Chapter 30

Together, they made short work of the redead in their path as they fled the tower and made for Kadath's derelict harbor. In a matter of an hour they were scouring the old boats, looking for one small enough and in good enough condition to be sailed by their meager crew. Eventually, they found an ancient schooner, about the size of a fishing boat, which still seemed seaworthy. Its sleek body was shaped from some unfamiliar alloy, and it shined with the reflection of sunlight on the cerulean waters of the harbor.

Near the wheel was a cluster of levers, which looked to Link and Zelda like some indecipherable puzzle, but Scarlett seemed to understand their function. She explained that modern airship designs used similar technology, as she shifted on the shiny metal lever, causing the sail to spring to life. The gossamer sheet of glowing light which erupted from the mast immediately reminded Link of the strange sailing ships he'd seen in Kadath's harbor in the dream world. Up closer, he could see that the sail was not made of light, as it appeared, but rather some sparkling cloth, which Scarlett informed them was made of a very fine and lightweight metal, which reacted to sunlight, causing the marvelous shimmer.

They made haste to set sail, eager to put the black tower of Kadath behind them. Zelda and Link watched together from the stern of the boat as Kadath's coast shrank into the distance. The cool, saltwater air was invigorating, and they all felt a pleasant relief as the necropolis grew further and further away.

Zelda was not sure how to react to Scarlett's sudden reappearance among them. The Captain hadn't so much as mentioned how she had survived the treacherous plummet through the Gorgoru caverns. The topic had only come up between her and Zelda once, while on the way down the black tower.

"Thank ye for keeping my sword safe," said Scarlett, somewhat coldly, to Zelda, "I'll be taking it back now, if'n you don't mind. And my belt, too."

Zelda felt her cheeks flush red. She had not remembered the weapon, dangling at her hip. She wordlessly undid the belt clasp and passed Scarlett her effects. The pirate wrapped the belt around her exposed midriff, not bothering to close her coat over her ruined shirt.

"Scarlett," said Zelda, to which the pirate turned and regarded her with crimson eye, "We all saw you fall. How can you be here right now?"

"That pleased to see me, eh?" Scarlett chuckled, darkly, "Well, I'm quite sorry to disappoint ye, but I ain't dead yet, princess. You'll have to wait a while longer to play leader, at least where my crew is concerned."

"No, that's not what I meant," said Zelda, trying not to be annoyed with the pirate. She had gone so far as to earnestly grieve for Scarlett's loss, but now that the pirate was back and her attitude was as coarse as ever, Zelda couldn't recall why she had missed her in the first place, "I'm just shocked to see you, here of all places, and in one piece. You fell into the pit of a cave and ended up on the top of a tower. It seems impossible."

"Well," said Scarlett, placing her hands on her hips, and staring off at nothing particular, "My mother once told me, 'Only fools die with unfinished business.' And I'm no fool, princess."

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Link had peeked his head up from the spiral staircase, "Come on, we don't want to lose you guys in here."

Scarlett walked away after that, and nothing more was said about the subject. She wondered why the pirates hadn't shown any curiosity. Perhaps they knew their captain would tell them what had really happened in private, later on? Or maybe they weren't worried about the how of it. Maybe they were just relieved to have Scarlett back.

She had to concede, she was happy to see Gwen back to her normal self, and Scarlett was a great ally to have if things got dicey. However, Zelda had grown from her experiences in Kadath, and she was reluctant to so easily relinquish the mantle she had taken up in Scarlett's absence. Perhaps she couldn't be leader to the pirates, but neither was she going to resign herself to the same complacency she had adopted previously. She had had a taste of what it was to be assertive, to be powerful, like Scarlett or her father, and she wanted to hang on to that. It was her duty, she felt, as a princess of Hyrule, to take action. No more would she be blindly led.

This brought her to the matter of the shards… Once Link had recovered, and he and Zelda had their moment of celebration, Scarlett had brought up the treasure. The boy sprang to his feet, and began to frantically dig through the pile of ancient bones atop the strange silver throne, until he made an 'aha!' sound and lifted his prize high above his head in triumph. In his flat palms were the shard of the treasure, and the little orb of the Sleepstone, which he slipped into his pocket almost immediately.

That made four shards. They were two from completing the treasure. So close, yet still so far away…

"I think we need to talk," said Zelda to Scarlett as they stood upon the deck of the little boat.

"Oh, do ye?" said the pirate, staring down her nose at the princess, "And what, pray tell, is it that ye think we need to talk about?"

"The treasure," said Zelda, "It is almost complete, and I think you know as well as I do what it is we may be dealing with. It needs to be out on the table. No more secrets. We sit down, as a group, and discuss it."

"Listen up, little princess," scoffed Scarlett, "Just because I disappear for a few hours and you grow a little bold doesn't mean you have the right to go barking orders. I am the leader of this crew, and you are just a child, which means what I say still goes around here."

"I agree with Zelda," said Link, appearing suddenly at the princess' side, "We are all risking our lives for this thing. I think we deserve to know what it is."

"Who asked you, boy?" said Scarlett, her eye narrowing in annoyance.

"Look, Scarlett," said Zelda, her voice growing suddenly fierce and commanding, "This game is over. You need us, and we know it. So, either give us something to go on, or you can forget about our cooperation. You may have managed to bully us before, which I am sure made you feel very tough, talking down your nose to children, but I will not tolerate that any longer. Like it or not, we are partners, and if you want our help then you will treat us as equals."

The pirate looked floored. For a moment, seething anger burned in her red eye, but it did not last. Eventually, she broke out into a toothy grin, clapping her hands together and saying,

"Oh, it's like that? Well, forgive me; I didn't realize you'd grown such a pair of stones since last we met, Your Majesty. Perhaps you won't be so damned useless anymore. Okay, fine, let's go below deck and we'll hash the whole thing out."

Zelda fumed at Scarlett's frivolous attitude, but she kept her mouth shut. At least she was getting what she wanted.

Moments later, the group of them were huddled around an ancient and dust-covered table, one of the few pieces of furniture which survived in the belly of the old vessel. The interior of the ship was dark and empty, and they had to light Zig's traveling lantern in order to see, but Scarlett would not remove the treasure from her pouch unless they were out of the open air.

Upon the table, on a sheet of cloth which Scarlett kept the shards wrapped up in, the four pieces of the blade were laid out side-by-side, forming the tip and most of the length of a shining long sword. Black runes were carved in its blade, but other than that the thing looked pristine, as though it had never been touched by age, dust or tarnish.

"Those runes are seals of the Seven Sages," said Scarlett, "They were engraved on the blade when it was split asunder. The magic took a terrible toll on the casters. Legend has it; the sages who sealed these shards away gave their lives to engrave those runes. In them lies magic more powerful than any of us can properly imagine."

"I do not believe it," said Zelda, her eyes wide, "I half suspected, but I never actually believed it."

"Believe it princess," said Scarlett, absently chewing on a hangnail, "It's the genuine article."

"What?" said Link, looking around as though someone had just postulated some incalculable math problem, and he was the only one who didn't know the answer, "It just looks like a sword to me. What's the big deal?"

"It's a sword, but far from just a sword," Zig was leaning against the wall behind Scarlett, his arms crossed, his eyes stoically shut. They slid open, locking on the fragments of blade splayed out before them. He took one step forward so that the light of the lantern better illuminated his face.

"These are the shards of none other than the legendary Master Sword," continued the pirate, "It is the Blade of Evil's Bane, the sacred sword of Hyrule, gifted by Hylia herself to the First Hero, and wielded by Hylia's chosen time and again against the forces of darkness. It is the single most powerful relic known in our world, and a symbol of Hylia's love for her people."

"The Master Sword…" Link's eyes sparkled as he regarded the thing. He wasn't sure why, but the name made a thrill run up his spine, like suddenly hearing from a long-lost friend. He reached out to touch the thing, but Scarlett immediately swept it up into the bundled cloth and stowed it in her belt pouch.

"Aye, so there ye have it, the Master Sword," said Scarlett, "But we are still missing two more shards."

"That is not all," said Zelda. Attention snapped to the princess, and she blushed hotly, instantly regretting opening her mouth. "I mean… I mean to say…"

"Don't bother yourself princess, you haven't spoiled any chances of pulling one over on me," said Scarlett, "Four plus two makes six, but there were seven sages, weren't there? Well, the Sage of Time diverged a little from the formula. The final piece of the sword, the hilt, rests in the Temple of Time, within the walls of Hyrule castle, as it has for an age. Kings of Hyrule swear an oath upon it during coronation, every Shiekah knows this."

"Hyrule Castle!" exclaimed Link, "But if the hilt of the sword is in Hyrule Castle, then why didn't you take it when you rescued Zelda and I?"

"Simple," said Scarlett, "I didn't know I was dealing with the Master Sword until we recovered the first shard from the Temple of Life, but even if I had I'm not sure we could have gotten both it and Zelda without being captured by Nyarlath ourselves. No matter. Once we have assembled the rest of the treasure, all that we need is to reunite it with the hilt and it will be whole. Nyarlath won't dare to stand against this sword. It suffers no evil to touch it. It will be poison to him."

"If the sword is so powerful then why did the Sages split it up in the first place?" Link wondered aloud, "It seems like a lot of trouble to go to, especially if the whole point of the sword is to stop evil. How are we supposed to stop anything evil if the sword is all broken?"

"It was prophesized at the beginning of this age that the sword would be corrupted by evil, and that a great peril would be unleashed upon Hyrule in its wake," said Scarlett, "The Sages split the sword into shards and sealed them away in the temples in order to prevent that from happening."

"It didn't do much good," said Link, "Nyarlath is managing to do plenty of evil all on his own. How do we know that he won't corrupt the sword and make the prophecy come true?"

"We must not let that happen," said Zelda, "But, I see no other choice than to use the sword. None of us stands a chance against Nyarlath without it, and we cannot leave Hyrule in the hands of that maniac. It is a risk we must take, or all that is good is lost anyway."

"Yeah, well, that's all warm and fuzzy for you, I'm sure," said Scarlett, "My reasons for seeking the blade are my own. I'll worry about Hyrule after I've got what I want."

"Scarlett," said Zelda, sadly, "I wish you would reconsider this. Nyarlath must be stopped. If he is allowed to go on as he has been, then the whole world is in danger, and what you want will not matter anymore."

"I'm weary of this discussion," said Scarlett, turning away and heading for the ramp leading to the deck above, "You asked that I lay my cards on the table, and so I have done. I won't waste anymore breath arguing points which can't be reconciled. Now, I don't know about the rest of ye, but I am very tired, and it is a few days steady sailing to reach the islands where the Temple of Fate awaits us. Ms. Gwendolin, see to it that the children get some rest."

"Captain!" said Gwen, saluting dutifully as Scarlett left them.

"A great peril will be unleashed upon Hyrule…" murmured Link. Zelda saw the worried look on his face, and gently grasped his hand in hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"It's just…" the boy paused for a moment, looking as though he were trying to find the words, "The thing inside the Temple of the Soul… Nyarlathotep was what it called itself… it said that I was supposed to release it. It said that it would come back one day, and consume all of Hyrule. I just wonder, did I make a mistake?"

"You must not worry about that, Link," said Zelda, sweetly, "That awful place was poison to the mind. I can scarcely believe all of the horrors you endured within that temple, and it seems to me that those dark entities would have said anything in order to scare you. That place is behind us, and the world is still here. If this Nyarlathotep is so powerful then where is he? If he is to consume us, then why has he not yet done so?"

"I guess," said Link, "It just gives me this sick feeling when I think about it. Like I betrayed someone. And why does Nyarlath use that thing's name? Who is he really? That creepy Bard told me that Nyarlath was just part of Nyarlathotep, like some kind of shadow… what if the real Nyarlathotep is still out there, and we are focusing on the wrong one?"

"Nyarlath probably took the creature's name because he knew that people were afraid of it," said Zelda, "Did not you say that the creature seemed to have some kind of command over the Dreamworld? Perhaps Nyarlath was enamored with that power, and so renamed himself after the monster trapped in Kadath."

"If you really think so," Said Link, "But then who is Nyarlath, really? Why does he want to do so much to hurt everyone?"

"Okay, little bugs," said Gwen, "That's enough. Time to get to bed. We have a hard day of sailing this boat ahead of us, and we need to keep our strength up. Zig and I found some burlap and rags in the cargo hold that we can use as blankets… not the most comfortable, but better than a cold jail cell."

"Alright," said Zelda, demurely, "But Gwen, there is just one other thing I wanted to know."

"What's that?" replied Gwendolin, smiling brightly.

"When we first found Link and Scarlett you called her Eva. Why?"

Gwendolin's expression immediately hardened, and she cast her eyes away from Zelda as she said, "Look, don't worry about that. Someday, when this is all behind us, I will tell you more, but right now it's better if I don't. Trust me, okay?"

Zelda nodded, but she didn't really mean it. She pecked Link on the cheek and said goodnight, and they wrapped themselves in what meager coverings they had to go to sleep, but sleep did not come quickly for either of them. For an hour or so, they lay awake, listening to Gwen and Zig's soft breathing, and hearing the ocean lap the sides of the boat, wondering on all that had befallen, and what might lie in store at the next horizon.

The night was filled with nightmares.

Link was running down an endless corridor, his feet growing sluggish and useless, and he could see the shadow of the giant hand growing as it threatened to plummet down on him. Ravens fluttered and pecked at him, while Lysander was staring at him with hollow, dead eyes, and a maniac's grin. He cried for help, but none came. The world spun around him, till there were mountains under oceans and towers sprouting out of clouds. Somewhere vague and far away, he got the impression of shambling redead, and though he couldn't see them clearly he thought that they were wearing Zelda's clothes. Then Nyarlath's face appeared, and Lysander's, and they were cackling at him, while the Black Pharaoh watched with his endless, cosmic, judging eyes. Finally, a thousand bone-white hands leapt up from the ground and seized him by the legs, and dragged him down, down into a filthy pit, where chomping, bloodstained teeth were smiling at him from a wretched, lipless mouth.

He awoke, screaming. He hadn't even heard Zelda gasp. He looked around at her, and saw her cowering away from him by the dim sunlight filtering in from above deck.

"Link," said Zelda, carefully, "Are you okay?"

"Zelda! I'm sorry!" spouted the boy, "I was just having a really bad dream. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it is okay," said Zelda, her expression softening to one of earnest sympathy, "I did not mean to disturb you. I just wanted to let you know, it is morning time. We are dividing up some of the remaining rations… there is not much. Food will be scarce the next few days, unless we can catch some fish. Here, here is your share of the jerky."

She shoved the shriveled brown square of leathery meat at him. He took it and munched on it happily. He had not realized how hungry he was.

"Fishing?" asked Link, "I never tried to fish before. The water in Zora River back home was so gross; I don't think there were any fish! But don't we need like… poles and stuff?"

"I think Scarlett had something a little different in mind," said Zelda, rolling her eyes just a little bit, "It seems a little complicated to me, but it might be fun. Come above deck and have a look."

Moments later, they were on the deck of the ancient ship, and Link was thrilled to see how the world had changed in the few hours they had been sailing. A warm and beautiful sun shone out from between cottony strips of snow-white clouds, like marshmallows hovering in the sky. A warm, salty breeze swept across the deck, filling Link's nostrils with the briny cent of the open sea. And the sea! It was beautiful. Crystalline, tropical waters of purest blue, sparkling just like Zelda's shining eyes.

Scarlett was standing near the starboard side of the boat, her hand on her hips, watching like a hawk as Zig and Gwen hoisted the ropes which cradled a small, tarp-covered canoe over the side of the vessel. The nearly tropical heat of the day had warranted a change of apparel, and Zig was shirtless, his scarred and muscular chest exposed. For the first time, Link could see the place where the pirate's clockwork arm connected to his shoulder, and he found it slightly gruesome the way purple-blue veins seemed to spider-web away from the clamps which kept the apparatus in place. He tried not to stare at it.

Gwen had shed her jacket, and now wore a white, sleeveless undershirt, her pale arms exposed to the bright sunlight, and already beginning to turn pink. Their lengths were tattooed with cuts and scars. Indeed, it seemed that all of the pirates bore some grisly battle-damage in one form or another. It made Link wonder, for the very first time, how Scarlett had come to lose her eye, or how Gwen had received the slight, pink scar which ran the length of her cheek, or what sort of monster might have claimed from Zig an entire arm.

Scarlett had not bothered to shed her coat, which she still had not re-buttoned since opening it to tear a swath off of her undershirt to dress Link's wounds. Scarlett seemed so hardened, so unfeeling. Link could scarcely believe it when Zelda told him how Scarlett had reacted to being reunited with Gwen and Zig once again.

"She called her Eva!" Zelda had said, "And Scarlett did not even bat an eye. Gwen was in tears, you should have seen it, and that insufferable woman barely even acknowledged her."

"Maybe it's a nickname?" offered Link.

"What?" said Zelda.

"Eva," said Link, "Maybe it's a nickname."

"A nickname for what?" asked Zelda, her face reflecting her skepticism, "Scarlett Delahaye is her name, right? How is Eva a nickname for Scarlett?"

"I dunno," said Link, "There was a kid at the orphanage who everyone called Twiggy, but his real name was Mason."

"Link," said Zelda, giving the boy a bemused look, "Was this friend of yours very skinny, or particularly tall?"

"Well, we were all pretty skinny, but I guess he was a little bit taller than… oh, wait, I just got it," said Link, his face brightening with understanding. Then he frowned, "That's kinda mean though, isn't it?"

"Oh, Link," said Zelda, giggling, "You really aren't like other boys your age, are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Link, a defensive look crossing his face, but he didn't even have the time to be offended before she was kissing him.

No more had been said about Gwen's enigmatic new name for Scarlett, except for when Zelda had asked her directly, which had yielded no results. It was still quite curious though, how Gwendolin could show such raw emotion and be met with nothing but a cold shoulder from the captain. Was it just another symptom of Scarlett refusing to show her fears? Link had seen Scarlett show emotion though. He still hadn't forgotten that day in the wheelhouse, back when they were still on the Stalfos… how desperate Scarlett had looked when she took the Sleepstone from him, and how pitifully she had broken down when it had not worked. Seeing Scarlett now, he could barely believe he had ever seen her in such a state. It felt, as his life so often did of late, like a dream.

Now, Scarlett was back to her old self, dispensing orders as if she were a machine designed to do so.

"Keep that line taught, Mr. Zig. Steady Ms. Gwendolin! Looking good. Okay, now where are those two little squids," Scarlett turned around, and smiled devilishly at Link and Zelda, clapping her palms and rubbing them together enthusiastically, "There ya are, ya little bilge rats. I see that you're awake, Mr. Hero. Get enough rest? Never mind, it doesn't matter, either way we're going for a little ride."

"Are these canoes?" asked Link, approaching the little wooden boat, which Zig and Gwen were still holding aloft by the ropes and pulleys which cradled it.

"Good eye, boy. Canoes they are," said Scarlett, with a pleased grin, "Not just any canoes, either. These are Ainu fishing canoes. Take a gander!"

Scarlett grabbed the hem of the tarp which covered the little boat, wrenching it off with a flourish like a magician pulling a tablecloth out from under a dinner setting. The boat beneath was less impressive than Link had imagined it would be. It was a long, semi-cylindrical chunk of metal, with low sides and several shallow benches set into its interior. On mounting brackets on the side of the boat a set of oars were fastened, and below them long, silvery harpoons, their gleaming, serrated tips looking wicked and deadly as the sunlight glinted from them.

"It so happens that these waters are fraught with tuna, and that sounds a lot better to me than chewing on the same piece of jerky for the next week while we sail to the Kowla-Hina Islands," said Scarlett, "Unfortunately, the mechanism to lower the boats is inoperable, and I doubt the two of you would have the strength to hoist an empty boat, let alone one with any of us inside. Therefore, you two are gonna learn how to Ainu fish today!"

"What is Ainu fishing?" Link wondered aloud.

"See those harpoons?" asked Scarlett, to which the boy nodded. "Well," she went on, "Ainu fishermen use harpoons like these instead of a traditional line and lure. They skewer the fish right out of the water, and collect them in nets. All we have is burlap sacks, but we'll have to make due. At least whoever used to own this boat was nice enough to leave us the harpoons."

"Oh, I get it!" said Link, enthusiastically, "That sounds kinda fun! I can't wait to try!"

"Good, keep up that enthusiasm, boy," said Scarlett, "We may yet get to eat a hot meal tonight. Okay, so we have two boats. You and the young princess take the first one, and I'll be along in the second shortly. The canoes are attached to the boat by tethers, so Zig and Gwen will drag us along, and I'll keep an eye out for a school of fish near the surface using my spyglass. When we find one, I will signal Gwen, and Zig will bring the ship around to where we need to be. Then, the rest is up to our reflexes, so stay on yer toes!"

Link and Zelda climbed into the first boat, and the pirates lowered it to the sea with a splash. Zelda squeaked plaintively as a slosh of cool seawater dampened the hem of her tattered dress, soaking her toes through the top of her weathered leather boots. Link immediately seized one of the oars, and pushed them away from the larger boat. In seconds, they were streaming along behind, watching as the larger ship's keel cut the water.

At first, it was the most fun Link had had in as long as he could remember. The ocean breeze was perfect, the sun was perfect, and he and Zelda were laughing, together, under blue skies and over blue oceans. They giggled and splashed at one another as the canoe bobbed over the rolling ocean waves. For once since the outset of their journey, danger didn't seem to be looming over every horizon, and for just a moment it felt as though the world couldn't be any more perfect.

Time wore on the way it does, however, and after a few hours of drifting through the waves they still had not encountered any fish. The sun was beginning to beat down hot on them, and Zelda complained she could feel her arms beginning to burn. Some distance away, Scarlett was standing in the other canoe, endlessly scanning the horizon with her spyglass, turning about this way and that. They tried shouting at her to ask if they could head back and take a break, but the pirate either didn't hear them or had just decided to ignore them.

Every so often, Scarlett would lower her spyglass and signal to Gwen, who waited on the stern of the larger boat, with complicated hand gestures, and then the boat would turn and drag them in a new direction. Link wondered if she had seen anything or if they were just moving about at random. He was growing bored and frustrated by the seemingly endless wait, and was just about to start rowing back with or without Scarlett's permission, when the waters around the suddenly erupted.

At first it was just a splash here and there, but then the waters seemed to boil with countless flapping, silvery shapes. The school of fish was tussling about in a chaotic tumult, jumping here and there in the water. Link and Zelda leaned over the sides of the canoe, watching with renewed interest as the waters churned.

Link glanced over at Scarlett, and saw that she was already jabbing at the water with her harpoon. He crouched down in the boat and unlatched a harpoon of his own from its bracket, standing shakily on the bobbing canoe and pointing the tip of the thing down at the rolling water. He grunted with effort as he thrust the long, unwieldy pole-arm into the blue. He brought the tip back up, feeling tangible excitement as the silvery thing cam splashing from the water, but then he frowned with disappointment as he saw that the tip was still bare. He had missed.

He tried several more times, his patience escaping him with each attempt. Eventually, he was so frustrated by his inability to skewer one of the flapping creatures that he began rapidly jabbing in spot after spot, not coming close to catching one. His frantic movements threw him off-balance, and he fell on his butt in the bottom of the boat with a painful thud.

Zelda could not help but giggle.

"Well, why don't you try it?" said Link, feeling a little annoyed. Zelda stood and flattened the front of her tattered dress, then held out her hand to Link.

"Okay, fine," said the Princess, smiling at the boy. He gawked at her. He hadn't really expected her to do it. His mouth still agape, he handed the princess the harpoon.

She hefted it, feeling its weight. It was heavy! Heavier than Scarlett's sword, even. She wouldn't be daunted by that though. She had already made up her mind: when next they set foot in Hyrule, she would be as strong as any of them. She owed it to her people.

Zelda positioned herself, the tip of the harpoon hovering over the roiling water, and lined up her thrust just as she lined up her archery targets. Then, her arm snapped forward, thrusting the pole into the water. She nearly lost her balance, and Link had to grab her around the waist to keep her from tumbling over into the salty water, but when she brought the tip of the harpoon back around a shiny-scaled fish was flopping uselessly on the tip, its body skewered clean through like a sausage on a toothpick.

She looked around at Link, who beamed back at her,

"Wow!" said the boy.

They shared a laugh.

The afternoon wore on till rosy pink and gold streaked the Western sky, and finally they brought the boats back in with two sacks full of fresh, meaty tuna. Scarlett used Zig's lamp to heat the flat side of one of their sleek, metal oars, and they used the white-hot metal to sear the fish fillets. They gobbled up the meat greedily, even Zelda, who was not fond of seafood. It was marvelous just to have something freshly cooked, rather than the dried and flavorless food the Gorons had provided.

"This will do nicely," said Scarlett, happily, leaning back against the hull of the ship and regarding their haul of fish by the flickering light of Zig's lantern. "We can boil some seawater and use the salt to preserve what we have for at least a little while. Should be plenty to last us the week or so it will take to sail to Kowla-Hina."

"What is Kowla-Hina like?" asked Zelda, "I have heard the name, many years ago when studying Hylian geography, but there was little information available about the islands themselves. Have you been there, Scarlett?"

"I have, quite a few years ago," said Scarlett, "There are few places in Hylia that I have not been to, truth be told. Kowla-Hina is definitely as unique a local as they come, though. It is the home of one of the last Deku tribes known to practice the old ways, rather than skirting around Hylian civilizations like clumps of crabgrass. There was a time when we traded with their chief quite frequently, but recent years have seen that relationship dwindle. It's a long trip to make, and matters personal to the Shiekah have kept us from heading that way in quite some time. I hope they still recognize me, otherwise we might be in for a hostile reception."

"I used to deal with Deku Scrubs in the forest from time to time," said Link, "They were all pretty wild. Really hard to get a bead on what they're thinking with those eyes and that… mouth… snout… thing…"

"The Nehune are different than the Scrubs you would have run into around Castle Town," said Scarlett, waving her hand dismissively, "Hyrule is nothing but business scrubs and feral Deku. The Nehune are proud, cultured. They are warriors and artisans and skilled magicians. Not unlike the Shiekah, in many regards."

"I would like to know more about the Nehune," said Zelda.

"Me too!" chimed Link, "Like what do they eat? I tried to ask a Deku scrub once, but he just laughed and blew a snot-bubble at me."

"Sap bubble," replied Scarlett, chuckling a little, "Anyway, I'm sure you'd love to hear every detail, but we have a long trip ahead of us so there's no need to rush. It's getting late, and we should all be getting some rest. We'll talk more about the Nehune in the morning."

So they went to bed, and this time sleep came easier for Link. His mind was full of childish wonder about the Nehune, and for now the thought of tropical sands and blue, cloudless skies had pushed away the lingering darkness Kadath had left in his heart. That night, no nightmares came to greet him, though he was chased somewhat playfully through wooded forest halls by mischievous Deku scrubs, blowing bubbles and cackling merrily in the sprightly way they so often did in those long gone days of treehouses and late-night forest jaunts.