...my reasons are few but will not be explained yet until the author summary. But I will tell you now...if or when I do a sequel, they WILL kiss. Trust me ^_~ Enjoy the chapter anyways though...hopefully *smiles sheepishly*
Chapter 20: Choosing the New Path ----------------------------------------------------
A pleasant breeze filled the skies over the peaceful island of Outset.
The sun cast its warm rays over everything that wasn't covered as it rose higher into the sky, signaling the approach of high noon. The pirate ship had made good time in getting to Outset all the way from whence it came, and now that everyone was on land, they took the time to relax, take a few pictures maybe (that's what Link did anyway), or perhaps have a bite to eat. Even the pirate crew settled down to rest by order of their captain, who claimed they all deserved a time off.
No one on the island seemed to mind having pirates wander about freely on the island though. In fact, Link's grandma had told them all that the pirate's would always be welcomed onto their island home on terms that they had helped Link rescue Aryll. Of course, not shortly after she said this did she just notice how beaten up he was.
The boy had reassured his grandmother that he would be fine though, and claimed that a quick walk around the island would do him some good after he had said hello to everyone.
But...he never said he was going alone...
~ ~ ~
Tetra remained very quiet and at the same time deep in thought, as she remained in stride with the boy walking beside her. Link had requested that the pirate captain would accompany him on this "walk" and now the two were heading up a somewhat narrow pathway leading up to one of Outset's plateaus. Why he asked her in particular to come with him though was beyond her reach.
Out of the corner of her eye, the young girl would glance now and then at the boy clad in green. He obviously wasn't bothered by the lack of verbal communication between them, and he merely walked with eyes focused further up the pathway, baring a content smile as if he was anxious to get to wherever they were going. He would cringe slightly now and then however, since his injuries still were not fully healed, and he also had a small limp that kept him from walking too fast.
But looks can be deceiving. Though Link bore a smile on his face, he was also a little uncomfortable with the silence between him and Tetra. He found it odd, since she wasn't usually the quiet type, and it made him worry a little too. She was acting just like she had been when she first became Princess Zelda ever since they arrived at Outset, which suggested to him that something must have been bugging her. It made him wonder what was causing her to act so un-normal like.
But instead of saying anything, the boy remained quiet and walked on, figuring that she was perhaps tired and would return to normal after they paid a visit to where they were heading.
Tetra looked on with pondering eyes. She obviously had no idea where they were going, but Link certainly knew since he didn't have that "I'm lost" look in his eyes. She wasn't too curious as to where they were going really.
That is...until they pasted a sign that read "Danger" on it. Then Tetra finally said something.
"I take it wherever we're going isn't meant for the public?" she questioned while looking back at the sign as they continued walking through the tall grass.
Link must have been either startled or taken back by her sudden question, since he turned around with some haste.
"Oh that?" he said relaxing while looking back at the sign as well. "Well, yeah I guess you could say it's not the safest place on the island."
Tetra looked back at him with a questionable look.
"And may I ask why are we going to such a place when you're not in the best shape?" she asked, partially crossing her arms and stopping. She wasn't about to let him go into battle just for the heck of it.
Link must have sensed her resistance and stopped himself, just to make a small grin and answer. "Don't worry about it, Tetra. If there are even any monsters there, we can easily avoid them. And if we do have to fight, I'm sure you could take care of it yourself." He paused. "You did bring your dagger right?"
Tetra smirked at him and went back to walking.
"I never leave my dagger behind for anything, Link." She told him outright upon reaching him.
He smiled.
"Good." He said, nodding to her as he started walking. "Then we'll be
just fine."
Tetra cocked her head a little at him once he turned around. He certainly had confidence in her.
The pirate looked down to the ground and stared at her feet, keeping a small smile spread across her face. She was glad their conversation was taking her mind off what was bugging her.
But after a brief pause in the conversation and a little more walking further up the path, Tetra then noticed where they were actually heading, and her thoughts quickly returned. She could only wonder in silence at what she saw as they reached the summit of the plateau.
They were heading toward the roped bridge that crossed between the two plateau's of the island.
Link on the other hand was not bothered by the site.
"Well, I guess they finally repaired the bridge." The young boy stated as he peered at the present suspension bridge, putting one foot on it as if to test its stability. When he was satisfied, he began to make his way across, only to stop two steps along the way and turn around at a hesitating Tetra.
"Is something wrong?" he questioned with concern.
The young captain just stared at the bridge for a moment, before shaking her head and crossing her arms again.
"First off..." she began while motioning to the forest on the other side of the bridge. "I don't know why you want me to go back to that particular place." She paused and crossed her arms. "And second, I'm completely surprised that you yourself are not showing signs of dislike. This was where your sister was kidnapped after all."
Link stared at her for a little while, before glancing back across the
bridge.
"I guess I haven't thought about that until now." He said quietly as the memories suddenly came back to him. But his dimmed expression faded as he turned back to Tetra and spoke. "But all that is over now, so I try to forget about it."
Knowing she was going to catch up eventually, Link turned back around and continued his walk across the bridge.
Tetra made a quiet sigh to herself as she slowly paced after him with her head low.
"I wish I could do the same..." she whispered quietly.
~ ~ ~
Link waited until Tetra caught up with him before they both continued further into the Forest of Fairies. Upon arrival, Tetra had asked what they were going to do now that they reached the place, and Link finally told her the reason. He said that this forest was once littered with fairies a long time ago, but now all that remained now was a single fairy fountain, which he intended them to visit. All they had to do, was get past whatever monster they came across, if there even were any left.
A further walk into the thick tree-filled forest though, proved that some creatures were still present, even after the defeat of their master. Of course, as luck would have it the only monster they encountered was a Bokoblin, and the dumb creature was snoring away as if their was no tomorrow.
With a quick stab from Tetra's dagger, the beast was easily defeated and they were on their way to the fountain. And it wasn't long after that before Link stopped beside a large dirt patch and motioned to a hole in the middle of it.
"Well, here we are." He stated proudly.
Tetra peered at the small dark pit and made a face as she replied. "I don't see anything."
Link made a small laugh and stuck his hands carefully on his hips.
"Well that's because they are inside the hole." He chuckled as he half walked, half limped his way over to her and carefully grabbed her arm. "Come on. Let's go!" He added with a light tug.
Tetra stiffened a little at his touch, but quickly found herself giving in as he led her to the hole, released her arm, and jumped in without hesitation. She stood there for a minute in silence, before she followed his led and leapt in after him.
Instead of feeling herself fall like a rock, Tetra quickly realized that some strange force was gradually slowing her fall and before she knew it, she was standing in a small bright room filled with sparkling water and glittering blue and white walls. Large seashells decorated the lower portions of the wall, which looked as if they were entirely made of clear cascading water.
The young pirate gazed in awe at the beautiful site, taking a few steps forward while looking all over the sweet scented room. She then spotted Link standing on some steps near what looked like a small pool of water, and she walked over to see what he was looking at.
When she reached his side, she looked toward the water's surface just in time to see a small fairy spiral down into the water and disappear in a flash of glitter. But before the glitter faded, an even bigger fairy with four arms and no wings twirled out of the water and floated just above the pool's surface.
Tetra stared up at it in wonder as it suddenly began to speak to them.
"Welcome young waker of the winds, and princess of destiny." the Great Fairy said softly in a female voice. "What brings ye two to this sacred hallow?"
Tetra was stunned and confused as to how this fairy knew her true identity, but it didn't bother Link, and he merely smiled up at the levitating woman.
"We have come to be healed by your powers." He requested politely.
The Great Fairy formed a pleasant smile as bits of light danced around her. "As you wish, O young hero."
And as quick as she had appeared, the fairy was gone in a flash of bright light. A bunch of smaller fairies then appeared where she had vanished and Link turned around.
"Come on!" He called happily, as he took Tetra by the wrist and led her into the shallow pool.
Soft splashes ensued as the two waded into the ankle-deep water up to the small cluster of fairies waiting for them. Tetra wasn't sure why, but the little winged angels didn't look the least bit frightened by either of them, and seemed to welcome them just a much as the Great Fairy did.
As Link knelt down to greet them, one of the little fairies fluttered on up to Tetra's face, which made her lurch her head back in surprise. They peered at each other as if they were both amazed by the other's presence for a while, before the fairy gave her a small smile.
The pirate wasn't really fond of cute things, but none the less she returned the expression and held up her hands underneath it as if to help it stay airborne, catching the bits of light that sprinkled off its glowing body.
Link got back up and smiled when he saw them.
"And to think, these fairies actually saved your life once." He said
sweetly.
Tetra looked at him and blinked in confusion.
"They did?" She didn't quite remember such an occasion. "When?"
Link took his eyes of her and lifted his hand in the same manner the pirate was doing with the fairy. "Remember when I said I had backup during our fight with Ganondorf?" he began.
She replied. "Yeah..."
He smiled again. "Well, that backup was a fairy...and..." he suddenly paused a little. She could have sworn she saw his cheeks turn a little red as he added. "...and...I used that last fairy to keep you alive after you got hurt by that blast."
Once he finished, the boy shifted his eyes to the fairies below him.
Tetra peered at him in thought.
"So that's what happened..." she thought as she looked down at the fairies as well. She knew he had done something to help her then...but to use his last resource up just so she would survive...
Link quickly broke the silence that had shortly followed.
"I never did thank you for saving me then." He said quietly as he looked back over at her with his usual cheerful smile. "So...thank you."
Tetra kept her eyes on the water in silence. She didn't look like she had heard him on the outside, but inside, her stomach was getting that same weird feeling she got from the last time he thanked her.
Link quickly straightened up and shook his head.
"Well...I think I'm ready to get rid of these bandages now." He exclaimed cheerfully down at the fairies. Getting off the subject, he then asked. "You think you could heal both of us with your magic?"
The fairies looked excited by the request and almost immediately, they separated into two small groups and flew on over the two individual youngsters' heads.
Upon seeing bits of light falling in front of her eyes, Tetra lifted her head just in time to see the fairies start to twirl around her blond head, scattering shimmers of white light onto her hair while some fell down her body as if it was water.
Almost instantly, Tetra felt the slight soreness in her injured arm begin to vanish. The pirate looked down at her arm curiously, noticing that a lot of the glitter had settled on her bandage and was shifting around as if it was sucking up her wound right through the fabric. Having never had experienced anything like this in her life, she stared down in wonder at the magical healing taking place on her arm.
Curious to see how Link was reacting, Tetra looked over to find the boy looking up into the swirl of light with his eyes closed. He looked like he was about to fall asleep from seer relief, but he remained standing with his arms open partially, welcoming the healing powers that was being poured onto him.
After a decent while of getting healed in this manner, the fairies sensed no more exhaustion in either of them and halted their dance. They fluttered on back in front of them as the two took a deep breath in unison.
"Thanks. That's feels much better!" Link said to them, making a huge relieved smile to show how thankful he was.
As the fairies nodded in reply, Tetra reached for her arm and slowly took off her bandage. She was stunned to find not even a scar left from where her cut use to be.
Link began to unwrap what he could too as he turned around and waved farewell to the small little angels. Tetra followed his lead while still gazing at her arm in awe, even when they stopped underneath the hole through which they had entered.
The pirate had to then take her eyes off her arm, when she suddenly felt herself get lifted into the air by that same strange force that slowed her fall earlier. She had to stare down in even more surprise as both her and Link were lifted in mid-air and carried right back up to ground level.
~ ~ ~
"That was...interesting." Tetra commented once they were finally standing outside the hole.
Bunching up the wad of bandages he managed to remove from himself, Link made a silly grin over at her and nodded his head. "It was to me at first too. But, when you have this many wounds though, you tend to not notice it as much." He stated while lifting the bundle of cloth and making a face at it before tossing it over his shoulder in disgust.
Without saying anything else, the two turned around and started their walk back to the village.
But before they even exited the forest, something caught Link's attention and he suddenly spoke up.
"Hey Tetra!" He called, making her turn toward him. He turned in a certain direction and began to walk through a couple small trees and bushes, signaling for her to follow him.
Tetra stood there for a minute, wondering what he was doing or where he was going. She was anxious to get out of the forest and here Link was taking a detour to who knows where. But never the less, she followed him through the bushes anyway.
Once the pirate emerged from the thick shrubs, she spotted Link standing not too far away, staring up toward the canopy of the trees. At least...that where she thought he was looking.
"Just as I thought." Link said quickly as he continued to stare.
"What? What are you looking at?" the girl asked.
Link motioned his head in the direction he wanted her to look and Tetra peered up with curiosity.
At first she didn't see anything out of the ordinary...until she took a good hard look at the tall tree she was staring up at.
The small pirate almost gasped in surprise. They were now standing underneath a tree with a broken branch hanging off its limbs...the place where she hung unconscious after the bird had dropped her into the forest.
Memories instantly rushed back into her mind as she realized that they were standing in the very place where her and Link met for the first time.
Link could tell by the way she was staring that the pirate knew where they were. Then he made a small laugh and shook his head lightly as a thought came to his mind that he had to express.
"I never thought I'd say something like this..." he began as he peered back up at the towering tree. "...but I can actually think of one good reason for that giant bird coming to Outset."
A couple of confused blinks quickly broke Tetra's stare as she made an odd face over at Link.
"What good could have possibly come from that horrible creature?" she asked him with a look that could have ended her sentence with the word moron.
Link didn't pay any attention to her odd look, and gave her a somewhat bashful smile, which made her get an even more puzzled look.
"Well..." he said slowly while scratching the back of his green hat. "...if that bird didn't bring you to this island, then we probably would have never met."
Tetra's look suddenly dimmed into a realizing stare as the boy quickly looked to the floor in slight embarrassment, think he might have said something wrong. If he knew Tetra like he thought he did, one wrong word could get you on her bad side and you'd probably end up getting hit.
But Tetra didn't even flinch, much less say anything. She was too busy trying to figure out how this kid could surprise her so much with just a simple phrase, as she went to staring at the ground in thought.
A lingering silence ensued for a brief moment before Link finally cleared his throat.
"Well...I guess we should be heading back." He managed to say without stuttering. "We don't want anyone to think we're lost or something." And with that, the boy turned around and retreated back into the bush.
Tetra remained in her trance for a little while longer and looked back up at the tree with the broken branch, before she turned around and left as well.
~ ~ ~
The rest of the daylight hours seemed to go by all too quick...especially for Tetra. During all the rest and relaxation, she had pretty much remained in her cabin undisturbed, coming out now and then for some air. Of course, when it came around suppertime, she emerged to look for her crew, so they could prepare a meal for themselves on deck.
When she did find them however, she wasn't too surprised to find them already stuffing their faces. Link's grandma had invited them all to dinner, and now everyone but herself was enjoying a meal at the woman's table, while listening to Link retell his adventures to his family, as well as the crew.
At first, the pirate captain wished to not disturb them. But she was spotted however by you know who, and couldn't bring herself to turn away Link's offer to eat with them.
She didn't stay long however, for just as soon as Link got to the part when he finally rescued his sister...she secretly left.
Other than those times however, Tetra wasn't really seen at all out in the open. Only when sunset came around, did she finally but secretly emerge from her solitude inside her ship.
Wishing to watch the sunset in peace, the young pirate sot refuge in a wooden lookout that stood at the farthest end of a pier along shore, finding it reclusive enough for her liking. She found the place to have a better view than from the crow's nest of her ship as well, and she leaned on the wooden railing that brimmed the lookout to further gaze out at sea.
The view was absolutely breathtaking. She hadn't taken the time to look at the sunset for days, and to now see it again with even more appreciation made it look even more beautiful than ever.
The young girl let out a light sigh.
"Oh how I wish you were here mother..." She said quietly to the bright orange sun just above the horizon.
Lowering her head to peer down at the water below, the thought of her dear mother made her think about all that had changed in the past two maybe three weeks.
So much had happened ever since she last set foot on the island of Outset. She had traveled to the farthest reaches of the Great Sea, helped a kid rescue his sister from the clutches of an evil man, and had even found the reason for her very existence and a new identity. And it happened all because of the events from so many years ago.
Of course, she knew now that everyone on the Great Sea must have been affected somehow by those events.
Placing her head onto top of her folded arms, Tetra could only wonder if any of the inhabitants on the sea had such a large task placed on their shoulders like the one she had. She was just a mere pirate with royal blood in her...who knows what destiny the gods chose for those with higher rank.
All her thinking about everyone's fate quickly brought back thoughts of what had been bugging her all this time.
Quite frankly, she wasn't sure why she was feeling so down about her quest for the new land. Perhaps it was because she thought it was such a large task for her and her crew to take on without much guiding them. But she knew that wasn't the reason...
...because she found that it would get more worse whenever she saw Link with his family...or when he said something nice to her. At first she thought it was because it reminded her so much about her mother...but something was telling her that wasn't entirely the case.
Glancing up at the slowly sinking sun, the young pirate then remembered what Link had said to her while they were in the Forest of Fairies.
He had said that he was glad that they had met, even if it wasn't under a good note.
That had surprised her tremendously. To consider meeting a pirate that had a bad attitude most of the time was something she definitely didn't expect. No one had ever said anything like that to her. It made her a little confused...but it also made her feel...special.
Tetra felt like smiling at the very thought, but a depressed feeling got its way into her heart and she ended up making a sad frown and looking back down at the water.
"Why..." the pirate thought in confusion. "Why do I not feel happy that Link considers me as his friend?"
It didn't make any sense. She knew the reason wasn't that she didn't consider him a friend back...so what was the problem?
All of a sudden, it dawned on her.
The young pirate lifted her head as her confirmed reason got embedded in her memory. She didn't know why it didn't occur to her before...in fact, she did consider it a reason but didn't fully believe it was the true reason for her discomfort.
Link was the first person she ever considered to be a friend...but unlike her, he was never actually instructed to go search for the new land. He actually had a choice; a choice of either going with her and her crew to search for the new kingdom, or stay with his family here on Outset...and probably never see her again.
Tetra quickly felt her heart almost shatter into pieces. She saw how happy he was when he was reunited with his sister and Grandma. And she knew that if she was in his position to choose, she would choose to stay home almost without hesitation. What was stopping Link from doing the same thing?
The young girl slowly lifted her hand to touch her red bandana. She had already made a decision to set sail on her voyage tomorrow morning and didn't mention it to anyone, not even her crew. That didn't leave Link a lot of time to make a decision...
Tetra made another saddened frown as a thought came to her.
"He probably hasn't even thought about it yet..." she concluded, knowing once again that if she was in his boots, she'd be too distracted by joy to even think about it. Family probably meant just as much to him as it did to her.
But she wasn't about to rush him with his decision.
"I guess I should go find him." She thought while peering at the waves. "Dawn will be here before I know it. And I still have to give him his options."
Not really rushing herself, Tetra attempted to perk her head up and slowly began to turn around to proceed toward the ladder she had gotten up there with.
But she suddenly had to force herself backwards, to avoid hitting who was suddenly standing in front of her.
With equal surprise, Link himself took a few steps back as the young pirate was taken off-guard and fell to the ground from lack of balance, landing lightly on her back and making a small thud when she hit.
The boy quickly put his hands up in defense.
"Oops...uh, sorry Tetra." He said with a small laugh. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Tetra propped herself up a little and closed her eyes as she started to rub the back of her head, even if it didn't hurt. She then peeked open one of her eyes and managed to muster up a normal expression and glanced up at him with her usual glare.
"How long have you been standing there?" she questioned, putting slight emphasis on the word "you".
Link lowered his hands.
"Not long enough to notice you turning around, that's for sure." He replied sheepishly. Without any hesitation, the boy then reached his hand down to her.
Tetra suddenly paused her rubbing, and looked up to meet his warm helpful smile.
The pirate tried her best to smile, instead of glancing from his hand to his face and at the same time suppressing how grateful she was to him for being so nice to her.
But the site of his sweet face had quickly made her fear return, much to her great disliking. The gloomy feeling was just too strong for her to keep a straight face, and a dimmed expression appeared across her lips, as she merely made a low sigh before picking herself up without his help.
Link wasn't sure to take this as a hint that she had returned to normal or not. But the expression on her face as she stood up and turned back to the ocean though, certainly didn't look normal to him.
As Tetra quietly walked back to her spot at the edge of the lookout, Link paused for a second to try and figure out her strange behavior, before slowly following her lead. He found a spot on the railing beside her and folded his arms on top of it, as he peered out toward the sunset in silence.
At first, neither of them said anything to each other, leaving both of them to only guess as to what the other person was thinking. The silence was making Link nervous though, so he finally broke it with a good note.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked quietly while looking at the golden sun with a smile.
Tetra had already folded her arms in the same way Link had, and merely nodded her head in reply.
When he didn't hear a verbal answer, Link turned to her, knowing that something must have been wrong if she didn't feel like speaking to him. But instead of asking her outright what the problem was, he was hoping to cheer her up instead and continued.
"I always did like to sit down and watch the sunset." He stated as he turned back to the ocean. "In fact, before Aryll was kidnapped, I use to go up here and stand at this very spot to get the best view. Me and Aryll would always come up here everyday just so we could get away from it all and have some time to ourselves."
Though Link really was trying to help, all his talk about his family was only making Tetra more uncomfortable. She found herself hesitating to bring up what she wanted to tell him in the first place and merely listened until he finished, before working up enough courage to talk to him. In the most normal tone of voice she could muster, the pirate spoke to him.
"Have you told anyone about what happened in Hyrule yet?" she questioned without turning her head.
Link looked over at her with relief at finally hearing her reply to him. He pondered her question for a moment before answering.
"Not yet." He said quietly, wondering if that was an answer she wanted
to hear.
In response, Tetra held her hands in a tight ball, as she lightly looked down at the glittering waves below.
"Me and my crew are leaving tomorrow morning." she suddenly said
quietly.
Link looked a bit surprised to here this for some reason, and a wondering look crossed his face.
"Already?" the boy asked. "But we just got here. Why so soon?"
The pirate had to turn her head away a little to hide her pained expression. He certainly wasn't making it easy for her.
"You know me, Link." She replied, hoping he would understand. "It's what I decided...and I'm not going to change my mind..."
She managed to work up enough courage to turn her head and look into his eyes as she added. "...and...I'm not forcing you to come with us."
Link got a puzzled look.
"You're not making me go?" he questioned. That was a strange question, he thought. He had a choice?
When Tetra lightly nodded her head to him, he suddenly straightened up to face her.
"But I have to go." He replied quickly. "The King said-"
"The King said..." she interrupted. "...that the bloodline of Hyrule was to search for the new land." She paused when she added. "He never said that you had to go as well."
"But...Tetra..." the boy uttered quietly.
"Please don't try to change my mind..." the pirate replied, lowering her head back down to the sea and closing her eyes. "...it's what I've decided...you're just going to have to accept that..."
Link didn't say anymore as the quietly stubborn pirate lifted her head toward the dimming sunset.
"I'm giving you a choice." She explained. "You can either come with us, or stay here on Outset. It's your decision."
Knowing for sure that Link got the hint now by his silence, Tetra slowly turned around and began to walk away, keeping her head slightly low to hide her expression.
"You've got until tomorrow morning to make a decision." She quietly said, pausing before she proceeded down the ladder.
Link gazed off into the sea, her words playing around in his head about the sudden decisions he had only tonight to think about. He suddenly straightened up as if a thought came into his head, and he quickly turned around.
"Wait!" he called, turning just in time to see her blond hair slip out of view from below the ladder.
He stared at the spot for a short while, a bunch of thoughts running through his mind. His stare then turned into a soft look of realization.
"Tetra..." he silently called.
Down at the beach, the young pirate was anxiously walking back to her ship, resisting the urge to want to turn around and tell Link how much she wanted him to come with her.
"It's the right thing to do." She kept telling herself. "After all he's been through, he deserves to have a choice."
Doing her best to avoid making a conclusion, she couldn't help but fear what his decision would be. It was probably best that Link stay with his family; but the very thought of leaving without him being with them was something she found difficult to accept.
A light breeze silently blew pass the young pirate, playing with her hair and causing a few strands to brush lightly against her cheek.
Tetra suddenly halted her walk.
Giving in to her impulse to turn around, she turned her head to look up with soft blue eyes at the lone silhouette that stood under the protective roof of the lookout.
Tetra could only hope that her fear about his decision would subside. She knew she was getting ahead of herself really, but she couldn't help but guess what he would decide, considering his reactions the past few days.
But...she was still going to leave everything to him, and there was no way she going to allow herself to influence or interfere with his decision.
Just then, Link's silhouette moved slightly, making it look like he had turned in her direction.
Tetra quickly turned around and started to run to her ship, hoping she had only imagined him seeing her staring up at him. Before she knew it, she had reached the door to the lower deck and she quickly threw it open, entering the dark hallway before closing it behind her.
Avoiding all contact with whoever crossed her path, she entered her room and paused at the door to calm herself down from her run. She then slowly walked over to her bed, resisting the urge to want to look at the picture that hung beside it.
Laying her head on the cushioned pillow, she sprawled herself over the piece of furniture and laid still for a while, before scrunching herself into a small ball, clutching the covers tightly as she held them up to her chest.
Longing to get her thoughts off a certain subject, the young pirate closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing her grip on the covers until they fell out of her hands.
Slowly allowing herself to give in to sleep, the pirate fell into a deep and well-deserved rest, vanishing her thoughts...
...as the last bit of the sun slipped under the horizon.
A/N: Wow...I'm nearly done with completing the story! There's only one more chapter after this one(not including the summary)! Gack! My, where did the time go?! *shrugs* Well all good things must end eventually so...oh geez, why am I babbling on about the last chapter? This is the second to last chapter! Ha! Um...forget what I said. Now after you read this chapter (and perhaps the first half of the next one), please don't think me mean or nothing for doing what I'm about to do to Tetra's feelings. Just like everything else that is questionable in my story, there is a reason (and a good one...I hope). And like I said before, I am not making Tetra and Link kisses...my reasons are few but will not be explained yet until the author summary. But I will tell you now...if or when I do a sequel, they WILL kiss. Trust me ^_~ Enjoy the chapter anyways though...hopefully *smiles sheepishly*
Chapter 20: Choosing the New Path ----------------------------------------------------
A pleasant breeze filled the skies over the peaceful island of Outset.
The sun cast its warm rays over everything that wasn't covered as it rose higher into the sky, signaling the approach of high noon. The pirate ship had made good time in getting to Outset all the way from whence it came, and now that everyone was on land, they took the time to relax, take a few pictures maybe (that's what Link did anyway), or perhaps have a bite to eat. Even the pirate crew settled down to rest by order of their captain, who claimed they all deserved a time off.
No one on the island seemed to mind having pirates wander about freely on the island though. In fact, Link's grandma had told them all that the pirate's would always be welcomed onto their island home on terms that they had helped Link rescue Aryll. Of course, not shortly after she said this did she just notice how beaten up he was.
The boy had reassured his grandmother that he would be fine though, and claimed that a quick walk around the island would do him some good after he had said hello to everyone.
But...he never said he was going alone...
~ ~ ~
Tetra remained very quiet and at the same time deep in thought, as she remained in stride with the boy walking beside her. Link had requested that the pirate captain would accompany him on this "walk" and now the two were heading up a somewhat narrow pathway leading up to one of Outset's plateaus. Why he asked her in particular to come with him though was beyond her reach.
Out of the corner of her eye, the young girl would glance now and then at the boy clad in green. He obviously wasn't bothered by the lack of verbal communication between them, and he merely walked with eyes focused further up the pathway, baring a content smile as if he was anxious to get to wherever they were going. He would cringe slightly now and then however, since his injuries still were not fully healed, and he also had a small limp that kept him from walking too fast.
But looks can be deceiving. Though Link bore a smile on his face, he was also a little uncomfortable with the silence between him and Tetra. He found it odd, since she wasn't usually the quiet type, and it made him worry a little too. She was acting just like she had been when she first became Princess Zelda ever since they arrived at Outset, which suggested to him that something must have been bugging her. It made him wonder what was causing her to act so un-normal like.
But instead of saying anything, the boy remained quiet and walked on, figuring that she was perhaps tired and would return to normal after they paid a visit to where they were heading.
Tetra looked on with pondering eyes. She obviously had no idea where they were going, but Link certainly knew since he didn't have that "I'm lost" look in his eyes. She wasn't too curious as to where they were going really.
That is...until they pasted a sign that read "Danger" on it. Then Tetra finally said something.
"I take it wherever we're going isn't meant for the public?" she questioned while looking back at the sign as they continued walking through the tall grass.
Link must have been either startled or taken back by her sudden question, since he turned around with some haste.
"Oh that?" he said relaxing while looking back at the sign as well. "Well, yeah I guess you could say it's not the safest place on the island."
Tetra looked back at him with a questionable look.
"And may I ask why are we going to such a place when you're not in the best shape?" she asked, partially crossing her arms and stopping. She wasn't about to let him go into battle just for the heck of it.
Link must have sensed her resistance and stopped himself, just to make a small grin and answer. "Don't worry about it, Tetra. If there are even any monsters there, we can easily avoid them. And if we do have to fight, I'm sure you could take care of it yourself." He paused. "You did bring your dagger right?"
Tetra smirked at him and went back to walking.
"I never leave my dagger behind for anything, Link." She told him outright upon reaching him.
He smiled.
"Good." He said, nodding to her as he started walking. "Then we'll be
just fine."
Tetra cocked her head a little at him once he turned around. He certainly had confidence in her.
The pirate looked down to the ground and stared at her feet, keeping a small smile spread across her face. She was glad their conversation was taking her mind off what was bugging her.
But after a brief pause in the conversation and a little more walking further up the path, Tetra then noticed where they were actually heading, and her thoughts quickly returned. She could only wonder in silence at what she saw as they reached the summit of the plateau.
They were heading toward the roped bridge that crossed between the two plateau's of the island.
Link on the other hand was not bothered by the site.
"Well, I guess they finally repaired the bridge." The young boy stated as he peered at the present suspension bridge, putting one foot on it as if to test its stability. When he was satisfied, he began to make his way across, only to stop two steps along the way and turn around at a hesitating Tetra.
"Is something wrong?" he questioned with concern.
The young captain just stared at the bridge for a moment, before shaking her head and crossing her arms again.
"First off..." she began while motioning to the forest on the other side of the bridge. "I don't know why you want me to go back to that particular place." She paused and crossed her arms. "And second, I'm completely surprised that you yourself are not showing signs of dislike. This was where your sister was kidnapped after all."
Link stared at her for a little while, before glancing back across the
bridge.
"I guess I haven't thought about that until now." He said quietly as the memories suddenly came back to him. But his dimmed expression faded as he turned back to Tetra and spoke. "But all that is over now, so I try to forget about it."
Knowing she was going to catch up eventually, Link turned back around and continued his walk across the bridge.
Tetra made a quiet sigh to herself as she slowly paced after him with her head low.
"I wish I could do the same..." she whispered quietly.
~ ~ ~
Link waited until Tetra caught up with him before they both continued further into the Forest of Fairies. Upon arrival, Tetra had asked what they were going to do now that they reached the place, and Link finally told her the reason. He said that this forest was once littered with fairies a long time ago, but now all that remained now was a single fairy fountain, which he intended them to visit. All they had to do, was get past whatever monster they came across, if there even were any left.
A further walk into the thick tree-filled forest though, proved that some creatures were still present, even after the defeat of their master. Of course, as luck would have it the only monster they encountered was a Bokoblin, and the dumb creature was snoring away as if their was no tomorrow.
With a quick stab from Tetra's dagger, the beast was easily defeated and they were on their way to the fountain. And it wasn't long after that before Link stopped beside a large dirt patch and motioned to a hole in the middle of it.
"Well, here we are." He stated proudly.
Tetra peered at the small dark pit and made a face as she replied. "I don't see anything."
Link made a small laugh and stuck his hands carefully on his hips.
"Well that's because they are inside the hole." He chuckled as he half walked, half limped his way over to her and carefully grabbed her arm. "Come on. Let's go!" He added with a light tug.
Tetra stiffened a little at his touch, but quickly found herself giving in as he led her to the hole, released her arm, and jumped in without hesitation. She stood there for a minute in silence, before she followed his led and leapt in after him.
Instead of feeling herself fall like a rock, Tetra quickly realized that some strange force was gradually slowing her fall and before she knew it, she was standing in a small bright room filled with sparkling water and glittering blue and white walls. Large seashells decorated the lower portions of the wall, which looked as if they were entirely made of clear cascading water.
The young pirate gazed in awe at the beautiful site, taking a few steps forward while looking all over the sweet scented room. She then spotted Link standing on some steps near what looked like a small pool of water, and she walked over to see what he was looking at.
When she reached his side, she looked toward the water's surface just in time to see a small fairy spiral down into the water and disappear in a flash of glitter. But before the glitter faded, an even bigger fairy with four arms and no wings twirled out of the water and floated just above the pool's surface.
Tetra stared up at it in wonder as it suddenly began to speak to them.
"Welcome young waker of the winds, and princess of destiny." the Great Fairy said softly in a female voice. "What brings ye two to this sacred hallow?"
Tetra was stunned and confused as to how this fairy knew her true identity, but it didn't bother Link, and he merely smiled up at the levitating woman.
"We have come to be healed by your powers." He requested politely.
The Great Fairy formed a pleasant smile as bits of light danced around her. "As you wish, O young hero."
And as quick as she had appeared, the fairy was gone in a flash of bright light. A bunch of smaller fairies then appeared where she had vanished and Link turned around.
"Come on!" He called happily, as he took Tetra by the wrist and led her into the shallow pool.
Soft splashes ensued as the two waded into the ankle-deep water up to the small cluster of fairies waiting for them. Tetra wasn't sure why, but the little winged angels didn't look the least bit frightened by either of them, and seemed to welcome them just a much as the Great Fairy did.
As Link knelt down to greet them, one of the little fairies fluttered on up to Tetra's face, which made her lurch her head back in surprise. They peered at each other as if they were both amazed by the other's presence for a while, before the fairy gave her a small smile.
The pirate wasn't really fond of cute things, but none the less she returned the expression and held up her hands underneath it as if to help it stay airborne, catching the bits of light that sprinkled off its glowing body.
Link got back up and smiled when he saw them.
"And to think, these fairies actually saved your life once." He said
sweetly.
Tetra looked at him and blinked in confusion.
"They did?" She didn't quite remember such an occasion. "When?"
Link took his eyes of her and lifted his hand in the same manner the pirate was doing with the fairy. "Remember when I said I had backup during our fight with Ganondorf?" he began.
She replied. "Yeah..."
He smiled again. "Well, that backup was a fairy...and..." he suddenly paused a little. She could have sworn she saw his cheeks turn a little red as he added. "...and...I used that last fairy to keep you alive after you got hurt by that blast."
Once he finished, the boy shifted his eyes to the fairies below him.
Tetra peered at him in thought.
"So that's what happened..." she thought as she looked down at the fairies as well. She knew he had done something to help her then...but to use his last resource up just so she would survive...
Link quickly broke the silence that had shortly followed.
"I never did thank you for saving me then." He said quietly as he looked back over at her with his usual cheerful smile. "So...thank you."
Tetra kept her eyes on the water in silence. She didn't look like she had heard him on the outside, but inside, her stomach was getting that same weird feeling she got from the last time he thanked her.
Link quickly straightened up and shook his head.
"Well...I think I'm ready to get rid of these bandages now." He exclaimed cheerfully down at the fairies. Getting off the subject, he then asked. "You think you could heal both of us with your magic?"
The fairies looked excited by the request and almost immediately, they separated into two small groups and flew on over the two individual youngsters' heads.
Upon seeing bits of light falling in front of her eyes, Tetra lifted her head just in time to see the fairies start to twirl around her blond head, scattering shimmers of white light onto her hair while some fell down her body as if it was water.
Almost instantly, Tetra felt the slight soreness in her injured arm begin to vanish. The pirate looked down at her arm curiously, noticing that a lot of the glitter had settled on her bandage and was shifting around as if it was sucking up her wound right through the fabric. Having never had experienced anything like this in her life, she stared down in wonder at the magical healing taking place on her arm.
Curious to see how Link was reacting, Tetra looked over to find the boy looking up into the swirl of light with his eyes closed. He looked like he was about to fall asleep from seer relief, but he remained standing with his arms open partially, welcoming the healing powers that was being poured onto him.
After a decent while of getting healed in this manner, the fairies sensed no more exhaustion in either of them and halted their dance. They fluttered on back in front of them as the two took a deep breath in unison.
"Thanks. That's feels much better!" Link said to them, making a huge relieved smile to show how thankful he was.
As the fairies nodded in reply, Tetra reached for her arm and slowly took off her bandage. She was stunned to find not even a scar left from where her cut use to be.
Link began to unwrap what he could too as he turned around and waved farewell to the small little angels. Tetra followed his lead while still gazing at her arm in awe, even when they stopped underneath the hole through which they had entered.
The pirate had to then take her eyes off her arm, when she suddenly felt herself get lifted into the air by that same strange force that slowed her fall earlier. She had to stare down in even more surprise as both her and Link were lifted in mid-air and carried right back up to ground level.
~ ~ ~
"That was...interesting." Tetra commented once they were finally standing outside the hole.
Bunching up the wad of bandages he managed to remove from himself, Link made a silly grin over at her and nodded his head. "It was to me at first too. But, when you have this many wounds though, you tend to not notice it as much." He stated while lifting the bundle of cloth and making a face at it before tossing it over his shoulder in disgust.
Without saying anything else, the two turned around and started their walk back to the village.
But before they even exited the forest, something caught Link's attention and he suddenly spoke up.
"Hey Tetra!" He called, making her turn toward him. He turned in a certain direction and began to walk through a couple small trees and bushes, signaling for her to follow him.
Tetra stood there for a minute, wondering what he was doing or where he was going. She was anxious to get out of the forest and here Link was taking a detour to who knows where. But never the less, she followed him through the bushes anyway.
Once the pirate emerged from the thick shrubs, she spotted Link standing not too far away, staring up toward the canopy of the trees. At least...that where she thought he was looking.
"Just as I thought." Link said quickly as he continued to stare.
"What? What are you looking at?" the girl asked.
Link motioned his head in the direction he wanted her to look and Tetra peered up with curiosity.
At first she didn't see anything out of the ordinary...until she took a good hard look at the tall tree she was staring up at.
The small pirate almost gasped in surprise. They were now standing underneath a tree with a broken branch hanging off its limbs...the place where she hung unconscious after the bird had dropped her into the forest.
Memories instantly rushed back into her mind as she realized that they were standing in the very place where her and Link met for the first time.
Link could tell by the way she was staring that the pirate knew where they were. Then he made a small laugh and shook his head lightly as a thought came to his mind that he had to express.
"I never thought I'd say something like this..." he began as he peered back up at the towering tree. "...but I can actually think of one good reason for that giant bird coming to Outset."
A couple of confused blinks quickly broke Tetra's stare as she made an odd face over at Link.
"What good could have possibly come from that horrible creature?" she asked him with a look that could have ended her sentence with the word moron.
Link didn't pay any attention to her odd look, and gave her a somewhat bashful smile, which made her get an even more puzzled look.
"Well..." he said slowly while scratching the back of his green hat. "...if that bird didn't bring you to this island, then we probably would have never met."
Tetra's look suddenly dimmed into a realizing stare as the boy quickly looked to the floor in slight embarrassment, think he might have said something wrong. If he knew Tetra like he thought he did, one wrong word could get you on her bad side and you'd probably end up getting hit.
But Tetra didn't even flinch, much less say anything. She was too busy trying to figure out how this kid could surprise her so much with just a simple phrase, as she went to staring at the ground in thought.
A lingering silence ensued for a brief moment before Link finally cleared his throat.
"Well...I guess we should be heading back." He managed to say without stuttering. "We don't want anyone to think we're lost or something." And with that, the boy turned around and retreated back into the bush.
Tetra remained in her trance for a little while longer and looked back up at the tree with the broken branch, before she turned around and left as well.
~ ~ ~
The rest of the daylight hours seemed to go by all too quick...especially for Tetra. During all the rest and relaxation, she had pretty much remained in her cabin undisturbed, coming out now and then for some air. Of course, when it came around suppertime, she emerged to look for her crew, so they could prepare a meal for themselves on deck.
When she did find them however, she wasn't too surprised to find them already stuffing their faces. Link's grandma had invited them all to dinner, and now everyone but herself was enjoying a meal at the woman's table, while listening to Link retell his adventures to his family, as well as the crew.
At first, the pirate captain wished to not disturb them. But she was spotted however by you know who, and couldn't bring herself to turn away Link's offer to eat with them.
She didn't stay long however, for just as soon as Link got to the part when he finally rescued his sister...she secretly left.
Other than those times however, Tetra wasn't really seen at all out in the open. Only when sunset came around, did she finally but secretly emerge from her solitude inside her ship.
Wishing to watch the sunset in peace, the young pirate sot refuge in a wooden lookout that stood at the farthest end of a pier along shore, finding it reclusive enough for her liking. She found the place to have a better view than from the crow's nest of her ship as well, and she leaned on the wooden railing that brimmed the lookout to further gaze out at sea.
The view was absolutely breathtaking. She hadn't taken the time to look at the sunset for days, and to now see it again with even more appreciation made it look even more beautiful than ever.
The young girl let out a light sigh.
"Oh how I wish you were here mother..." She said quietly to the bright orange sun just above the horizon.
Lowering her head to peer down at the water below, the thought of her dear mother made her think about all that had changed in the past two maybe three weeks.
So much had happened ever since she last set foot on the island of Outset. She had traveled to the farthest reaches of the Great Sea, helped a kid rescue his sister from the clutches of an evil man, and had even found the reason for her very existence and a new identity. And it happened all because of the events from so many years ago.
Of course, she knew now that everyone on the Great Sea must have been affected somehow by those events.
Placing her head onto top of her folded arms, Tetra could only wonder if any of the inhabitants on the sea had such a large task placed on their shoulders like the one she had. She was just a mere pirate with royal blood in her...who knows what destiny the gods chose for those with higher rank.
All her thinking about everyone's fate quickly brought back thoughts of what had been bugging her all this time.
Quite frankly, she wasn't sure why she was feeling so down about her quest for the new land. Perhaps it was because she thought it was such a large task for her and her crew to take on without much guiding them. But she knew that wasn't the reason...
...because she found that it would get more worse whenever she saw Link with his family...or when he said something nice to her. At first she thought it was because it reminded her so much about her mother...but something was telling her that wasn't entirely the case.
Glancing up at the slowly sinking sun, the young pirate then remembered what Link had said to her while they were in the Forest of Fairies.
He had said that he was glad that they had met, even if it wasn't under a good note.
That had surprised her tremendously. To consider meeting a pirate that had a bad attitude most of the time was something she definitely didn't expect. No one had ever said anything like that to her. It made her a little confused...but it also made her feel...special.
Tetra felt like smiling at the very thought, but a depressed feeling got its way into her heart and she ended up making a sad frown and looking back down at the water.
"Why..." the pirate thought in confusion. "Why do I not feel happy that Link considers me as his friend?"
It didn't make any sense. She knew the reason wasn't that she didn't consider him a friend back...so what was the problem?
All of a sudden, it dawned on her.
The young pirate lifted her head as her confirmed reason got embedded in her memory. She didn't know why it didn't occur to her before...in fact, she did consider it a reason but didn't fully believe it was the true reason for her discomfort.
Link was the first person she ever considered to be a friend...but unlike her, he was never actually instructed to go search for the new land. He actually had a choice; a choice of either going with her and her crew to search for the new kingdom, or stay with his family here on Outset...and probably never see her again.
Tetra quickly felt her heart almost shatter into pieces. She saw how happy he was when he was reunited with his sister and Grandma. And she knew that if she was in his position to choose, she would choose to stay home almost without hesitation. What was stopping Link from doing the same thing?
The young girl slowly lifted her hand to touch her red bandana. She had already made a decision to set sail on her voyage tomorrow morning and didn't mention it to anyone, not even her crew. That didn't leave Link a lot of time to make a decision...
Tetra made another saddened frown as a thought came to her.
"He probably hasn't even thought about it yet..." she concluded, knowing once again that if she was in his boots, she'd be too distracted by joy to even think about it. Family probably meant just as much to him as it did to her.
But she wasn't about to rush him with his decision.
"I guess I should go find him." She thought while peering at the waves. "Dawn will be here before I know it. And I still have to give him his options."
Not really rushing herself, Tetra attempted to perk her head up and slowly began to turn around to proceed toward the ladder she had gotten up there with.
But she suddenly had to force herself backwards, to avoid hitting who was suddenly standing in front of her.
With equal surprise, Link himself took a few steps back as the young pirate was taken off-guard and fell to the ground from lack of balance, landing lightly on her back and making a small thud when she hit.
The boy quickly put his hands up in defense.
"Oops...uh, sorry Tetra." He said with a small laugh. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Tetra propped herself up a little and closed her eyes as she started to rub the back of her head, even if it didn't hurt. She then peeked open one of her eyes and managed to muster up a normal expression and glanced up at him with her usual glare.
"How long have you been standing there?" she questioned, putting slight emphasis on the word "you".
Link lowered his hands.
"Not long enough to notice you turning around, that's for sure." He replied sheepishly. Without any hesitation, the boy then reached his hand down to her.
Tetra suddenly paused her rubbing, and looked up to meet his warm helpful smile.
The pirate tried her best to smile, instead of glancing from his hand to his face and at the same time suppressing how grateful she was to him for being so nice to her.
But the site of his sweet face had quickly made her fear return, much to her great disliking. The gloomy feeling was just too strong for her to keep a straight face, and a dimmed expression appeared across her lips, as she merely made a low sigh before picking herself up without his help.
Link wasn't sure to take this as a hint that she had returned to normal or not. But the expression on her face as she stood up and turned back to the ocean though, certainly didn't look normal to him.
As Tetra quietly walked back to her spot at the edge of the lookout, Link paused for a second to try and figure out her strange behavior, before slowly following her lead. He found a spot on the railing beside her and folded his arms on top of it, as he peered out toward the sunset in silence.
At first, neither of them said anything to each other, leaving both of them to only guess as to what the other person was thinking. The silence was making Link nervous though, so he finally broke it with a good note.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked quietly while looking at the golden sun with a smile.
Tetra had already folded her arms in the same way Link had, and merely nodded her head in reply.
When he didn't hear a verbal answer, Link turned to her, knowing that something must have been wrong if she didn't feel like speaking to him. But instead of asking her outright what the problem was, he was hoping to cheer her up instead and continued.
"I always did like to sit down and watch the sunset." He stated as he turned back to the ocean. "In fact, before Aryll was kidnapped, I use to go up here and stand at this very spot to get the best view. Me and Aryll would always come up here everyday just so we could get away from it all and have some time to ourselves."
Though Link really was trying to help, all his talk about his family was only making Tetra more uncomfortable. She found herself hesitating to bring up what she wanted to tell him in the first place and merely listened until he finished, before working up enough courage to talk to him. In the most normal tone of voice she could muster, the pirate spoke to him.
"Have you told anyone about what happened in Hyrule yet?" she questioned without turning her head.
Link looked over at her with relief at finally hearing her reply to him. He pondered her question for a moment before answering.
"Not yet." He said quietly, wondering if that was an answer she wanted
to hear.
In response, Tetra held her hands in a tight ball, as she lightly looked down at the glittering waves below.
"Me and my crew are leaving tomorrow morning." she suddenly said
quietly.
Link looked a bit surprised to here this for some reason, and a wondering look crossed his face.
"Already?" the boy asked. "But we just got here. Why so soon?"
The pirate had to turn her head away a little to hide her pained expression. He certainly wasn't making it easy for her.
"You know me, Link." She replied, hoping he would understand. "It's what I decided...and I'm not going to change my mind..."
She managed to work up enough courage to turn her head and look into his eyes as she added. "...and...I'm not forcing you to come with us."
Link got a puzzled look.
"You're not making me go?" he questioned. That was a strange question, he thought. He had a choice?
When Tetra lightly nodded her head to him, he suddenly straightened up to face her.
"But I have to go." He replied quickly. "The King said-"
"The King said..." she interrupted. "...that the bloodline of Hyrule was to search for the new land." She paused when she added. "He never said that you had to go as well."
"But...Tetra..." the boy uttered quietly.
"Please don't try to change my mind..." the pirate replied, lowering her head back down to the sea and closing her eyes. "...it's what I've decided...you're just going to have to accept that..."
Link didn't say anymore as the quietly stubborn pirate lifted her head toward the dimming sunset.
"I'm giving you a choice." She explained. "You can either come with us, or stay here on Outset. It's your decision."
Knowing for sure that Link got the hint now by his silence, Tetra slowly turned around and began to walk away, keeping her head slightly low to hide her expression.
"You've got until tomorrow morning to make a decision." She quietly said, pausing before she proceeded down the ladder.
Link gazed off into the sea, her words playing around in his head about the sudden decisions he had only tonight to think about. He suddenly straightened up as if a thought came into his head, and he quickly turned around.
"Wait!" he called, turning just in time to see her blond hair slip out of view from below the ladder.
He stared at the spot for a short while, a bunch of thoughts running through his mind. His stare then turned into a soft look of realization.
"Tetra..." he silently called.
Down at the beach, the young pirate was anxiously walking back to her ship, resisting the urge to want to turn around and tell Link how much she wanted him to come with her.
"It's the right thing to do." She kept telling herself. "After all he's been through, he deserves to have a choice."
Doing her best to avoid making a conclusion, she couldn't help but fear what his decision would be. It was probably best that Link stay with his family; but the very thought of leaving without him being with them was something she found difficult to accept.
A light breeze silently blew pass the young pirate, playing with her hair and causing a few strands to brush lightly against her cheek.
Tetra suddenly halted her walk.
Giving in to her impulse to turn around, she turned her head to look up with soft blue eyes at the lone silhouette that stood under the protective roof of the lookout.
Tetra could only hope that her fear about his decision would subside. She knew she was getting ahead of herself really, but she couldn't help but guess what he would decide, considering his reactions the past few days.
But...she was still going to leave everything to him, and there was no way she going to allow herself to influence or interfere with his decision.
Just then, Link's silhouette moved slightly, making it look like he had turned in her direction.
Tetra quickly turned around and started to run to her ship, hoping she had only imagined him seeing her staring up at him. Before she knew it, she had reached the door to the lower deck and she quickly threw it open, entering the dark hallway before closing it behind her.
Avoiding all contact with whoever crossed her path, she entered her room and paused at the door to calm herself down from her run. She then slowly walked over to her bed, resisting the urge to want to look at the picture that hung beside it.
Laying her head on the cushioned pillow, she sprawled herself over the piece of furniture and laid still for a while, before scrunching herself into a small ball, clutching the covers tightly as she held them up to her chest.
Longing to get her thoughts off a certain subject, the young pirate closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing her grip on the covers until they fell out of her hands.
Slowly allowing herself to give in to sleep, the pirate fell into a deep and well-deserved rest, vanishing her thoughts...
...as the last bit of the sun slipped under the horizon.