Tetra and Link slowly crept across the deck of the pirate ship, taking special care not to make the old wooden steps creak beneath their feet. The last thing they needed was Niko waking up to find them sharing a pint.
Soon they reached the helm and sat, cross-legged behind the wheel, the glass of ale sweating between them.
"Okay," breathed Tetra, "Okay…"
Link's eyes were fixated on the mug. "Yeah… So now what?"
"Well, um, I'm—not sure."
A long period passed in which nothing was said. Only the sound of the wind skipping over the rolling sea, the gentle crashing of the waves as they hit the side of the ship could be heard. Finally, Link lipped his lips and said, "I know."
"What?" whispered Tetra.
"You take the first drink, and then I'll go," said Link, motioning between them, "like that. If you take one, then I take one, until it's gone. How does that sound?"
Tetra's eyes narrowed. "Why do I have to go first? How about, you take the first swig, then I'll take one, and et cetera?"
"Why? Hmm, let's see. How about because this was your crazy idea in the first place, huh? Or, here's another one: 'Lady's first.' Ever here of that?"
"Oh, come on, Link. You know I'm no lady…"
"Yeah, but it was your idea."
Tetra looked at him long and hard. Finally, she relented. "Okay, okay, I'll go first. But this is stupid. I take a drink, then you, but what if it's really nasty, and we just end there, huh? Where's the fun in that?"
Link rubbed his eyes anxiously. "I don't know. It's your turn to think of something."
"Um…" Tetra closed her eyes and thought, "okay, I got it! We'll take turns drinking, and if one of us chickens out, the other person has to ask him or her a question and the other person has to tell the truth. How's that sound?"
"Alright, but how will I know if you're telling the truth or not?" asked Link, his finger pointing squarely at Tetra.
"We'll know because we're going to shake on it, right now." She extended her hand to Link, who took it in his cautiously. They shook firmly, like people of their words, but memories of the incident in the bar kept the contact short.
And so they began…
Tetra took the large glass in her hands and slowly brought it to her lips. The bitter smell of the ale wafted up her nostrils, and the aroma sent shockwaves through the girl's body. At that moment, she wondered just what in Farore's name had she gotten herself into? Heart beating loudly in her chest, she tilted the glass and felt the cold, bubbling liquid rush into her mouth. She put the glass down quickly, holding the ale beneath her tongue. Link looked on in sympathy—it almost looked painful.
The young pirate slowly lowered her tongue to taste the strange liquid, and to her chagrin, the stuff tasted exactly the way it smelled. When she finally swallowed the ale, her eyes were watering and Link seemed about ready to jump overboard.
"Your turn." she croaked.
Link looked at the glass and then back at Tetra. "Is it bad?"
She was still breathing hard. "No, no… piece of cake."
Taking a deep breath first, Link grabbed the glass and quickly gulped a mouthful of the ale. It tickled his throat as it went down, and the after taste seemed to echo through his mouth and into his brain. The boy slouched as he returned the mug.
Tetra looked upon Link in amazement. "How was it?"
The young hero looked at his friend and smiled. "Well, it wasn't great…"
The two children stared at each other tiredly before breaking out into laughter.
Tetra tried to shush Link between laughs, pointing down toward the storage room where Niko was surely sleeping on his watch.
It was a futile effort, though. The two friends ended up falling to the floor giggling, each trying to stifle their laughter in their own unique way. Tetra pulled her bandana over her mouth, while Link, inspired by her earlier work of genius, stuck his entire head in his cap. When Tetra saw this, nothing in the Great Sea could keep them both from laughing like idiots into the night sky, and if Niko heard them, it must have been only fleetingly, in the small interim between wakefulness and dreams.
Gonzo and Nudge stood quietly watching the two kids by the lone grave, just out of view. They watched as Tetra took a sip of the ale before shaking her head wildly in disgust, then as Link, becoming bolder with every drink, drank more and more with each turn. The seasoned pirates couldn't help but laugh. Quietly, of course.
"Heh, so THAT'S where my ale went, eh Nudge?"
"Certainly looks like it… I should put a stop to this—"
Nudge made to leave, but felt his friend's arm against his chest, holding him back. He looked to Gonzo questioningly.
"Look at that," he said finally; Tetra was gently punching Link in the shoulder as they both laughed, "what do you make of that, Nudge?"
Nudge shook his head in amusement. "Looks like two drunk kids to me, mate."
"Aye," agreed Gonzo, smiling, "only there isn't enough ale in that glass to drunken two gulls, let alone those two. You know what I see?
"What, Gonzo?"
"I see Miss Tetra enjoying herself with a friend. Nice, yeah?"
"Yeah. I always forget that she's only a kid. She's so serious all the time. And smart…"
"Aye, but it's nice to see her acting the part every once and a while."
"Yeah."
They watched as Link took another drink and wiped his mouth with a flourish.
"Oh, would you look at that," said Nudge, chuckling, "I think he's done this before."
Gonzo spit good-naturedly into the sea. "Yeah, he'd better watch it before he ends up like you, yeah?" he said as he turned to leave.
Nudge followed right behind him. "Or you… Hey, how 'bout we scour this town for a little company of our own, eh Gonzo. Of the more adult variety?"
"You read my mind, Nudgey. Quite frankly, I'm sick of socializing with children and midgets all day, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Soon Link and Tetra were alone again.
Fifteen minutes of playing their little game had left both children feeling queasy. The almost empty glass of ale still sat between them, but Tetra and Link were sprawled on the deck, facing the stars.
"Well," said Link, "looks like neither of us is gonna drink anymore."
"Who's turn is it?" mumbled Tetra.
"I don't know…"
"Guess we should start with the questions then, huh?"
"You first…"
There was silence while Tetra thought. Link was about to check if she was awake when she threw her first question at him. "Have you… ever kissed a girl before?"
Link brought a finger to his bottom lip and flicked it as he thought. "On the mouth?" he asked.
"Anywhere."
"Oh. Does your sister count?"
"Nope."
"Grandma?"
"No."
"We once had a pet pig named Bessie, and…"
"I mean, like a girlfriend or something."
"Oh," said Link wobbily, "then no. You?"
"Nah," answered Tetra, then quickly added, "but I've had many opportunities. Everywhere I go, it seems like some boy's tryin' to marry me or something… then I have Gonzo rough him up."
"Wow," said Link, impressed, "you're so lucky, Tetra. Back on Outset, there was only one girl my age and she had hair growing out the bottom of her lip and she always threw sand at me. If it weren't for you fallin' out of the sky and causin' all that trouble, I probably would've had to marry her eventually."
"Woo… good thing, eh?"
"Yep. Is it your turn?"
"Nah, I think it's yours."
"Oh, okay, here's one: what was your mom's name?"
There was a long silence.
"Why do you ask?"
Link cleared his throat. "Uh, you don't have to answer it if you don't—"
"Daphnes," said Tetra wistfully, "her name was Daphnes."
Link turned to Tetra. She was staring at the stars and there was a sad smile upon her face. "That's a pretty name."
Tetra looked at him and a single tear slid down her cheek. Link briefly wondered if it was the ale crying. "An old family name. She always used to tell me that it once belonged to a great man."
Link searched for something to say. "I bet she was just as great."
"Thanks," said Tetra, returning her gaze to the sky above, "I miss her a whole lot."
"Yeah," said Link, looking to the sky as well. He thought of his little island to the south, where both his grandmother and Aryll were asleep, warm in their beds and together. He thought of all the nights between the day he left them to that night—of all that he had missed and would continue to miss. Then he looked towards the direction of his boat; only the very top of the head could be seen over the edge of the ship, "yeah, I know how you feel."
Tetra looked at Link for a moment and finally understood why he had been acting the way he had. In fact, in that moment of quiet beauty, both children, without really knowing how, understood a little more of the other's pain and the pain of all children let alone to drift in this world. And that night, before their eyes closed and the heavens disappeared, they discovered and shared in the serene knowledge that sometimes it's just better to look at the stars.