Niko:

Yes! Yes! YES! I'm not the bottom of the ladder anymore! I can't say how happy I was when the captain climbed back on the ship with Link behind her. Of course, I was happy for the captain's well being too, obviously. But then she told us about Link's sister, how the nasty bird grabbed her by mistake, thinking she was the captain. Can you believe that thing's actually roosting at the Forsaken Fortress, right were our old rivals once were? And Link's planning on going there to boot, to give that bird a thrashing for stealing his sister (oh man, did we give that monster a thump too! Me and Senza were firing hell at it with the catapult, Zuka was up in the crow's nest directing our shots. We were like professional warriors, real soldiers! Tetra's got to be proud!)

Right after I lost track of the bird (I watched him as flew off, just in case he came back for more), Miss Tetra climbed back on the ship. Yeesh, Gonzo's got no pride, the way he was yipping behind her. "Are you sure you aren't hurt Miss Tetra?" Asking if she needed help, if her leg was alright. You idiot, it's just a little limp! Miss Tetra's tougher than that.

Then Link came up. I didn't know what to make of him at first. To be honest, he is pretty scrawny. Short too! Little legs and arms, not much good for carting supplies. And that outfit he was wearing…. I'd heard stories of boys wearing weird outfits for their coming of age. Suppose to be from fairies or something I think. Still, he'll be burning up in that if they keep him on deck. So I'll just find him work in the hold instead! Man, I'm already in the leader's frame of mind, just like Miss Tetra!

Tetra called us all together; even Zuko had to come down from the crow's nest. She was limping pretty good from being dropped, but Gonzo's constant pestering probably didn't help!

"This boy is Link. He did me a favor up on the cliff after that bird dropped me. Killed a few monsters that were trying to grab me. I don't know if any of you saw it, but that bird carried off his younger sister, thinking she was me. According to the Rita postman, it took her to Forsaken Fortress where it's made a nest. So, we're going to give him a lift, to try and rescue her."

Man, their faces when she said that! Mako started laughing, like it was a joke. Course, he shut up quick when Tetra looked at him. Senza and Nudge didn't look happy either. I wasn't bothered, of course. I already knew what this really was; bringing on board the new cabin boy! I knew the captain'd been thinking about my request for an underling. But I didn't say anything; I let Miss Tetra handle it.

"Miss Tetra," Senza said, "Are you sure about this? He's a child. No offense boy. I'm sorry for your troubles, but we have our own worries. We have places to go, and he'll just get in the way."

Nudge said, "I agree with Senza ma'am. This hardly seems like our problem, and having some brat running around will be worse than Niko's antics!" That jerk! I should have told him off then. But I knew Miss Tetra wouldn't let him get by with that.

"I've decided he's coming with us." She looked around and, whew, I'd hate to have talked back to her when that gaze hit me. Miss Tetra's got eyes that can whither your very bones! "I trusted my crew to respect my command. If that's a problem, if anyone has doubts about my decision, he can tell that to me, plainly."

You can bet no one spoke up then. Just like I figured!

"Good," Miss Tetra grinned. "Then why are all these muscles not in motion? The wind's changing, let's get some distance while there's still daylight." We hustled to getting the ship turned out to sea.

Of course, I waited before starting the new cabin boy's training. I mean, the poor kid just lost his sister! She's probably torn apart by now, gobbled up by that crazy bird; that's got to weigh on you! So, I let him relax till we were out of sight of his home. Poor Link. He just stood there at the back of the ship, waving to his friends till they were out of sight. It's hard leaving home so young. I should know! I snuck away from my home when I wasn't much older than Link. The call of the sea was way too strong for an adventurer like me to ignore. I stowed away on board a ship, and… well, there were a few mishaps. I ended up getting stuck in a crate full of limes and traded to another ship, which happened to be Miss Tetra's ship. I begged her to let me on board, since I'd be a valuable asset to any good crew. She saw my potential and let me stay. Sure, I've had to go through the trials of the new crew member, doing laundry, cleaning the floors, but that happens to every good pirate! And now, it'll happen for my boy, Link! The beginnings of a great pirate, I just know it.

After the island was gone, Tetra turned over command of our new captain boy to me. Oh-ho, I put him to work alright. Link's a good student, but it takes a good teacher to bring out the best in the brightest of students. Link and I make a good pair. We connect, me with my pedagogy, him with his good sense. When he came down to the hold, I patted him on the back and really made him feel at home.

I told him, "You're in good company shrimp." "Shrimp's" my little nickname for him. It's what I'd already decided beforehand my underling would be called. I think it gives him something to rise over, something to make him work hard, to prove "Hey, I ain't no shrimp!" I said, "Now, I should warn you. Here on Miss Tetra's ship, there aren't no slackers what so ever! Got that? And you'll be answering to me, so you can bet I'll know if you're slacking off."

Link nodded. I waited for him to say something but he doesn't talk much. Actually, thinking back, he may even be mute! That's crazy! You wouldn't know it from looking at him…. He looked real sure and he smiled as I talked to him, to show he was listening.

I set him up in a little basic training down below, reorganizing all those crates of goods that spilled in the fight. We've got the hold organized, since it's such a tight space, what with the captain's quarter's taking up one end of the ship. Our food storage is near the captain's quarters, as well as a few animals, cuckoos and a cow that Nudge takes care of for milk and eggs on long trips. We keep our fruit plants down there too, when they're not on deck sunning. Then there's our sleeping quarters. We only have just enough room so Link'll have to sleep on a pallet, poor kid. So clearing up the hold was major important, but I could tell Link could handle it. He nodded and hopped to! He reminds me a lot of myself when I first joined.

He really started getting fast, packing the crates, setting them up out of the way. It's a rough floor, and those heavy loads can be hard to push, especially for someone young as Link. He'd grit and shove and they'd slide across. I'm impressed at my little shrimp! I even joked, offered him a little bet.

"Tell you what shrimp! You're doing such a great job, if you can get this whole area cleaned up today, I'll just give you a special reward."

I was just joking, but I think it really put the fire into him. Since he was doing so well, I decided to go up on deck and report to the captain. It felt so good being able to walk up on deck and get some fresh air, knowing the work was getting done down below. I offered to help steer, since Gonzo's constantly working the helm. I've always wanted to steer the ship.

"Niko, shouldn't you be down with Link?" Miss Tetra said. "We need those crates re-packed. We'll pass by Rock Spire Island in a few days, on our way to the Forsaken Fortress. I want to stop there and trade with Beedle before we continue on. I'm not missing him again."

Of course, Miss Tetra, as captain, would need to be concerned over the supervision of our new recruit. I knew she was worried about me leaving him to handle himself, probably afraid Link'd hurt himself down below. But I could tell my boy wasn't that clumsy! He'd do fine, and I would have assured Miss Tetra if Gonzo hadn't started off at the mouth.

"Niko thinks he's on top of the food chain now that he's got someone to order around. He thinks if he's not scrubbing our underwear, he's one of the real sailors."

Oh, that Gonzo! He'll push me too far one day, and then I can't be held responsible for what I do! Luckily, Miss Tetra's not one for blabbing like that. She told Gonzo to stow it.

"We're a crew, act like one." She had her necklace out, running her thumb over it. Her necklace is so weird. It's like an arrow point or something with a triangular piece missing from the bottom. It's a really bright gold, brighter than any of the gold I've seen before. I think it was made in some special way, probably an ancient blacksmithing tradition or something. I wish Miss Tetra would tell me where she got it from, but she just takes it out now and then, running her thumb over its edges, like she's reading something on it. "Niko, go help Link."

I knew she wanted to keep me and Gonzo from having it out, so I didn't argue with her. But man, was I in for it! When I got down below again, Link had already finished stowing away the goods! That crazy brat, he was just sitting there on one of the crates, swinging his short legs, grinning at me. I ought to have knocked him over the head for such an attitude. He's lucky I'm a pretty laid back teacher.

I did make sure to give him praise for his work, but the reward I'd promised was a problem. Mainly, there's nothing on the ship that's, technically, mine! I'd be glad to reward my dutiful shrimp well, but I hated to give him something that might be missed. Luckily, there was this old satchel the captain's mother left down in the hold. It was part of a bunch of old knick knacks she had, stuff we couldn't sell and didn't want to throw away because it belonged to the old captain. The sleeve for her knife, the flask she drank from, the ribbon she'd wear around her arm when we got into a battle.

Working down in the hold so often, I'd see that collection of odds and ends and it'd be hard to go on. I can be pretty emotional, I'm not afraid to admit. I didn't know the old captain, personally, but Senza told me how much of a companion to her crew she was, how Miss Tetra's attitude came right down from her mother. I always felt like I could relate to the old captain. We probably would have got along well, she and I. I wish I had met her so we could talk.

I flipped open the lid to the captain's stuff and, after a minute of rooting, found the satchel. It's a tough old thing, made out of some odd purple leather, worn real bad. Some spots are worn so rough that the whole thing looks a little like a face, with the flap being the mouth and two rough patches for eyes. I figured it'd come in handy for Link in his new duties, give him something to carry any tools around in. This will come in handy as the master has much much more to teach the shrimp! But my boy Link'll handle it! As his teacher, I have full faith in him!