The Journey Begins!

"Uh uh. Noooo way kid, I'm not taking you with me! Forget it!" Tetra said, outraged.

Link put a hand on his sword, "I'm warning you... Just let me do this, and I won't have to kill you!"

"Kill me? PAH! You couldn't kill a fly!" Tetra crowed.

"Yeah, well you wanna bet bitch?" Link growled as he ran at Tetra with his sword.

The postman was quick to grab Link by the arm and pull him back.

"Pardon me, Miss, but I believe it was Link here who saved you, and it would be a nice idea to let him on your ship to save his sister," the postman said calmly, brow raised, staring fixedly at Tetra as he held on to Link's arm tightly.

Tetra seemed surprised.

"Is this true?" She asked, glaring at Link.

Link nodded furiously. "YES! Why do you think I was up there? To set the whole damn woods on fire?"

Tetra thought for a moment.

"Well... Maybe I could..." she muttered to herself, "Fine! I'll take you on my ship!" She said after a few minutes.

"Yes! I knew you had the hots for me!" Link cheered.

"What did you say?" Tetra asked.

"Uh... Nothing?" Link replied, looking the other way.

The postman nodded, satisfied, "Well, anyway, I need to discuss some things with all of you." he said. "First of all, you should go to the Forsaken Fortress. That is where the foul bird makes its nest. Link, your sister is not the only one who has been captured by the beast. Many other pointy eared girls have been taken too," Tetra and Link nodded.

Gonzo, who had been watching the scene all along, just stood there admiring Link.

"So long," said the postman, bowing and flying away, "I need to go back home and finish baking my muffins!"

"Ok..." Link said.

Tetra turned to face Link, "Well, go say goodbye to your family and friends. I don't want you whining and complaining on my boat!" Tetra growled, "And you'll need some sort of defense!"

Link obeyed.

"Oh, and Link?" Tetra asked.

"Yeah?"

Tetra punched him in the stomach.

"HEY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Link exclaimed.

"It was for a dramatic effect," Tetra said with a shrug.

Link hurried away from Tetra as quickly as possible to his destination.

Along the way he said goodbye to his friends and neighbors. Then he arrived at his home, and his thoughts wandered to the family shield hanging on the wall.

He opened the door and walked inside, planning to retrieve the shield, bid his grandmother goodbye, and be out as quickly as possible.

He climbed the ladder to the second floor and gasped.

The shield was gone!

Link climbed back down the ladder, only to find his grandma waiting for him. Grandma was clutching the shield in her arms!

She smiled weakly at him, and handed it to him, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Link slowly took it from her.

Grandma slowly began to cry. "How could anyone kidnap such a sweet girl?" Grandma cried.

Tears stung Link's eyes. "I-I don't know..." He managed to choke out.

He felt as though he would never forgive himself for how he had treated Aryll... And she was just trying to be nice to him! Link hated himself for that.

How could I have been so stupid? Link thought angrily to himself.

Link and his grandmother hugged, and Link left the house without looking back.

"Wow, that was overly dramatic," he said to himself.

He walked back to Tetra, frowning.

Tetra eyed him suspiciously.

"What's up with you?" she asked, brow raised.

"Nothing..." Link replied, looking at the ground next to her and wiping his eyes.

He felt guilty, as if he was responsible for Aryll's capture.

More drama.

Tetra's eyes fell upon the shield.

"You're going to defend yourself with an old piece of shit like that" She asked, a little surprised.

Link glared at her.

"YES!" He was determind now, "I am going to defend myself with a piece of shi-hey! You can't say that about my family shield!"

Tetra glared back at him.

"Fine," she spat stiffly, and the two kids and Gonzo, who was walking behind Link and admiring the view, marched to the ship.

There were five other pirates aboard the ship.

"This is your crew?" Link said, thoroughly amused at the small crew, "You only have six pirates to do your shit? Honestly, what kind of pirate are you!"

Tetra glared at him, her eyes aflame, "A better one than you'd ever be!"

"Fool! How dare you talk that way to your superior!" Link declared.

"SUPERIOR?" Tetra yelled.

"You got that right!"

Tetra pushed Link to the ground, and all the pirates began to watch, "Look kid, when you're on my boat I am your superior! And if you have a problem with that, then you can just consult my dagger! Got it?"

Link nodded slowly. He was now afraid of Tetra.

"GOT IT?"

Link jumped, "Yes, I get it, I get it!"

"Good," Tetra said coolly, "Now you can go down to the lower deck to see Niko, my lackey!"

Link hurried down some stairs to find Niko.