Niko was, needless to say, pleased.
"A whole week with you? Great!"
"Time to work on boiled pork with Sawsay sauce, eh?" I said playfully.
"YES!" Niko shouted. This was an inexpensive and delicious meal, but somewhat difficult to get the pork just right. Tetra was surprising me now, though. She invited me out that night, after dinner, to gaze at the stars.
"Look at that constellation, link. Look familiar?" she asked. I shrugged. "That's the Hero's belt. Modeled after the very belt you wear now." We spent the evening identifying Star patterns. And so, another week passed, my days full. On my last morning, I told Tetra that I'd join them after I knew Aryll was safe.
"Link! What made you change your mind?" she asked. I explained what had happened to my mother. "Oh. I wish you'd told me that before now, Link. This…" she turned away. "This changes things."
"Why? I trust you guys, Tetra! I know you aren't connected to the pirates that killed my mother." I said.
"No. We're not." She said, putting a strange emphasis on the word "We're". Then she turned and looked me in the eye. "Link… The Forsaken Fortress… It's the base of the Pirates of Bone. By the description you gave me, the Pirates of Bone were the ones who raided your island seven years ago." I stared at her. For the entire trip, I'd forgotten my hatred of pirates. About my mother. Now, here I was, finding out that I was about to unwittingly meet them again. "We can still retreat, Link. You don't have to face them today."
"No." I said, trying to fit all my hatred and fear into that one word. "I go now. For mom. For Aryll. For everyone." Tetra didn't try to argue.
"Then go see Gonzo. You're going to need the best he can offer to beat the pirates of bone." I nodded.
"What? You need to learn all you can today? Link, if you want to know, come back after rescuing Aryll. You won't need the best moves for simply sneaking in and running out. Besides, you'll need more than a sword to beat that bird." Gonzo laughed after saying this. I stared at him.
"The Pirates of Bone killed my mother, and my father went missing seven years ago looking for her. I'm going to need all I can get, because I'm going to kill them all." I said it so quietly and with such confidence that instead of arguing, Gonzo drew his sword. He charged at me. But that rush happened again, and with one fell swoop I struck Gonzo in the side, leaving a gash there, causing blood to flow onto the deck, and making him release his sword. It flew out of his grasp and plunged into the sea. I stared at the river of blood that was spurting upon the deck. Then, I turned. The Forsaken Fortress was there, on the horizon. I grabbed a barrel from one of the sides of the ship and leapt into the water. Floating on the barrel, and kicking my feet to propel myself forward, I headed for the fortress. I finally floated under the wooden gate into the fortress itself. It was built like a ring, with towers of dark stone climbing to the sky. Bright skylights rained down from the towers, and the walls were lined with cannons. At the highest point was a ruined galley of an enormous ship. I recognized it as the galley I had stared at as I emerged from under my house seven years ago. New rage filled my limbs, and I kicked over to the inner dock. As I climbed up, I pulled the barrel with me. Searchlights lit the stairway along the ring to the interior, lighting up numerous guards. I could use this barrel as a disguise. I removed the top, and found… My old Green clothes! What were they doing in a barrel? But I remembered my grandmother's pride in my wearing them…
As I stepped, in my green tunic and under a barrel with eyeholes cut out, unto the stairway. Suddenly, I felt a blast of light and heat. I threw the barrel off just in time before it engulfed in flames. At my feet was a lantern, and before me… an enormous monster. Now, as I said, I hate pigs. That's my sister's thing; I just see pigs as problems. So imagine my reaction at the sight of a huge monster with a pig's head and a razor-sharp spear. I raised my shield in time to deflect his swing, and followed it up with a thrust of my blade to its head, piercing it between the eyes. But as I watched it reel in pain, then become a puff of purple smoke, I heard a grunt from behind me. Suddenly, everything blacked out.
When I awoke, I was stranded in a cell. Wooden bars held me in place, and many more pig-monsters awaited beyond them. They were laughing.
"Dinner time soon for lucky Moblins!" One giggled. The name rang through my head. Moblin. Suddenly, the bars and walls melted around me. I was in a forest, and the boy from my last vision was standing beside me. Before us was a Moblin. The boy smiled at me. Then, a blue-hilted sword appeared in his hand. He charged forward. The Moblin raised a spear that also came from nowhere.
"A Moblin is a large, spear-totting monster, a old favorite of our enemy's." The boy said. "Typically used as guards. Never attempt hand-to-hand with them from the front, their spears can take you by surprise. Employ lots of evasion when facing them. If you don't have a weapon, try to stick close to walls. They'll swing at you, lose their spears, and you can use them. Also, if in a group, Moblins can accidentally hit one another rather easily."
"Who are you?" I asked him. "How do you know this?" He smiled.
"I'm… well, you can call me 'Time'. As for how I know… well, you're not the first hero to face them. I'll leave it at that, okay?" He smiled at me like Tetra always did, complete with the wink. "Bye for now… Wind."
I shook my head.
"What now, little boy? No want to be eaten?" One of the Moblins sneered. I smirked.
"Better to be eaten by a pig than be one." I said, trying my best to imitate Niko when he was taunting me. One of the Moblins growled. "Whatsa matter, pig-face? Hungry now? I think I got some bacon in my pocket!" A Moblin snarled at me. Then, my plan worked; he threw a lantern at me. My wooden bars burnt down, and I burst through them, clinging to the walls. Sure enough, the Moblins started to swing wildly; they had no control. One dropped his spear as his backside was pierced by another's spear point. I picked it up by the end, it was surprisingly light. I threw it with all my strength at a Moblin's head. It went clear through and into the injured Moblin, reducing them both to purple ash.
"Now you're thinking, Hero of Time." Said a voice. I whirled around to face… a man, dressed all in black. His flowing robes were littered with golden lettering. He had a very dark complexion, and a ruby was upon his forehead. His orange beard and hair seemed to have life of their own as the flowed along his face. His blood red eyes stared coldly at me.
"Huh?" was all I could say. He laughed at me. Suddenly, the ceiling gave way as the massive bird from before burst unto the scene. It struck at me, grabbing me with it's beak.
"Bring him to the top, Halem." The large man from before said. The bird took flight, carrying me with it. Suddenly, I was thrown against the wooden floor of a pirate ship hull, atop the fortress. "So nice of the Pirates Of Bone to lend me their old fortress, don't you think?" the man asked me. "Of course, dead men need no place to hide, but still, I appreciate the thought."
"You… Killed the pirates of bone?" I asked.
"Yes, boy. About eight years ago." My stomached turned at this. The evil that stood before me… it was responsible for the death of my mother! Rage filled my system. I felt a familiar rush flow through my veins, but I did nothing… yet. "Do you ever wonder why, child?" He asked.
"Why what?" I yelled.
"Why I chose Outset Island. Why only your mother had to die. Why your sister was the one taken. Why, Hero? What reason would I have?" He laughed as he said this. My fists clenched.
"Why?" was all I said. He grinned.
"To infect you. Your hatred of me would turn you from your precious Light and make you just like me. To make you understand me!" He reached out his hand to me. "Now, we're not so different, you and I. Both of us have a bitter hatred, but one we have for good reason. Our golden power should see that. But no! If you fought me, you'd see. Your light is gone, off to go leech someone else's life!" I chose that moment to swing, He pulled a curved sword as if from nowhere to block the strike, but he did not imagine the power I put behind it. It was knocked to the side, and I stabbed at him. He used another sword to parry me, and I fell back. Then, without fully understanding what I was doing, I started to swing without any hesitation, blocking with my shield and slicing at the man. He blocked my every stroke with ease. Suddenly, I was grabbed by two powerful, unmoving objects; the bird's beak! It hoisted me into the air, and threw me off into the ocean. As I fell, my life flashed before my eyes.