Following Blondie

Chapter Five: Two Transports

The winds had picked up in the past few hours of sailing. Aryll and her small Korok companion were no longer enjoying placid seas. The waves had picked up, and the wind howled as their makeshift boat cut through the water.

"What's that white stuff up ahead?" Aryll had to raise her voice to scream back to Makar.

Makar leaned forward. "Fog, I suppose," he judged, trying to get a better look. "I don't like the feeling of this…"

Aryll frowned. "Me neither."

They sailed on in silence. Aryll then voiced something that had been bothering her.

"Makar, what's Fado like?" Aryll had been worried, from Makar's description of the demigod, that he would be some really scary, all-powerful monstrosity.

"Oh, he's all right, I guess," Makar said in an offhand kind of way, facing the oncoming fog, "I don't really know him. Or, well, at all. I saw him for a few seconds when I went with your brother to the Wind Temple. He played violin well enough."

Aryll gaped.

"Um…what?"

Makar turned to fully look at her, and Aryll only stared in shock before saying, "Wait a minute…so you know absolutely nothing about this guy?"

Makar shifted uneasily. "That's right."

Aryll stood up in the small boat, and yelled, "WHAT? This is crazy! We've come all this way for someone who might not give a flying fig about the weather, or Link, or…or ANYTHING! How do you even know he'll help us? I must've been nuts to do this! We have no idea what we're do—AH!"

Standing up in the leaf had not been the most intelligent of choices, and so halfway through her rant Aryll toppled overboard into the oddly murky water. It would have been a comical situation, had Aryll been able to swim.

"Aryll!" Makar yelled, as he leaned over the side of the seacraft. He frantically scanned the dissipating bubbles, looking for the telltale blonde hair that was sure to emerge any second.

Then the wind picked up.

"AHAHAHAHA!"

Raucous laughter filled Makar's eardrums, seeming to come from everywhere at once. Whipping his head left and right, searching for the source of the cackling, he couldn't suppress a whimpered, "No…" as the leaf was jerked savagely forward. The small 'boat' was then forced into a vicious circle, at the center of which appeared to be a gigantic tornado.

Makar was torn from his leaf, and it floated gently to rest on the water. Desperately, he screamed for Aryll, praying she had somehow surfaced.

The tiny forest sprite was lifted into the air by powerful updrafts, until a billowing pink cloud came into sight, atop which rested what seemed to be a giant frog.

Makar realized in shock that this frog was the creature that had been laughing. He looked down and saw his leaf resting gently on the foamy waves…but no Aryll.

"Please!" he cried wildly, panicked, to the frog-thing, "Please help Aryll!"

The frog only laughed. "I don't know any Aryll! And why would I help YOU?"

Makar tried to yank himself away from the cyclone, but only ended up closer than he had been. "You don't understand! She'll drown! Please, help…us…"

Makar trailed off, staring at something behind the giant frog. The frog, wondering as to the cause of his victim's vacant stare, turned around a second too late.

He had only a glimpse of a small, drenched girl who reminded him for an instant of someone he couldn't quite remember before she let go of the…leaf…holding her aloft and dropping herself onto his head.

"Aargh! Get—off—!" the frog grunted, trying to grab the little girl who had crawled over his head and was trying to gouge out his eyes.

Finally, he grew tired of trying to grasp the slippery child and screamed, "FINE!" Then he dispelled the twister he had created.

The girl clinging to his head let go in surprise, tumbling off of him and into the open air.

Aryll stared ahead of her with wide eyes. For a second she was suspended in mid-air, trying to adjust to the feeling of really having nothing supporting her. Then she fell.

The frog-deity watched as, likewise, the small forest creature that had been previously supported by wind alone was left to fly on his own. Fortunately for him, though, the little plant-man seemed able to handle the situation, projecting a propeller-like device and beginning to descend slowly to the sea.

The little girl was not so lucky. Her leaf had blown away in the struggle, and it appeared that she could not fly.

"Save her!" Makar yelled, feeling strangely guilty as he watched Aryll plummet to her imminent doom as he watched from his helpless, elevated state.

Makar watched in horror as, for a moment, the wind deity did not seem to even take notice of his plea. Instead the frog looked at Aryll in mild interest as she zoomed screamingly down to what was sure to kill her. No human girl could survive that fall.

Then, quite literally, a second before impact, the frog zipped down to the ocean surface to have Aryll land safely in his…cloud.

Makar let out an audible sigh, as he waited patiently for his own descent.

Aryll, meanwhile, lay immobile on the insubstantial platform that had rescued her. She breathed heavily, trying to get over the useless rush of adrenaline that had flooded her senses in the presence of certain death.

She sat up and gazed at the giant frog before her for a long, drawn-out moment, and wished that Makar would fall faster.

Aryll addressed the frog-thing the second Makar landed, thinking that maybe somehow there was strength in numbers, and that she just felt better facing the cloud-borne creature with someone on her side.

"Why did you save me?" she asked bemusedly, pushing dripping-wet hair out of her eyes and staring up at the giant, magenta frog.

The frog looked down at her and said simply, "I remembered who you reminded me of."

Aryll was silent, as was Makar. Neither needed to ask who the frog was talking about. Then the giant creature then added—

"I am Cyclos. I am master of these winds, and I want to know what you were doing in my territory."

Aryll stared down at the fluffy pink material of the cloud. She tried to touch it, but it felt like nothing more than air. It was strange.

"I'm Aryll. This is Makar." She pointed behind her to the Korok, who nodded in greeting. "We're trying to find my brother, Link. He disappeared over a year ago…have you seen him?" As an afterthought, she added, "Oh, and I'm sorry for trying to poke your eyes out. I thought you were trying to kill us."

Cyclos nodded solemnly and laughed a dry, humorless laugh. "Your brother actually tried the same thing when he came across me…only he used arrows. Those hurt a little more than fingers."

Aryll gulped. Something about Cyclos's manner was unsettling. He didn't sound friendly. Questions flashed through Aryll's mind at an alarming rate, each thought more troubling than the last. Was he out for revenge? Was he mad that Link had shot him? Did he think killing Aryll would get back at Link?

Link, you moron…

Aryll mentally slapped herself for that thought a moment after it crossed her mind. Her brother always acted for the greater good. He wouldn't have hurt anyone unless they deserved it. Which actually didn't make her feel any better about her current situation.

If it was just her, it would have been bad. But this…this was way worse. She was putting poor, innocent Makar at risk too, and it was all her fault. What was Makar getting out of all this? Nothing. Except a miserable stay in a tomb and possibly navigable seas…

Cyclos, noticing her consternation, boomed at Aryll, "No, don't worry about it. I like you. I gave Link the Ballad of Gales for successfully attacking me…so what shall I give you?"

Aryll just stared, trying to abruptly force herself into the mindset that she wasn't going to die a horrible death and take Makar with her.

"I know!" Cyclos exclaimed with a laugh, "I'll take you anywhere you want. Link had some limits. You can go absolutely anywhere, but it's only a one-time offer, so choose your destination wisely."

The first place that popped into Aryll's head was, obviously, Gale Isle. But another thought stopped her.

"Can you take me to Link?"

Tetra got off her ship and onto dry land not a moment too soon. She could have kissed the sandy beach of Dragon's Roost…only she didn't, because that would have been an awful example to set for her crew.

Instead, she gruffly motioned towards the top of the mountain, indicating they should all start marching. So they did.

It had been only reasonable to journey to Dragon's Roost first, Tetra mused as they trekked up the hill to the village. They were in charge of postal service, so they must have been able to get some sort of transportation in order. She could call in a favor for saving the Great Sea and all.

Granted, the Ritos didn't exactly know that she'd been involved in that whole escapade, but she'd mention Link's name and see where it got her…and if not, they were pirates…

The bottom line was that Tetra was no way sailing all the way to Forest Haven in these conditions. And no way was she taking her men with her. They could stay…somewhere, she didn't care. But they couldn't come. This was personal, and plus, it was dangerous. She knew her men could take on tons of dumb, horded enemies, but supernaturally, they were totally defenseless. At least she had the Triforce of Wisdom on her side.

Tetra fiddled with the necklace idly as she and her men ascended the final steps to the Rito village and stepped inside.

Immediately upon entry, a Rito girl took notice of the crew. Tetra smirked. How could anyone not notice a motley band of pirates standing in their doorway?

The girl ran up to her.

"Are you…Tetra?" she asked, earning a slightly surprised look from the pirate captain.

Tetra quickly resumed her menacing, smarmy expression in an instant, however, and returned, "What's it to you?"

The girl quirked an eyebrow and responded, "I'm Medli. I've been doing some research…" Tetra wondered briefly if this denoted the breaking-into of other peoples letters. There was nothing preventing the Ritos from reading everyone else's mail, after all, "You are looking for Link, am I correct?"

Tetra warily replied, "Yeah…"

Medli motioned over her shoulder, turning around. "Come with me."

Tetra stepped forward, and her crew did the same. She looked back at them.

"Not this time, you all go mill around…I dunno…talk to the locals, whatever. Just don't bother me."

She then turned and followed Medli down a short hallway to a door that looked like someone had intended to etch some sort of bird into the framework…and failed…miserably.

Medli opened the door and beckoned Tetra inside. It was obviously someone's bedroom, Tetra thought, looking around. Clearly, though, not Medli's. For one thing, there were weapons placed at strategic points throughout the room. Medli did not seem to be the fighter type. That much was evidenced by the harp slung onto her back. Unless she used it to smash people over the head with.

"This is Prince Komali's room," Medli said, as if reading Tetra's mind. "No one ever comes in here, so we can talk pretty safely in private. The spears are a bit much, but to each his own, I suppose."

Tetra, not one for small talk, then quipped, "You said something about me looking for Link…?"

Medli got serious very quickly. "Yes, you might be interested to know that his sister is doing exactly the same thing. Except she ran into some trouble and almost got herself killed. She's closer to finding him than you are, though. You see…" Medli paused at this point, looking apprehensive.

"You need two people to get where Link is. Aryll doesn't know this, but she's unwittingly set out to retrieve one of those people. The two I am referring to are the dead ancestors of myself and the Korok, Makar. Aryll has Makar with her. They're going to Gale Isle to exchange Makar for Fado, the wind god."

Tetra was finding it a little hard to keep up with Medli…who two people? Did Medli know where Link was? Why the hell did Aryll leave her island? …But she got the basic gist. And she didn't like where this was heading…

"On the other hand, Laruto, the earth god, the other being you need in order to rescue Link, is situated on Headstone Isle. In order for Laruto to be resurrected, I am the one who must be sacrificed."

Medli appeared finished, and leaned back against the wall. She fiddled with her harp and waited for Tetra's reaction. She half-expected the other girl to say that no, thanks, she could do this without help.

Tetra, however, was stuck on the word 'rescue.'

"What do you mean, 'rescue' Link? What happened to him? You know! I know you do! You know were he is! Tell me!" It was all Tetra could do to not beat the information out of Medli.

"Calm down," Medli said quickly, wondering if it was a good idea after all to be in a secluded room…with no witnesses.

"Where. Is. He." Tetra measured out each word carefully, narrowing her eyes into slits.

"I don't know." Medli admitted with a sigh, "But I know what I do from Zephos, a wind deity. He knows something, but he isn't telling. I don't know why. I got the impression from talking to him that he wanted to tell me, but he…couldn't."

Tetra gazed sullenly at Medli, not satisfied with the information given to her. As Medli asked, "Well, do you want me to come with you? It's the only way," Tetra was certain, now more than ever, that Link's disappearance was not an accident.