Okay…I couldn't make you wait too long…unfortunately; this will be my last update for a while most likely…unless I get a hold on a computer before we find a house and stuff. Moving day! Virginia, here I come…shrug Oh well…I'm not going to have computer access for like a month, so excuse me if I don't update in a while, but please keep posted. I am NOT going to leave this story on hold, I swear. I will update as soon as I can. To keep you from having a nervous breakdown, it's an extra long chapter…

Chapter 7

(A pirate's life for me?)

Zelda's eyes fluttered open. She gazed around the cabin groggily, trying to remember what events had taken place last night. "Oh…that's right," she stated. She had fallen asleep in the captain's quarters...Captain Link. She yawned, and stretched a bit. The captain was gone. She slipped on some clothes she found nearby, presuming that they had been left out for her. She wrinkled her nose a bit as she looked in the mirror at her reflection.

The girl that stared back at her was someone she didn't know. The tiny pair of pants on her barely covered her thighs, and the torn up shirt was hanging in pieces in the back. She grimaced slightly. "Just wonderful. Now I'm a piece of sea scum." She frowned as she spoke to herself. She swung open the door, and the bright rays of sunshine temporarily blinded her. She blinked a few times, opening her eyes to find a few pirates staring at her.

"Well, look who's finally awake!" an angry voice called. She glanced up to see the captain in the tall tower towards the middle of the boat. She began to wonder why it was there. Before she could reply, Link had grabbed a rope, and slid down the side of the mast, landing in front of her. "No one sleeps in on this ship!" he barked. "Now, report to Sheik, and he will direct you to your first duty." He turned to leave. She really did look like a pirate.

"Hold on a minute!" she returned the cross attitude. "You can't tell me what to do!" she retorted angrily. "I will not report to anyone! I may be part of your "crew" but I won't be ordered around!" She pursed her lips, watching him stop with a certain satisfactory feeling in her gut.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear…" Link whirled around, and pinned her to the mast, grinding her back into the wood just a bit. "As long as you are on my ship, you will obey my commands, whether you like it or not!" He put his face right next to hers, so his piercing blue irises glared into hers. "Am I understood?" he spat out, moving back a little.

Zelda gulped a little. "Yes… yes, Link." She stammered, gulping a large lump down in her throat. Everyone on the ship froze. No one had ever referred to the captain as such. Half of the crew hadn't even known the captain's real name.

"What was that!" Link demanded, facing her once again. "You will address me as captain or sir! Never call me by my name!" he ordered, grinding her shoulder into the wood with full force.

Zelda was shocked and stunned. Why not? What was wrong with his name? She was brought back from her thoughts by the feeling of the wood grinding against her bone, and the pain that shot up her arm. "Yes, sir!" she blurted out, almost to the brink of tears. Her tender shoulder was not used to any rough treatment and the shock of something hurting her made her obedient.

"Good," Link stated, turned on his heel and heading for the crow's nest. Her thought drifted back to a week ago. Her father had hated for her to accompany him on his deliveries. She had barely gotten to go that time. It was a celebration present…for her birthday. She began to feel a lump form in her throat. If only he were still alive.

"Well, good morning!" a cheery voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Sheik was standing in front of her. "I figured you wouldn't know where to find me, so I set out to find you. It wasn't very hard. You stick out like a goldfish in a shark pond," he stated, smiling a bit. Zelda returned the smile reluctantly.

"Is it really that bad?" she asked, feeling a little down and depressed, not to mention a bit dizzy. Sheik watched her expressions, and her face paled a bit.

"Uh oh…" he murmured quietly. "Are you feeling alright?" She was starting to look a little green and gagged a bit. Sheik's eyes widened and he grabbed her arm, pulling her to the side of the ship. In a few minutes, Zelda lifted her limp form off of the side of the ship. She groaned, and held her stomach.

"So much for…" she had to pause and lean over the ship, emptying her stomach of any contents it had left. "For...me being a pirate," she stated, smiling weakly. Some of the pirates began to laugh at her, but a stern glare from Sheik silenced them immediately.

"You'll get used to it. It only takes a day or two." He rubbed her back gently, feeling a little awkward as he did. Zelda smiled, and turned around.

"That felt wonderful…the rubbing. I feel better now, even if I'm kind of hungry." She felt her stomach rumble, although she wasn't sure if she should eat.

"Maybe you should wait until dinner tonight. Then you can eat. Better play it safe…" he mumbled, staring at her. He was thankful that she couldn't see anything but his eyes and a bit of his blonde hair. "Come here, I want to show you the first of your jobs on the White Wolfos." He motioned for her to follow him. He led her to the front of the ship. A pirate turned to look at Sheik and Zelda.

"Sheik, who's this?" The man stood up. He was a huge pirate, very burly and muscular. He wore a simple shirt, and Zelda realized where she had seen him before. He was with that other pirate when they had cornered her. She looked afraid and shy.

"This is Zelda, the new pirate," he stated, smiling beneath his covering. "The captain told me to have her report to you for her breaking in," he chuckled softly. "Be gentle with her, won't you?" He left the two alone; he had too much work to do that day.

Zelda gulped, and looked up at the pirate with fear in her eyes. He returned her look with a smile. She gasped inwardly. His teeth were horrible! They were almost a solid brown…she wrinkled her nose. He stopped smiling. "I know…" He admitted. "The teeth are brown. But that's how everyone is around here. We don't care what we look like." Zelda cocked her head a little. "Oh, look at me." He sighed. "Rambling on when I need to tell you about the job…Alright." He faced her. "My name is Dondollo."

Zelda frowned. "I know who you are," she spoke in a cold tone.

Dondollo winced. "Sorry about that one night, mate, it's just been a long time since we've seen any women, and well, we get restless. There are more than a handful of scurvy dogs on this ship, I assure you!" He gestured. "But you know I'm not here to teach you about the ship…that's someone else's job. I'm here to introduce you to my friends, mop and bucket." He threw them at her. "The captain wants the deck scrubbed spotless before the end of the week…you'd better get started." He smiled wryly, making fun of her. "When you're done, report back to me for your next assignment."

Zelda's mouth dropped open in shock. They thought she was going to scrub for them? Did they think she couldn't do it? Well, she would show them a thing or two! She mopped and rubbed, putting all her effort into it. She soon saw that it was not as easy as the servants at her old home had made it look. By the time she finished scrubbing, polishing, and generally cleaning the deck; her hands were wrinkled and blistered. She strolled up proudly to Dondollo. "Finished!" she stated, overflowing with pride.

Donodollo laughed heartily. "No you aren't, mate!" he pointed towards the rest of the ship. "You've barely begun!" he stated, slapping her on the back in a friendly gesture. "Get going! You've got a lot of work to do!" Zelda gaped in exasperation. The captain wanted her to do the entire ship? She sighed loudly, and began working, all her pride gone.

Link watched her out of the corner of his eye. He saw her wince, and pull her hand back. A bit of red dripped onto the deck from her dainty hand. Sheik approached his captain. "You know, there's only one who has ever completed the whole thing before dark, but she is getting close."

Link didn't look at Sheik and spoke softly. "I know that. I'm not blind." He stared at her with amusement in his eyes. "She will make a good pirate."

"Just like someone else did…she's almost finished." Sheik was surprised. Sure enough, as soon as he had finished speaking, Zelda had stood up and gone looking for Dondollo. Link watched as Dondollo pointed Zelda in her next direction. He leaned against the crow's nest; somehow he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sheik, go and take control of the helm. Steer us north. I have a feeling there's plunder ahead." He shut his eyes, resting. Sheik obeyed, relieving Kinru of his duties. The next thing Zelda knew, she was facing a young man just a few years older than Link himself.

"So…you're sent to me, eh?" Kinru asked, surveying Zelda as if she were a slave on the market. "I suppose I can show you a few things about tying ropes, they are my specialty you know." He led her over to the edge of the boat, holding up a rope. "Now, watch and repeat." He ordered. Zelda only partly watched; she didn't even catch half of the things he did. He handed the rope to her after undoing the amazing slipknot. "Your turn," he stated.

Zelda tried, she really did. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to tie a knot, much less a slipknot. When she ended up tangling her own fingers, she held up her hands sheepishly. "Umm…tada?" she lamely stated. Kinru sighed.

"No." He untied her fingers. "Do it again," he ordered. Zelda spent the rest of that day memorizing how to tie all sorts of knots and bows with rope. By the end of the lesson, her hands were rubbed raw and several fingers were bleeding. Her nails were broken and chipped off. She stifled a few tears. Kinru noticed. "None of that blubbering, mate. Don't you worry. Your hands will be thick as a clam shell in a few days." He smiled, patting her on the back. "Well, you'd better report to your next lesson then!"

Zelda wandered the deck, before meeting with her final lesson that day, because it was almost time for the captain's dinner and she couldn't be taught anything in the dark. She was thankful it was the last lesson. At first she couldn't see her teacher, but she knew who it was. "Sheik!" she squealed. She knew he would be gentle and patient. He stepped out of the shadows.

"Hello, Zelda, ready for your lesson?" he asked, leading her down into the kitchen once more. "It's time I taught you just how to cook!" He grinned. "Now, take another fish. Let's do this right and make the captain pleased." Zelda was nervous, but agreed. Sheik took the time before letting her cook to wash her hands and bandage them up. He held up his own hands, which were covered with nicks and scars. "See? That's why I wear bandages and such." He walked over to the chest where the fish were kept. He tossed her a knife. "Kill one," he stated, watching her.

"Alright," she shakily replied. She chose one, and plunged the knife into it repeatedly, after about the tenth time it stopped thrashing. She held it out of the water as it dripped on the floor. Quickly, she transferred it to the cutting board. "How was that?" she asked with pride.

"Good, if you're trying to make sushi!" he laughed. "Next time, try to stab it once!" he helped her with the knife and spices, telling her what to add and when to add it. She found she was actually enjoying his company. Her heart swelled when she served the captain his dinner that night.

Link lifted the fish to his lips, very hesitant. He cautiously took a bite, and chewed. It was quite good! He even turned his head to nod at her. "Not bad," he stated, although it was the best thing he had to eat in months. She smiled at him, her heart warming towards him just a tiny bit. The stiffness in her shoulder quickly made her annoyed with him. Link noticed her smile. For just a brief moment, he could have sworn that his heart stopped.

Zelda escaped from the galley as soon as she could. She knew almost half of the crew now. It helped to ease her pain just a bit. In a way, although she hated to mention it, there was a kind of comfort in their presence. She sat on a crate next to the starboard side of the ship. Sheik had also taught her a few ship terms while she cooked. He had taught her the words helm, aft, crow's nest, and quite a few more. She breathed in the quiet cool air of the night, flexing her tired hands painfully. She heard footsteps coming her way and smiled, closing her eyes. "Sheik, I think the captain liked his food. Thanks for helping."

A familiar voice caused her blood to run cold. "It's not Sheik." She whirled around to find herself staring into the captain's steel ice blue irises. "I was wondering why it seemed to taste so good tonight." He calmly spoke. "And I said it wasn't bad. I didn't say it was good." He stared at her.

"What do you want?" she asked, not it a rude tone but one that wanted him to state his business and leave her alone. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, not looking at him anymore. She couldn't stand it. He was so mean.

"You never did a lesson with me," he stated quietly. "It's my turn to teach you something." Zelda winced visibly. What did he want to teach her? Whatever it was it must be painful.

"What do you want to teach me?" she asked angrily. She stared at the sky. "How to kill women and children?" She stopped herself. That might be going to far…even he didn't deserve that…at least not yet.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" he asked softly, sitting beside her. Zelda was puzzled.

"What?" she asked, bewildered at his sudden change of attitude.

"The stars," he stated in an almost non violent voice. "Sometimes I come out here just to gaze at them all night." Zelda felt her anger melting away. "This is my lesson." He stated, pointing. "You see, when we're out here all alone, we use the stars to guide us. That and a compass." He pulled an old rusty compass out of his clothes pocket. "Now…that star right there, the North Star, or Polaris. That's our current guide." He put the compass away.

"That one?" Zelda pointed to a bright star in the distance. "Is that the North Star?" At that moment, a sudden heave from the ship caused her pointing hand to falter.

"No. That's the moon." Link stated, having to keep a chuckle down. Zelda frowned.

"I didn't mean to point at the moon…I was pointing at that one." Link shook his head. Zelda continued pointing, refusing Link's help to find the star, until he finally lost his patience, grabbing her arm with his and holding her hand with his hand. He directed her towards it, pulling her hand close to where he was pointing.

"That one! Right there! That's the North Star!" It took him a second, but he realized what he was doing, and immediately let go of her, turning just a very light shade of pink.

Zelda didn't notice, and stood up in a huff. "I'm going to bed!" she announced, and turned on her heel, storming towards his quarters.

"Are they hurt?" a whisper reached her sensitive ears. She turned around, confused. She had never heard him whisper like that before.

"Are what hurt?" she looked at him. For just a moment, he looked so sad and desperate. She almost felt her heart reaching out to him.

"Your hands. Do they hurt?" he asked, his soft eyes piercing into her soul. "You worked hard." Zelda blushed visibly, quickly trying to hide it.

"I'm fine." She hid her face for a moment. Thankfully, Link did not notice her blush. He nodded, gesturing towards his quarters, where food was set out for her.

"You may go." Zelda returned the nod, and hurriedly left his presence, eating the food in his room as if she had never eaten before. She fell asleep almost immediately in her bed he had prepared. A full stomach always helped one to sleep.

Link stared at the stars. His heart began to break again, just like it did the first time he saw her. He just never let anyone know…the hurt. He clutched at his chest, stifling a few tears. "I can't…I can't go through it again!" he thought. Each time his heart beat; it sent a shockwave of memories through his body. Those memories were slowly killing him. The girl did not help. He just wouldn't look at her. Yet, he had to admit it. It was strange that for the first time in years, he had no nightmares. He fell to the ground, the turmoil and agony building in his soul. He began to black out; the last thing he saw before he entered the realm of unconsciousness was his ring. He remembered…

Sheik approached his captain, and picked him up using all his strength. He set the captain on his bed, being careful not to wake Zelda. "Captain…" he stated, as Link awoke from the brief blackout. "you can't keep doing this to yourself."

Link opened his eyes, and replied to Sheik. "Get out. When I want your opinion I will ask you for it." Sheik was hurt, but didn't show it. He shut the door behind him.

"As you wish…captain." Now it was Link's turn to wince. He had just hurt his friend. He knew it. He sighed, and drifted into a long troubled sleep, playing with his ring.

Okies! Here's the next chapter! And holy…wow! A lot of reviews! Thanks for everything! swims in my reviews Keep them coming! Hee hee! "Well" is my new teaser for replies!

Sweet-saphine: Hello hello hello there new reviewer! (gives you basket of pretty flowers) yes, the story was first inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean, although the plot is nothing like the movie…as for the woman…keep being perplexed. winks

The Hylian: Wow…what a compliment. I'm picked up five feet off the ground! Thanks so much…yes, I am aware of Harry Potter, although I do not read the books, I do watch the movies. And I know what you mean about starting out so so…but then exploding into wonder! Lol…

Sapphirethewindwolf: Yes, Garian is a sly one…and I am not obligated to say what he is planning…gulps because he has me pinned with a knife Um…next question?

Zekoi: You may review as you wish! It's fine that you didn't review the last chapter! And yes, Link does get upset very easily…hmph. Why, you ask? Well…

Revan297: Yes, the move is annoying…thanks for the luck. His love die? What do you mean? But do you know? Well…

Opiafire: Thanks! I'm so glad you feel that way. It's getting hard to update, especially with the move and school and such. Yes, well…thanks for the encouragement. You're so nice.

ChipsDipamy: Thanks! I am so glad you like it! I will try!

Huanir: Thanks! I am so pleased with your comments! You are right in a way. There's so much more…Well…

damarshmellow: Thank you, thank you…bows I did my best!

Krazieshadowninja: Wow! You sure did update fast! And wow, what a story…yes! I know the cheeseburger song! Yay! Let's sing it together…ready?

blondie91: Hee hee! Thanks! I tried…hope the length makes up for it! I tried to make it long!

AnimedemonNayorin: No problem! Glad you like them! I am happy you like the story! It makes me so relived when I find out my stories are appreciated and looked forward too! I hope it continues to make you happy! .

Nonnahs: Updated for you! Hee hee! Um…lots of places to visit! Yes, I was near. Go and see Sixflags if you can! Lol. That's where I would go! Unless you went already.

Silverpistola: Wow! Another new reviewer! hugs I'm so happy that I am overflowing with joy! Or it could be that pizza I ate…hmmm….lol. (gives you a gift basket full of cookies) Here you go!

Goldensungeek: Thanks for that! I needed to know…it was bugging me.

ChipsdipMiya: You'll beat her someday! But thanks for the compliment, and as for your question…Well…(Just love doing that! .)

RayxJade: Cool! I can't wait for the updates! I love your cute little stories! They are so…..cute! Hee hee! Oh, and it is FAR from being completed, trust me….

EwanLover71690: Wow…weird, yet cool. Thanks. Oh! And have a gift basket! (gives you basket of random things!)

FutureJ: Hee hee! Thank you…hugs very happily . I hope you like the rest of my story too! I think it will be very interesting!

Cloakedfigure: Okay, here's your update! Thank you for the review and compliments! (gives you a gift basket of stuffed animals) Here you go! Oh, and now that's what? Four new people! Wow!

Moonbeam: She's eaten, don't worry. I wouldn't starve her…I just didn't put it in until this chapter. Did you know the game has been postponed? Well it has! At least I am almost sure. And it won't be coming out until March…sigh…oh well. I'll wait till I get the real information. Thanks for the review, and as for your questions, all I will say is Well…

Okay, that's it. Time for the move! Wish me luck, I'll update soon! Bye bye! winks and disappears