Courage To Give

Tetra leaned on a convenient tree and sighed. They were stretching their legs on a lovely little island, basically just letting the crew enjoy a bit of time off, but instead of relaxing or walking around; Link was cutting grass again. Unless he was actively looking for dropped change or trinkets, he only waged war on local flora when he was lost in thoughts.

Lately, it happened a lot. Ever since they had returned from that strange sea where the Ghost Ship had dragged them… what was it he had seen that wouldn't let his mind rest? She narrowed her eyes and decided she was done wondering; she was finding out exactly what was bothering her friend, now.

"Hey Link!" she called out. "Out of rupees again, are you?"

Link startled and stopped, sheathing his sword and turning to her guiltily. "Yeah," he stammered, "rupees. Could always use some, you know? In case err… we need a map deciphered! Yeah."

Tetra rolled her eyes. "Quit it. I know you got something on that silly little mind of yours. Out with it; what's wrong?"

Link sighed. It wasn't that he wanted to keep it to himself; he just really didn't know where to even begin explaining. Tetra crossed her arms and started tapping her foot; it was pretty obvious she wasn't going to give up on this.

The Hero of the Wind took off his hat and scratched his head, thinking hard. He eventually settled for starting at the beginning; it wasn't exactly the quickest way, but at least it would get him talking and let Tetra know he wasn't just refusing to tell her.

"I've been thinking about Linebeck and another man I met over there," he said. He sat down on the cut grass, imitated by Tetra.

Tetra nodded. 'Over there' was what they called the strange sea the ghost ship had brought them to, the sea that seemed to exist in a completely different realm than their own. She wondered whether Link missed his companions from over there, but quickly dismissed the thought; whatever was bothering Link was deeper than that, she was sure of it.

Link took a deep breath. "Linebeck is pretty much a pirate. He doesn't call himself that, but he's always looking for treasures and he loves the sea. His whole life is to get enough treasures to maintain his boat, get whatever he needs, and keep sailing. He's kind of like us, you know? He's not one of those bad pirates that attack innocent ships or nothing. Pretty much like us."

"Kind of, I suppose," Tetra said. "From what you told me before, he err… likes it safe, doesn't he?"

Link chuckled. "Yeah. I was really surprised when he actually acted brave. But anyway, because he was just after treasure, hardly anyone actually knew him; he maintained this reputation, but it was all made up stuff. The one person I met who really knew him was always attacking us because she was mad at him."

Tetra barked a laugh but sobered up quickly; Link didn't look very amused.

"The other guy just called himself a wayfarer," Link started again. "He sailed everywhere looking for adventures, basically. I guess he managed to find some valuable stuff along the way to survive on his own, but he was just adventuring, you know? Exploring the sea and all that. Kind of like we do, too."

Tetra nodded. "He's not doing it anymore?" she asked.

"He got older and settled down," Link said. "Little island far from everything… he… He had a family and he just upped and left them and never came back. I mean, he lived his dream and all, and his son actually understood and forgave him in the end, but it still seems a bit selfish, doesn't it? I suppose even if he had made himself stay, he would have been unhappy and a bad father with his head out in the waves all the time, but still."

Tetra nodded. "So he'd rather stay all alone on a little island instead of going back to his family? They're probably better off without him."

"He's not actually alone. He had this dream of finding a mermaid someday, and he met this girl who dresses up like one. She's keeping the disguise on and he's telling her all about his adventures and they're both happy as can be." He looked slightly disgusted.

"Why are you thinking about him?" Tetra asked. "I'd just as soon forget someone like that, myself."

Link took a deep breath. "What's different about us?" he asked, his voice growing bitter. "We're just a cross between Linebeck and the Wayfarer."

Tetra's eyes widened before they narrowed in a scowl. "Excuse me?"

"We're just sailing for fun, Tetra. We're living our dream, we're exploring the sea and finding treasure, and… what?"

"How about saving the world?" Tetra cried out, spreading her arms in exasperation. "How can you compare us to a greedy coward and…"

"Linebeck didn't turn out to be a coward," Link corrected her.

Tetra rolled her eyes. "Fine. How can you compare us to a greedy treasure hunter and a happy-go-lucky irresponsible loafer? You think THEY fought Ganon?"

"We're not fighting Ganon now!" Link protested.

"So what, you want to leave?" Tetra got up to stare him down, furious. "Go ahead! If I'm not good enough for you…"

"I don't want to leave you!" Link yelled, getting up as well. He turned a bright red and sat right back down.

Tetra flushed a bit too, but quickly regained her composure. "Then what DO you want?" she asked in a voice that was almost calm again.

"I love being with you guys," Link muttered. "I love sailing and exploring, and I love having no worries and no care. It's like I said, we're living a dream life. "

Tetra's eyes suddenly widened in understanding. "You think you're being selfish, like the wayfarer?"

Link shook his head. "It's not like we know anyone who needs us and we don't bother to go to them," he said, "but…" He sighed. "I just don't want to live like they do forever. I don't want the important part of my life to be over already. I love just lazing around with you guys, but …" He trailed off.

Tetra smiled; now, she understood. "You figure it's time for the vacation to be over."

Link blinked and then smiled too. "Yeah," he said.

Tetra got up and brushed the bits of cut grass off herself. "Then we sail for Windfall Island; there's always some kind of drama on the go there. Well come on, get up already!" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot again, but also gave him her trademark wink. "Vacation's over, buddy; it's time to make ourselves useful again!"

Fin