The hero, the broken, the saviour

Rufus and Shadow now know who stole Red – but when even Dragmire is afraid of their new adversary, what hope do our adventurers have? What is Shadow's plan and will they be successful? And why is the Shade so eager to get a hold on her magic?

Together: A cunning plan

The Shade smiled as he looked down at the green gem clasped in his palm. The expression held no warmth however, and his captive shivered at the sight. "So, great King, we meet again," the creature said, pocketing the stone and then idly swinging his sword. The King of Red Lions didn't dare to respond, and watched the shadowy man with wide-eyes. "Though I think this time the tables are very much in my favour." Suddenly, the monster lunged: Red closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal blow that would have severed his head from the prow, and ended his existence once and for all.

"Ah, no, that would be far too quick for you, Majesty. No…I would much rather watch you suffer." The Shade sheathed his weapon, and then leant on a nearby boulder, scanning the horizon, which was just beginning to lighten. "In a few hours, your little witch will be here, along with your new hero – a child, Majesty?" He shook his head and smirked. "When I have magic, it will be easy enough to kill those two – the pirate as well. And then you will come with me to hunt the Gerudo…"

His blazing eyes momentarily dulled, as he looked down at the sand underfoot. The King of Red Lions thought he saw something suspiciously like a tear splatter on the ground, but when the Shade looked up once more, his face was twisted in anger. "And when he lies dead in his own blood… That is when I will kill you…" The creature spat bitterly, and the globule clung to one of Red's horns. With that, the monster melted into the shadows and was gone.

"What in the-?" the world suddenly seemed to tumble sideways, and I felt a strong pair of arms catch me before I could fall very far. Waking up, I could see that it was still night, though a glow in the east told me that dawn was near. The arms lifted me up, and then propped me against the once-again closed cabin door. Shadow was crouched, ready to spring on the other side of the door, but she relaxed as soon as she realised that it was only Marie. "What by the Gods are you two doing sleeping out here in the cold?" Now that she mentioned it, I did feel rather cold – my breath was steaming in the air before me.

Shadow got to her feet, and I could hear her teeth chattering from where I sat. "We were planning our next move," she answered, hugging her arms around herself to try and get warm.

"Come on you two, get inside," the pirate ushered both of us inside, where the blazing range hit us with a wall of heat as soon as we stepped inside the door. Pins and needles erupted painfully all over my body, and I sank onto one end of the bed before my legs gave way. Shadow sat down next to me, her hand brushing against mine – it was ice cold. :If only I'd thought to offer to share the blanket!: I cursed to myself. "Now what on earth was so important that you couldn't wait until morning?" Marie demanded, clattering around in the cupboard, withdrawing a couple of pans, and a bag that proved to be stuffed with food when she opened it.

I looked at Shadow, who was briskly rubbing her hands together. She returned the glance, and then nodded, before answering for the both of us, "We know who took Red." The pans dropped to the floor with a clatter.

"Who?" the pirate breathed, whirling around, her one eye wide.

"The Shade," I told her simply, deciding that it was probably best to get the shock out of the way as soon as possible. Marie blanched, and one hand went absently to her throat as she slid down the opposite wall, and came to a stop on the floor at our feet.

"No."

"Yes," Shadow said. "But we have a plan." Marie looked horrified at the idea.

"You're not seriously thinking of trying to fight him are you?"

"Not exactly… Rufus managed to come up with a much better idea," she nudged me slightly, and I managed a half-hearted smile. As far as I was concerned, the pirate was probably right – we were mad. :But there's nothing else we can do!: "But we're going to need your help," the Sheikah continued. Marie stared at her blankly for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Of course… Of course, anything I can do, I will." Despite the quiver in her voice, the determination was evident on her face. "In fact…" she was suddenly back on her feet, and she squeezed past us to the pile of goods at the other end of the cabin. "Oh, where is it?" she grumbled, pulling aside layers of sailcloth and bundles of what looked like arrows, until she finally came across whatever it was she was looking for.

It was only as she carried the greatcoat back over that I realised what it was she was about to suggest. "Shadow," I hissed, holding my hands on my lap, with my thumbs and forefingers making the shape of a triangle. She started, and immediately dug into her pocket: she thrust the triangle into my hand, and I suddenly wondered if perhaps I should have asked her to give it back to Marie. :I just hope she isn't too angry… After all, I didn't really mean to take it – it was an accident!: It sounded silly even in my head, and sweat began to break out on my forehead.

"This is something that belonged to a very old friend of mine… Apparently, in the right hands, it can be very powerful: you might be able to use it to your advantage," she looked pointedly at Shadow, who had managed to school her face into a puzzled look. "I'm sure it was in one of these pockets – hang on, I'll just check this one." She turned the coat upside down, and I took my chance. As subtly as I could, I pushed the small golden triangle off of the end of the bed. It landed with a thud on the floor, and Marie scooped it up with a triumphant grin. "Aha, there we are!" Shadow patted me lightly on the shoulder, and I grinned guiltily behind my hand, pretending to cough.

"What's that?" I asked, hoping that I sounded as interested as I should be. Marie just held it out with a look that I imagined was the one she wore when she saw treasure.

"This, lad, is a piece of the Tri-Force of Wisdom." Next to me, Shadow leant forward, the picture of polite awe. I did so as well, wondering whether the shimmering woman I'd seen when I last looked into the triangle would appear again. However, when Shadow's fingers began to subconsciously reach to touch the Tri-Force shard, Marie quickly closed her fist around it. "Careful now… I think you'd be best getting your strength back before trying anything with this." The Sheikah's hand fell limply to her side, and she nodded her understanding.

"But what exactly are we going to 'try' with it?" I asked. "What do you think it will do?"

"Well, if I'm to be perfectly honest… I haven't the foggiest," she smiled hopelessly, and deposited the shining triangle on the shelf above the stove. "I've never had any skill for magic…but I reckon Shadow should take it along, just in case it proves useful. I know the person who had it before me put it to good use…" she trailed off with a distant look in her eyes, before shaking herself slightly and addressing us again. "First, I need to hear this plan of yours," the pirate prompted, walking past me and back to the pile of provisions. "And I think I have some things you two will both need in one of these bags." She carried on rummaging around a bit more: I waited patiently for her to find what it was she was looking for.

After a couple of minutes, she stood up, pink in the face, and swept her hair away from her forehead. "I think you'd best start telling me now – this could take a while."

"Oh…OK." I looked at Shadow, to find her taking a quick glance at the Tri-Force shard. Her eyes were narrowed, and the muscles in her arms tensed. "Shadow?" I tapped her on the shoulder and she immediately relaxed, and turned to smile at me.

"I'm all right," she assured me softly, before inclining her head to Marie. "Go on, it's your idea after all." She reached down and patted the hand I'd used to tap her shoulder, adding in an undertone, "And a very fine idea at that." I could feel the blush rising on my cheeks, and made a rather undignified squeaking sound when I tried to thank her for her compliment. :She actually thinks it's a good idea!: The fact that I'd managed to impress her made my fear ebb away for a moment, though it returned full-force when I began to lay out the plan for Marie.

As soon as the shining golden triangle left my possession, I wanted it back. I felt suddenly bereft, knowing that it was no longer mine, other than to borrow. My eyes were drawn to it, and I struggled against the temptation to just reach out and grab it. Echoes of Dragmire's promises of wisdom did nothing to help: when he returned into my mind, I scowled, wishing he would just leave me be.

/That's not very friendly now, is it pet?/

:I don't see that I have any particular reason to be friendly.:

/Well, that could easily be remedied,/ he purred, /and to think, all I wanted to say was that I've discovered the whereabouts of the rest of that delightful artefact you have there./

:What-: I blinked, unable to take the information in. :But, it's been lost for-:

/It's found now,/ he informed me nonchalantly,/courtesy of another pirate, would you believe? And what a gift it would make for a handsome creature such as yourself…/ And with that, he once again left, so that the clatters of Marie's search through the pile of supplies was the only sound left. After a while of this, I was starting to get agitated - knowing that Dragmire had found a way to potentially grant himself more power was doing little to soothe my nerves - and was relieved when Marie urged Rufus to get on with detailing the plan.

I encouraged him with reassurances that took little effort: his plan really was rather impressive, considering its inherent simplicity. Though, it did all hinge around my own magical abilities, and I was slightly worried that I mightn't be up to the task. :There's no point worrying about it. I'll just have to hope it works when the time comes.: Though I still couldn't believe that he'd managed to convince me that I should take him ashore with me – I supposed it made sense: I'd be able to defend him better than Marie could, but… I still had my misgivings about that.

At least I knew that Rufus had been right in his assumptions when Marie emerged from her search with a couple of bottles clasped in her hands. These she set on the side, before turning back to us with a frown on her face.

"This all sounds rather good, apart from the bit where you use me as bait," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the range, careful to avoid the slowly heating cooking rings. "What's to stop the monster from killing me as soon as he sees me?" Rufus and I exchanged looks, and I decided to answer truthfully.

"Nothing at all: we just have to hope that he'll keep his word. He seems to need my magic, so he'll follow rather than kill." :At least, I hope so…:

"And why, by the Gods, do I have to be wearing-" she gestured towards me with a look of plain distaste. "I mean, it's all right on someone like you, but me…I'm not exactly…" she trailed off and sighed heavily. "Is this the only plan we have?"

"Well, it's the only one we could come up with where all three of us might survive," Rufus said, rising to collect one of the bottles of green potion. "Here," he handed it to me.

"Thanks." I settled the glass container in my lap and watched the pirate's face as she slowly got herself used to the ideas Rufus had presented. Finally, the corner of her mouth turned up in a half-smile.

"Well, I suppose we'd best get started then, hadn't we? Breakfast?" And with that, she started to bustle around the cabin again, gathering together various foodstuffs in order to make a meal. Rufus got up to help her, and whilst the two of them were occupied, I quickly swivelled in order to face the wall, and downed the potion in one go. Immediately, I could feel it going to work, a warm, tingling sensation spreading outwards from my stomach to the very tips of my fingers and toes. The chill in my bones from sleeping outside subsided slightly, and I flexed my fingers as pins and needles assailed the bare digits.

"Feeling better?" Rufus asked, carefully keeping his eyes averted as he handed eggs to Marie, who was then gently dropping them into a pan of water warming on the stove.

"Much," I nodded, sliding off of the bed and then going to rummage through the supplies that Marie had returned with. I could vaguely remember hearing Marie and Rufus talking about Red's instructions, and wondered whether she'd bought back any weapons that I might be able to use… :After all, it wouldn't hurt to pick up something a little stronger than my daggers for distance fighting…: I was fine when it came to close combat, but the daggers had proved less than wonderful so far on this adventure.

After a little deliberation, I decided to discard the rapier I'd initially thought to add to my arsenal, finding that it reminded me too much of Judas. Besides, swordplay had always been my weak spot - I tended to leave myself open to attack when under pressure, so it was probably safest to stick to the weapons that I knew well. Instead, I settled on a finely crafted crossbow, with a handle of smooth wood and a mechanism of what looked to be made of wire and horsehair. It came with a quiver of both wooden and metal bolts, which I slung easily over my shoulder. A little more digging through the pile of weaponry led to the discovery of a few empty holsters, which were easy to adapt to be strapped around my boots and hold daggers in place there. The last item I decided upon was a small, light shield, the strap of which I slung over my other shoulder, so that the strap of shield and quiver crossed over my heart (it wouldn't stop an arrow, but it might deflect a sword from immediately piercing my chest.)

Rufus poked around in the pile next to me, and he made a sound of appreciation at the shield I picked up. I kept an eye of him as I started to readjust the straps of my own new arsenal, and was surprised to see him pick up various things and test them, before placing them in one of two piles. The larger pile he pushed back into the main one when he was done searching, and the smaller one he set to looking through once more. Curious, I left my own collection, and went to sit down next to him on the floor. Marie was still clattering around making breakfast at the other end of the cabin; the smell of frying bacon made my stomach rumble.

"Hungry?" Rufus grinned as I settled myself comfortably. An answering growl sounded from his stomach.

"Aye, and you are as well it seems!" I smiled back, eyes darting to the dwindling pile of weaponry. "Found anything useful?" He frowned at this,

"I'm not sure, to be honest…if I knew what I was looking for…" He gestured to his small pile. "These are just things that I've used before, and that look about the right size." A flush began to rise up his neck onto his cheeks. "Do you have any suggestions?" Gingerly, he picked up a cross bow, which was much like the one I'd decided upon. "What about this?"

"Have you ever fired one of them before?" was the first question that came to my mind. There was a slight pause, in which he tilted his head at me and raised his eyebrow. "Oh, yes, you already…" I trailed off, and then started again, "Do you feel like you could use it in battle?"

"I'm not sure," he shrugged, looking down and fiddling with the mechanism.

"Well, in that case, I'd say you'd be better off with a normal bow and arrows," I decided. "After all, it takes a while to get used to loading those things quickly - may I?" I took the weapon away, and then used one of my own bolts to show him what I meant. "See here - you have to pull the mechanism back - put the bolt in - then secure it so you don't end up shooting your own foot, (trust me, it happens!) - point, and fire." I didn't actually fire, instead dissembling the weapon and placing it in the larger pile of discarded things.

"In that case, I think I'll take these," he gave a rueful smile, and plucked a sturdy bow and quiver full of craftily whittled arrows from his pile. The Hylian held them up, inviting my comments.

"Very good… What else were you thinking of?"

"Nothing much really: I thought maybe a knife or dagger if I get in a tight spot? I managed to find one that looked a bit like yours…hang on…ah, here it is!" he held up his find. I saw that he was right - it was almost identical to the ones I owned, right down to the fine seal at the centre of the blade. I made a sound of approval, and accepted the weapon so that I could examine it.

"Very good choice," I nodded, handing it back to him. "Anything else?" At this, the red started creeping up his neck again. But, rather than reaching for the pile of weaponry before him, he eased something from his belt.

"A slingshot?" I crooked a brow. He blushed properly at this. "Why?"

"Well…I thought…you know, sometimes I don't want to hurt something…just…stun it… And I'm pretty good with this after all the games with the others at home. I picked up some stuff I could fire from it as well, and when I run out, I could just use rocks… It's a stupid idea isn't it?" His shoulders slumped. I just gaped at him for a moment, and then shook my head.

"No, not stupid at all. Just…surprising." He grinned at that. "And I guess you're keeping your old shield?"

"Yup," he nodded, now helping me to shove the remaining weapons back into the main pile. I silently began to correct a few of the preconceptions I'd had about Hylians as I watched Rufus methodically check his weapons again, before piling them up on the empty bed, and flopping down on the floor next to me.

"Is it nearly done?" he asked, just managing to keep his voice this side of a whine. I concurred – my stomach was making itself heard more and more frequently, now that the smell of bacon was pervading the cabin.

"Aye, nearly," Marie responded, distractedly raking her hair away from her face as she used tongs to turn over the pieces of bread she was toasting on a rack over the eggs and bacon. "If you two wouldn't mind clearing some space and getting some plates?" With an exaggerated sigh, Rufus clambered to his feet,

"If we must." He set about removing his carefully piled items, and after I'd delved into the cupboards in order to retrieve the crockery, cutlery and other such things that we needed, I helped him to stack them neatly by the door. Just as we'd placed the last item, the pirate began plating up the food with gusto, even humming a little bit under her breath.

"I hope you don't mind milk - its all we've got in," Marie chirped, handing each of us a plate of steaming food, and glasses of surprisingly cold milk. I just smiled rather than answering, as food was the most important thing to think about at that very moment. Shadow made an affirmative sound in the back of her throat, before turning away to face the wall. Knowing by now that she didn't like her face to be seen (though I'd yet to ask why that was), I patted the space between us on the bed: Marie plonked down in the middle facing me, adding a companionable nudge to the Sheikah as she did so. Shadow nudged back and then dug into her food with gusto.

Marie carefully balanced her plate on her knees with one hand, using the other to grab her milk, which she gulped down in one go. "Cooking's thirsty work you know!" she said at my surprised look.

"So I see," I grinned.

We didn't speak much for a good few minutes after that, content to wolf down our meals in silence. Shadow and I were especially hungry, considering we hadn't eaten a real meal for days, and Marie kept up with us well enough.

It was only when I was using the last of my toast to mop up the yolk of my eggs that Marie spoke again of her misgivings about The Plan. That's what it had become in my head - The Plan.

"Now, I don't mind the dancer myself, but I do worry about the both of you - how do you know you won't go blundering straight into him? I mean," she turned to look over her shoulder at Shadow, who was just tying her facemask back on, "it's not like you've ever been here before, is it?"

"No I haven't," Shadow frowned, "but I know I saw a good thicket of trees…during the…" she trailed off, obviously not wanting to talk about it again. "Look, don't worry - I know I can get us there."

"What is he's waiting for you though? He was able to get at you before…what if he already knows your plan?" the pirate sat back so that she could look between the both of us. I blanched at the idea, but, strangely, felt more annoyed that she was questioning us, than afraid of what we were about to do.

"We'll just have to hope he isn't, won't we?" I looked to my Sheikah companion. "I trust Shadow's judgement, and so should you!" The pirate's cheeks pinked. "Unless you want us to leave Red there with him, of course!"

"Of course I don't! How could you think that?"

"Well, the fact that you're even questioning it-"

"Stop it." Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper, but it caught Marie and me off guard. We both fell silent: looking at the Sheikah, I found that she seemed larger than usual… Not that was really any bigger at all…more that she seemed to occupy more space than she really should… "Arguing won't do us any good." Suddenly, she looked like her normal self again, and I let out a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. "I'll just make sure I've got what you'll need in my pack," this she directed solely at Marie.

With that, she slid off the bed, and I noticed that the wood where Shadow had been leaning was slightly scorched. The pirate noticed it as well - we exchanged looks, wondering what had just happened.

…

Much later on, after we'd had a round of sandwiches and soup to keep our strength up, Marie announced that it was probably time to start getting ready. I carefully began assembling all my stuff and strapping it on - Shadow was, of course, already done with her own preparations, and was starting to help Marie get ready. She had already bought out various pieces of cloth from her seemingly-bottomless bag: the pirate watched her every move, single eye widening with horror at each new item.

"Here we are!" The Sheikah flourished an impossibly small looking piece of indigo fabric proudly: the (thankfully empty) glass Marie was holding fell from her grip onto the bed-covers.

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Well, it is only the cut-off version: the other is covered in potion… It's a size larger than I normally have, which is good, because you've got a longer torso that me, so it should give you more leeway…" she stopped when the pirate took the garment from her hands and examined it.

"This is bigger than usual?" she gasped, draping it on her lap: it barely covered her knees.

Shadow didn't seem to notice Marie's distress. "Don't worry, the material stretches to fit," she tugged the cloth around her forearm to show what she meant, "almost like a second skin really. Very practical," she began gathering the rest of the outfit together in one neat pile. "You don't have to worry about getting snagged on things, or being grabbed, or anything like that."

"That's all well and good for a race of trained fighters, but I'm a Hylian - I can't wear this!" I looked between the two of them,

"Why not?" As far as I could see, there wasn't that much difference between Shadow and Marie, apart from height.

"Well, look at her!" the pirate spluttered, gesturing to Shadow, who was tearing strips off a roll of bandages. "Not an extra scrap of meat on her, and me…well…" she slapped her own belly and smiled ruefully.

"You're being ridiculous," Shadow chided. "Who exactly will see you for it to matter? Besides, for a Hylian, you're quite trim - you were a dancer once, weren't you?" Marie looked as surprised as I did by this question. :Marie was a dancer? How would she know that?: The pirate echoed my thoughts exactly.

"How did you know that?"

"Oh, Red mentioned something about it."

"I see." Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't press any further.

"Does it matter? All you need to know is that these will fit you well enough: but if you want to get it right, you'll want to start now." With that, the Sheikah thrust the lengths of bandage, as well as a white over shirt, into Marie's outstretched arms.

"Rufus."

"Huh?"

"You might want to let Marie get changed." The smile was obvious in her voice as she nudged open the cabin door. The sky was overcast and the sea reflected murky grey: it wasn't raining yet, but looked like it would soon. It was dark enough to be late evening, though I knew it couldn't even be midday yet! "Can you bring a couple of blankets?"

"Yeah, sure." I quickly stripped the blanket from the bed, and accepted the other that Marie handed to me. "Thanks," I grinned over my shoulder as I clambered up the stairs. Just before I shut the door, I called back, "Good luck!" her soft laughter followed me out onto the deck. Looking about, I spotted Shadow in the prow, leaning out over the water, eyes closed.

"Hoy there!" I went to join her, standing off to the side and enjoying the view of the rushing waves. "We're making good speed - won't be long now," she informed me as she dropped back down onto the deck. "Though I'm not sure the same could be said about Marie…"

"Think she'll take long then?" I followed her as she went to lean against the cabin walls, which shielded us from the worst of the winds.

"Well, I suppose when you're not used to it, Sheikan garb isn't the easiest stuff to wear." I handed her a blanket, "thanks," which she wrapped around her shoulders. "It doesn't have to be perfect, but I would like it to look as close to the real thing as possible."

"Anything that'll give us time is good," I agreed, tucking my own blanket into a secure cocoon. "I just hope it's enough."

"It'll have to be," she patted my arm. It was weird how comfortable we'd become with each other over the last few days… For some reason, I didn't see her as the type to easily make friends, and smiled to myself, realising that she was my friend, not just my travelling companion. "Let's not think about it for now, eh?" She leant her head back and closed her eyes. "Let's talk about something else."

"Like what?" I copied her actions, though kept my eyes open, and stared up at the dreary sky.

"Oh, I don't know - you choose."

"Urm…" I thought for a little while, trying to decide how much I could ask her, and what I wanted to know the most. "Oh, I've got one! How did you learn how to fight - I mean, who taught you and all that? I just learnt from Orca - he was a Knight once you see - but that's all the training I ever got, and you've obviously had a lot more than me. And how come you can speak so many languages - how did you learn those? And what's your home like - your family - do you have brothers and sisters-?"

"Hang on, hang on, slow down!" Shadow laughed. "I shall need to start writing these down if you carry on like that!"

"Sorry," I flushed, "guess I got a bit carried away." She shook her head, opening her eyes to look sidelong at me,

"No, no, don't worry. I'll answer all of them eventually - only if I get to ask a few of my own, of course…"

"Of course!" I agreed at once, hardly able to believe that she was actually willing to answer my questions.

"Good… Look, for now, what say I tell you how I learnt to fight, OK?"

"OK." I shuffled, settling myself to listen.

"Well, I started very young - say around seven - at the training grounds on Opacus…

…I was just about to gain my colours as a warrior when Red came to get me. So, I'm not really officially a warrior, but I have all the skills, so it doesn't really matter that much I suppose…" she rubbed her hands together, just like she had a good few times over the last half hour or so. We'd had an interesting discussion, comparing how we'd both learnt how to fight, and I was amazed by the fact that our experiences weren't so different as I'd thought they'd have been. Shadow had just had her training in a much more intense way… And my mind still boggled at the idea of so many people learning how to fight together: I was just about to ask another question, when a timid voice came through the door to our right.

"Urm…Shadow? Can you hear me out there?"

"Yes, what is it?" She inclined her ear towards the door, brows knitting together in worry.

"Oh, no - not to worry - I was just wondering about the bandages… Can't seem to get them to stay…" We exchanged looks, and then Shadow rolled her eyes, which made me smile.

"Do you want me to talk you through it?"

"Would you?"

"All right then - we'll start on your arms." She held her left arm out in front of her, and found the end of the bandages there. Carefully, she half unravelled them, and then began to talk again. "Right, first, tie a slip knot loop in one end of the bandage, and slip it over your arm to the elbow-"

"Hang on, hang on!"

"I get the feeling this might take a while," the Sheikah said in an undertone to me. I just grinned and lay back against the worn wood of the boat again, closing my eyes and listening to the conversation between the two of them.

"I look ridiculous."

"Please come out," Rufus wheedled, hovering agitatedly by the door behind which Marie presumably stood.

"Isn't there anything else-?"

"No, there isn't," I chipped in exasperatedly, lurching away from my perch on the railing, and grabbing hold of the door handle. I tugged, only to find that the pirate had locked the door. "Marie, open the door;" it was beginning to get a little tiresome now, considering that I'd had to direct her on how to get into Sheikah garb through the door for almost half an hour. No doubt, she'd probably managed to put something on backwards, or some such nonsense…

"No," she answered, "it's embarrassing." Rufus put a hand on my shoulder, and I nodded, stepping out of the way to give him another go.

"Marie, please come out - we really appreciate your doing this, but we need to hurry, so that we can make the most of the day." I managed to restrain myself from foot-tapping, and instead settled for fiddling with the strap of the new quiver resting over my shoulders. It felt comforting to be fully armed once more: bow resting on one hip, whip on the other, and my daggers now with new holsters on the outside of my boots. On my other shoulder I bore the small shield I'd picked out earlier, and then there were the various hidden weapons secreted about my person: throwing stars, Deku Nuts, needles and so on.

The lock clicked open, and slowly, Marie emerged, clutching her old greatcoat around herself defiantly. "You are not to laugh," she informed us stiffly. I could see her feet, clad in soft skin boots (very similar to the ones I wore), and her toes were curled slightly, legs crossed at the ankle. Other than the boots, I could see nothing for the greatcoat. Obviously, she was waiting for us to agree.

"Of course we won't laugh!" Rufus assured her - the sincerity of his voice made me turn to look at him. "I mean, let's consider what I've been wearing since I left home," he added self-deprecatingly with a small grin. "I don't think I can really laugh, given the situation, can I?" The pirate woman smiled tightly at this, and then looked at me.

"I'll not laugh - though I believe I will probably spend a great deal of time retying those bandages, since you refused to let me do it from the start." Marie had the grace to look bashful, though she just repeated her earlier sentiment that,

"There are some scars that would shock even you, Shadow."

"Be that as it may, I need - we need to check you," I corrected myself after a companionable nudge from Rufus, who had been the one to persuade Marie in the first place, after all.

"All right, all right!" She carefully shucked the greatcoat in such a way that it kept her completely covered until the last moment. Then, with a frustrated sound, she hooked the coat over the door handle, and stood awkwardly, hands dangling, eye averted to the floor and a flush on her cheeks.

/Well, that is surprising/ Dragmire breathed, popping into my mind at precisely the wrong time. /Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hasty all those years ago…/ The lust was evident in his voice, and I felt a small stab of…

:Of what? 'Jealousy'? You really have gone mad!: I berated myself, frowning at Dragmire's amused chuckle.

/Don't fret my dear - I have always been rather fonder of your kind than the Hylians…and young blood is always much more invigorating after all./ The odd combination of disgust and jealousy settled uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach, and I did my best to ignore his further chatter as I went to tweak the pirate's fumbled bandages.

Her body was still that of a dancer, though now more rounded as a woman's body is supposed to be - nothing like the angular lines and spareness of my own frame. The eye of truth was stretched tight over her chest, slightly distorted but still recognisable. Her stomach was a flat plane, and her legs and hips were shapely in a way that I knew mine would never be. Marie was an hourglass, where I was almost boyish.

/You are, however, a rather womanly specimen of your race…absolutely delicious, round, pert-/ I cut him off sharply, flushing.

"You did pretty well with these for a first time," I informed Marie, who was holding herself upright, looking anywhere other than myself and the Hylian. "You carry it off rather well," I added, tamping down the jealous feeling in order to try and reassure her. She relaxed minutely. "Though I wouldn't suggest permanently changing your style." She grinned at that, and managed to look me in the face.

"Don't worry about that. I don't think I could handle doing that every morning!" We both chuckled at that.

"Land!" Rufus exclaimed, having sequestered himself in the prow whilst Marie and I were making our final adjustments. Turning, I saw the shadowy outline of Greatfish Isle through the misting rain. The pirate's warm hand sought mine and I accepted it without protest. My own palm was clammy with sweat, and she squeezed it, as much for her own reassurance as for mine.

"OK?" I murmured, dropping her hand and looking over my shoulder at her. In answer, she just grabbed the loose cowl and secured it over her face. The bandages were already on her head; her white bangs were close enough to my own hair colour in the gloom for it to work. Hopefully, the weather and the rain would make the differences between our builds negligible, or else this was all for naught.

"Get that sail down to half," the pirate ordered, breaking the tableau, Rufus immediately bounded over to help. I rifled through my mind, making all the calculations and checks over again.

/He'll either all for it, or he won't. Having known him, I'd say that you have a very slim chance…unless of course you happened to have a complete piece of the Tri-Force-/

:Desist with that nonsense: I snapped, seeking out the cold metal of the amulet bequeathed on me by the great fairy so very many weeks before. The cold metal against my fingers, and the tiny spark that ran across the connection served to calm me slightly. :We have survived thus far, and I do not plan to either help your, or myself, to the Tri-Force.:

/Even when it's so close to being within your grasp…?/ he wheedled, managing to force my eyes onto Marie before I regained full control of my faculties.

:If you're so eager for me to survive, perhaps you should let me be,: I countered, fingers running over the amulet once more for luck. It provided another spark, and I suddenly grinned, feeling comforted by the warm tingle of magic thrumming through my entire being. It felt almost intoxicating, after such a long time without…

/Just think how much more 'magic' I could make available, if you were to accept the gift of the Tri-Force piece,/ Dragmire coaxed, the double entendre clumsily formed, to make me blush yet again. /If it gives you pleasure, pet…/ he trailed off and I could almost see the suggestive leer on his face.

:Have you honestly nothing better to do than torment me?: I huffed, springing away from my slouch against the cabin wall, in order to hep fold the sail down: our speed was greatly reduced and we drifted slightly on the currents.

/There are plenty of things that I would much rather do,/ he purred, /but you are correct/ he conceded. /If I am to do those things, you would be best left alone, if there's any chance at all of your survival./ He paused, and I felt his mood shift from overt flirtation into something suspiciously like worry. /Do not take too many risks Sheikah - after all, I would enjoy the opportunity to spar face-to-face./ There was the gentlest of pressures on my right cheek, like an ephemeral hand brushing against it; then he was gone.

I exhaled shakily, feeling spent after the brief encounter. A hand (very real this time) covered my own on the sail rope, which I still held tightly. "Shadow?" It was Rufus - I relaxed slightly, and looked down to meet his eyes. "Are you OK?"

"As OK as I can be, considering," I answered before my mind had the chance to censor my thoughts. :Drat.: Surprisingly, he just smiled and withdrew his hand.

"Good to know - and same here."

"Aye, make that for three," Marie said, taking the rope from my hands and tying it off. "And I suppose we need to be starting soon?" She fidgeted a little, hands flapping as she played with a frayed piece of bandage on her wrist.

"Yeah, we do." I pictured in my mind the scene from last night's vision - or perhaps 'transportation' was a better word for it…? No matter… I pictured the lake at which we'd ended up, and the woods that surrounded much of the enormous body of water. They were our best hope for staying hidden. :If only I'd been paying more attention, I could have picked the best place for teleportation.: But, as it was, at least I knew I could take us immediately into cover.

"I'm ready when you are," the Hylian had already strapped on his weaponry. "Marie?" The pirate had hopped around to the stern, where was manning the rudder, steering us back on course after our drifting.

"Aye lad?"

"Will you lay out those new clothes for me, for when I get back?" The pirate gave a tight grin (the cowl was back down, evidently too warm for her) and nodded.

"Aye, I'll do that…and for you?"

I blinked. "I hadn't realised there were any for me…"

"I picked up a few, just in case." The idea of myself in pirate garb was ridiculous, but I fully understood what the pirate was really asking. 'Are you going to come back? Will you make it out alive?' What we were doing was horribly dangerous after all…

"Yes, lay some out for me as well," I nodded, and the grin became a little more genuine. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Rufus, who had been silent through this exchange, came to life once more. He hurried around the side of the cabin, and threw his arms around Marie's shoulders (or at least, tried to, and settled for her upper arms instead).

"Good luck. We'll see you later." After a stunned moment, she hugged the Hylian back.

"See you later," she answered, eyes darting to me as well. I nodded, and delved my hand into the pouch in which I stored my Deku-Nuts. Now that I could see individual trees on the shoreline, it was time to go; this would be the furthest I'd ever attempted to teleport (and with another person tagging along!), yet, somehow, I knew I'd be able to do it.

Rufus extricated himself and came over to hook his arm through my free one: we needed to be touching in order for both of us to end up in the same place. "Ready?" I raised the Deku-Nut above my head. Rufus' grip became tighter still, fingers digging desperately into the flesh of my arm.

"Ready," he nodded; I noted that his eyes were closed.

"OK."

"Wait!" I managed to catch myself just before the nut fell. "I almost forgot!" The pirate hopped down from the rudder, and hurried over to her coat. She drew out the shining golden shard I'd been craving, and shoved it into my free hand. "I hope it helps."

"Thank you." I quickly pocketed it, and after a moment's pause, I let the Deku-Nut fall. I closed my eyes, picturing again the trees by the lake. The flash lit through my eyelids. There was the normal, strange, jerking, tearing sensation as we were torn away from one place and immediately dropped down in another. Then, there were a few moments of silence, in which Rufus loosened his grip, and then stepped away from me.

I opened my eyes. Blinked a few times. Shut my eyes. Opened them again. Looked at Rufus. Exchanged a glance of extreme puzzlement.

"You certainly took your time."


Oh my goodness, what a boring chapter! Though I have given you a cliff hanger to make up for the general dullness… And the next chapter will be a lot more interesting, I promise! There'll be a few characters that you'll recognize, and of course, the villainous Shade. Will their plan work (indeed, what is their plan? Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it!) And, who have our two intrepid adventurers just run into? Friend or foe?

More updates, more often. I do believe the writer's bloc has lifted, so here's hoping!