The Pirate and the Hero

By: Wordsworth 13

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda

Chapter 2: Past & Present

Tetra slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a concerned looking face with blonde hair and deep emerald eyes. It was also uncomfortably close. "Tetra," Links said, rearing up and smiling with an open mouth "you're awake!" He said offering his hand. Tetra pushed herself up from the sand "I can get up on my own, moron." She hissed "Well someone's not in a good mood." Link said playfully.

"Oh, shut up!" Tetra looked around, they were on a pretty much normal looking island, but it was strangely unfamiliar. She'd sailed every square on her sea chart and she couldn't put name nor location to the island, but it looked average sized, about the same as the bustling market place, Windfall Island. She frowned "We need to come up with a plan to get off this rock." She said quietly. Link glanced at her with an inquiring look

"Why?" he asked plaintively

"Because." Tetra replied

"Because why?" he asked again

"Well we can't stick around here for the rest of our lives!"

"Yeah," Link said, shrugging "but the pirates'll come find us."

"What makes you say that?"

"No offence, but they're not smart enough to come up with another plan." He ran towards a tree near the water's edge and climbed up onto the highest branch. He put his hand above his eyes and looked to the horizon. "It could take a couple of days though; I don't know how long we were out," he paused and slowly said "or if the pirates know which way is north." He joked.

Tetra looked up at him, folded her arms and smiled shaking her head. Link looked like a true adventurer, staring into the horizon. He reached into one of his pockets and fished around then paused and stared into space for a bit, "Oh yeah, I gave Aryll her telescope back didn't I." Link had not, in fact, changed his outfit for a year, partly because he had grown attached to his hero's clothes, but mainly because he hadn't actually noticeably grown. Tetra hadn't changed her appearance either, probably because the traditional pirate regalia made the same statement as the large galleon and the Jolly Roger flag, which was basically: Yes, yes, take my money just please don't hurt me!

Staring at Link, stood on the Beech tree, his tunic blowing in the wind, Tetra's mind wandered back to the day she and him had first met.

Link dragged himself up the fallen white barked tree, and ran across it, and glanced up at the girl, he guessed she was a pirate due to her outfit, and the ship he'd seen pursuing the large bird that had carried her to Outset, though it was unusual to see one so young. He ran up to the bottom of the tree and reached up to grab the first branch when he heard a strange squawking noise. He looked up to see two sinister looking birds carrying a pair of slim, blue-black creatures in tattered jackets without sleeve. Link could see what was going to happen next and just as he'd predicted the birds dropped the two bokoblins, and they landed before him with bloodlust in their eyes. Link, never one to falter when faced with danger, especially not something as meagre as this, Leapt backwards, then bounded forth and brought his sword down on the first creature, knocking it weapon away, it's eyes widened and the only thought that passed through its head before Link brought down his sword was, Oh, sh-.

Link turned to his second opponent that had a determined glint in its eye and a nasty grin on its face. It raised its twig, which was basically the thing's weapon, and was about to bring it down when Link rolled across the floor, to behind the monster, and ran it through with the sword Orca, the old man in the next house from his own, had given him. The creatures wound leaked purple smoke and it dissolved into a plume of violet haze. The girl slowly opened her eyes and stared down in shock at the ground a good four metres below her, she began to thrash around madly in an attempt to get free from the branch that was hooked to her jacket. Link raised his hand an yelled urgently "No, wait don't struggle, the branch'll-" but he spoke to late and he heard an unpleasant crack, then had to shield his eyes from the dust cloud thrown up by the girls landing. "snap." He finished timidly. Tetra pushed herself up and looked Link up and down, raising one eyebrow. He was after all, dressed like some kind of weird fairy. Then Link heard a deep, burly voice.

"Miss! Miss Tetra!" a tall, barrel chested man with a tattoo of a wave visible under his neck ran up to her breathing heavily "Miss Tetra, thank goodness we found you, when that bird dropped you on this summit we thought you-" he was interrupted by the young captain "Summit? So that bird dropped me on top of a mountain. Well that wasn't very nice of it!" The man, Gonzo, looked at Link

"Who's this kid?" He inquired

"He's no-one," Tetra answered "now come on!" She said walking off.

"No-one?" Yelled Link as he ran after them "If it wasn't for me you'd be bokoblin chow!"

Tetra was brought out of her thoughts by a cawing seagull, gliding on the wind. She stared at it for a moment as it flew away, and then turned to see Link jump out of the tree, landing with a splash where the waves had just rolled in. He turned to face her and smiled, then there was an odd grumbling sound from nowhere. Link glanced down and declared "I'm hungry." Tetra slowly turned to face him as if he'd just said something incredibly stupid. "Then go find us something to eat."

"Aw, why do I always have to do all the work?" Link whined

"You're the one who's hungry, not me." Tetra stated flatly

"Fine," Link grumbled, slowly trotting away into the trees. Tetra fell backwards onto the sand and allowed her thoughts to drift back into the past as she gazed up at the clouds.

The ship slowly drifted up to the shores of Outset Island and Link and his sister Aryll gazed fondly upon home. They heard Tetra's footsteps on the planks behind them. "Well, you're home." She said smiling, as Gonzo and Nudge lowered the boarding plank onto the beach and the blonde haired siblings trotted down it onto oh so familiar sand and were greeted by a few of their fellow islanders. Orca, who wore a pair of purple trousers and somehow had a gut that hug out and yet you could also see his ribs through his twig thin chest, came out of his house to greet the two. "Link, you've returned again, and you've brought your sister." He said through his slick beard and drooping moustache. Link turned to look at his house and reeled back at the disturbing image he saw. It was Zill, a child from the island, who always had an enormous booger hanging out of his nose. "Hi Link, where ya been?" He asked in his nasally voice.

"Uh," was all Link could say; he always found the sight of Zill quite disturbing. He moved his head to one side so he could get a clear look at his house. Yep, it was still the same hexagonal wooden shack, with the same thatched roof, and the same Triforce painted on its door. And stood on the porch was his grandmother.

He ran towards the house and yelled "Grandma! Grandma, I'm home!" She turned to him just as he skidded to a halt where the grass ended and the planks in front of the house began. She smiled with closed eyes as always. "Link," she breathed "I'm so happy to see you." She turned to look at Aryll as she caught up with her brother

"Grandma!" She cried, running up to and hugging the old lady

"Aryll, I'm so glad you're safe," Grandma said softly, running her hand through Aryll's bright blonde hair.

Back aboard the pirates' galleon Tetra watched the heart warming scene, but had a forlorn look on her face, she hadn't even said goodbye properly, and she was just going to sail away from the best friend she'd ever had. She sighed and thought; I'm such an idiot, but that's what pirates do, we just sail away and forget about it. "Miss Tetra!" she heard Gonzo's voice "We're ready to set sail Miss, should we go now?" Tetra looked up "Gonzo?" she asked

"Yes Miss?"

"How many supplies do we have?" Gonzo wasn't expecting to be asked but managed to say "I, uh, don't know Miss, I'll just go check." He ran off below deck and she could hear his footsteps going down the stairs to the cargo bay. At least she'd bought herself five more minutes. Of what she didn't know, but she had five more minutes to just stare at Outset, five more minutes to dread leaving. After not nearly long enough, Gonzo came running out of the cargo bay and ran up to the young captain. "Miss Tetra, we have half capacity of, uh, everything." He reported

"Well, then," she mused "maybe we should go ashore and get some supplies."

"Uh, yes Miss." Gonzo agreed, then yelled to Nudge "Nudge! Get Zuko and lower the boarding plank!"

"Aw, but I just brought it back up!" Nudge winged. Considering the people who'd be gathering said supplies, the crew may be spending many hours on the island before they'd be done. Eventually, after a long 'discussion' the Boarding plank was put down by Zuko and Nudge who now had a black eye. Tetra walked down the board with an air that said 'I'm first and if you don't agree my dagger can have a little talk to you about it.' The rest of the crew followed and began to go about their unspecified duties. Tetra glanced around, she couldn't see Link anywhere but Aryll was stood atop the watch tower, so she ran over to it and climbed the ladder to the top. She could see the little girl in her blue dress, playing with the gulls "Aryll." The blonde turned to look at Tetra,

"Tetra? I thought you were gonna sail off." She said in a questioning tone

"Yeah, but we gotta pick some things up first. So anyway, could you tell me where your brother is?" Aryll nodded

"Yep, he's up on top of the mountain, by the big tree see?" She pointed to the summit of the island, and the top of a large palm tree was just visible. "Yeah, thanks," Tetra said sweetly, "I'll see ya a little later 'kay." She said turning around.

"Tetra?" Tetra turned at the young girl's voice "You don't really have to pick anything up do you?" Aryll asked her. Tetra felt herself blush slightly, but damned if she knew why. She just smiled and shook her head, climbing down the ladder.

She did indeed find Link atop the first of the two mountains that made up Outset. He was sat resting his head on the tree trunk with his eyes closed. He didn't seem to have noticed Tetra's presence. "Hey," she said, Link opened his eyes and looked up at her "Tetra?" She sat down next to him and looked him up and down. He'd changed out of his 'hero's clothes' and into his normal orange trousers and blue jersey with a white lobster printed on it. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Tetra looked up and said

"I, well, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, not properly." She confessed then she looked at him "What are you doing here then?" she asked him, laying her head back against the bark. "Just thinking." He said quietly

"About what?" He sighed and confessed

"King." And that was enough; she knew exactly what he was talking about. The king of Hyrule had been buried under the waves along with his kingdom, and he missed his friend, but when he said 'King' he meant the King of Red Lions, the talking boat who was basically a way for the King to exist above the waves. He smiled and turned to Tetra, "Tetra?" She looked at him questioningly "We're friends right?" She nodded "And the king told us, that we had to search for a new Hyrule right?" She nodded again "In that case;" he began with closed eyes. "I'd like to come with you." Now he was smiling widely at her. All Tetra could do was smile back. "Gimme ten minutes to get my stuff." He told her.

About fifteen minutes later he was stood before his grandmother, now in his somewhat strange green garments, and had just told her the good or bad news, depending which way you flip the pancake. Tetra was stood beside him. "So you're going away again." The seventy year old woman said looking down sadly. Link frowned; he really didn't like it when he made anyone sad. Then she looked up again "But, you said it's for your friend right? I'm just not sure you'll be safe, you're only thirteen." Link looked, out from the porch, over the island. "Yeah," he said "but there's plenty of grown ups on the crew, I'll be fine." Grandma still looked rather concerned

"I know, but do you think they're mature enough to look after children?" Link turned around and saw Gonzo chasing a pig and Niko sat with tears in his eyes and his hand stuck in a mousetrap, apparently he'd been trying to get the cheese. He turned back around and said "No, but Tetra's been with them her whole life and she's lasted about twelve years." Eventually she agreed.

Tetra and Link were walking back to the galleon, and Tetra suddenly piped up "You know you are technically still a swabbie." Link glanced at her

"Yes Captain." He said without a hint of fuss. Then Aryll caught his eye "Hold on a second." He told Tetra, running towards his sister. He knelt down next to her and reached into one of his numerous pockets and pulled out an orange telescope with seagulls painted on it. "I didn't give this back to you." He said to her, finally returning her prized possession "Bye." He said placing a kiss on her forehead. He ran back to his friend "Okay," he said "let's go."

Tetra stopped reminiscing and began to wonder where her now navigator was. She sighed and thought; Knowing Link, he's probably got his foot stuck in something.

Okay! That's it! Finally done! Whoa, loooooooooooooooooooong chapter! But howdya like it? If you couldn't tell what was flashback and what wasn't, one: sorry 'bout that, I just like to write like a real author and two: you're an idiot!

Ciao