Link sighed and looked straight into her eyes. "I don't know what to believe in anymore," he said, "Besides, I'm doing this for the sake of everyone on the island. Isn't it that what you wanted?"
"Though what you have is so small and unknown will one day be something great."
Tetra was confused, "I don't understand... how am I not alone?"
"A child!" A fairy squeaked, "We love your baby, Princess."
Tetra woke up the next morning, hair all over the place and body sore from sleeping in such random positions. She was glad for one thing however, she didn't feel quite as ill as she had the day before. She sighed with relief and looked around, wondering if Link had come to bed at all. She wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't, too busy with that woman, Markada. She felt a little bit betrayed.
Link had indeed went to bed, but he had gotten up earlier in the morning to sit outside and watch the sunrise. He had been thinking about the events that had occurred in the past few days, especially the decision he had made. He wondered if he had done the right thing. Link gazed at the ominous ship docked at the island, standing out amongst the seemingly idyllic scenery. He wondered if Tetra would want to sit with him at all that morning.
After doing her hair, Tetra walked out of the house and found Link watching the sunrise. For a moment she remembered the revelation she had the day before and wondered if she should bring it to his attention, but she stopped herself short. It wasn't the right time.
She sat down next to him and laid her hands in her lap.
"Good morning..." She whispered.
"Good morning," Link answered, surprised to see her up, "How are you doing this morning? Feeling any better?" He wanted to take his mind off of the situation at hand and hoped talking with his wife would do the trick.
"Doing a little better," Tetra replied, watching the sunrise and ignoring the scary-looking ship parked at their usual spot, "I don't feel as sick as I did yesterday. How about you?"
Link sighed, reaching for her hand and squeezing it tightly, "I have something to talk to you about. I figured... it would be best to talk to you before anyone else. You are my wife, after all."
Tetra frowned, it must have been serious. "Is there something you haven't told me?" She asked, "What is it?"
"I have been thinking," Link began, "Now that I have joined them, I might use this as an opportunity to find out what is going on and why it is happening."
"What?" Tetra asked, confused, "You're saying that you're going to spy on them while working for them?" She didn't know whether it was a stroke of genius or had he gone crazy.
"That's the plan." Link whispered, "I'll follow the tactics... but that way I can plan for something bigger. Tetra," He took both of her hands, "I'm begging you. Please, support me all the way."
She looked a little concerned but then a smile came on her face and she winked with an added smirk he'd hoped to see.
"Alright, you've got my support and that of our crew."
"Thank you," Link said, smiling, "You don't know how much it means to me." He gave her a kiss on her forehead. Maybe this will be only way he'll atone for what he did.
Little did he know that Tetra was thinking of plan. It might put her and their unborn child at risk, but there was no way she'd let him go at it alone!
"Link, I'm going to join as well. You can't do this alone." She replied, feeling a slight wave of nausea hit her like a rock in the pit of her stomach. She winced slightly and turned away so he wouldn't see her bothered expression. "And don't even tell me no! I'm not some pampered princess and I don't want to stay in hiding while all of this is happening."
Link chuckled, knowing there was no stopping Tetra once she put her mind into something. "Then I guess I would have to talk to Markada about this," he said, "And I think it's a good thing you decided to join!"
"And why is that?" Tetra asked, having a sneaky feeling on what it was.
"I think she's flirting with me," Link said, feeling embarrassed, "It was almost as if she were seducing me! And frankly, it made me uncomfortable." He shuddered at Markada's subtle advances now that he was with Tetra.
"Hmm..." Tetra flopped back, "We'll see what she does when she realizes once and for all that you are indeed, a married man." She smirked, "I promise, she'll regret the day she touches you, if she ever does. Stupid woman."
Link laughed even harder at the though of Tetra giving Markada a piece of her mind. "If it ever happens, don't hold back!" he said, feeling a little better, "And I would like to watch if you don't mind."
"Of course I would!" Tetra chuckled, "I'll leave some of her for you if you don't mind!" She was happy that they managed to cheer each other up though she had a nagging concern about the baby. She wondered if telling him about it would just add to his worries.
Tetra felt a sting go up her arm when she shook Markada's hand. It felt so wrong, so horribly wrong to shake this woman's hand. She may not have been the head of the Svain Army but she certainly wasn't a good person either.
"Welcome to the army, Tetra." She said, smiling triumphantly. There was no warmth in her smile, just cold pride. She snatched her hand back and rubbed on it as if it'd been squeezed too hard. She didn't like this anymore than Link did, but it was worth it... she hoped.
Link waited until Tetra came out of the cabin with a disgusted look on her face. "That woman..." she hissed, "I swear, she's probably worse than every monster in the Great Sea put together! I'd rather be eaten by a BigOcto than be stuck in the same room as her!"
Link stepped back, not wanting to get in Tetra's way. There were a few times he had seen her this angry and he learned the hard way not to bother her at this time. The only he could do was wait for her to cool off. "I know exactly how you feel," he said, "Imagine the relief I had when I was finally away from that woman."
Tetra took several deep breaths to calm herself, having the feeling her anger probably wasn't good for the baby. It took a while before she finally calmed down. "Ah, I feel much better now," she sighed in relief, "Any longer and I would have given her a piece of my mind." She soon felt Link's arms around her and sighed with relief.
"Just keep it calm right now and soon enough it will be over." He said, "For now we should prepare ourselves for the trip and think about what we'll say if any islanders we know along the way meet up with us. Maybe if we can we can grip a couple more islands, like Dragon Roost or Windfall. I hate to be doing this..." He stopped talking and looked away.
Tetra reached up and touched her husband's cheek. "I know," she said, "But hopefully it'll be worth it in the long run." She looked right into eyes intently. "And besides, I'll be around to remind you of why you were here in the first place!"
Link chuckled, feeling a little better. "I hope so," he replied, "I just wonder how our old friends would react when they see us like this." He frowned at the thought of them reacting the same way Tetra and Aryll did. He glanced momentarily at his right sleeve of his new tunic with the Svainian crest embroidered in. Tetra had an arm band with the same crest. The crest itself consisted of three red circles arranged in a triangular formation with the top two circles connected with an upward curving line. In between the top two and the bottom one were two swirls that seemed to intertwine. The crest wasn't nearly as appealing as the Hylian crest, but they only had to bear it for a little while.
Aryll felt her eyes burning after Link and Tetra spoke with she and Grandmother about the situation. It was too much to take in and they all felt the stress.
"T-Tetra, why you?" Aryll asked, body shaking.
"It's something I feel like I must do right now... but I won't be gone long." For a moment, her mind trailed to the baby nestled inside her. She knew it would be dangerous.
"Don't worry, we'll come back as soon as we can," Link said as he held his sister's hands, "Until then, I want you to look after Grandma for us." He felt sad, knowing that he will miss them.
"I will," Aryll said as tears ran down her face, "Just be careful out there. You too, Tetra. And please..." She paused for a moment to sniff and wipe her face before finishing, "Come back safely."
"We will," Tetra said, trying to be encouraging despite her worries, "You and Grandma just hang in there, we'll be back before you know it!" She wanted to think positive, but the nagging worries seemed to make it impossible.
On the last day it seemed like time just flew right past them. The sun was setting and the two sat watching it on the summit. Link was holding Tetra and they were both quiet.
The cool sea breeze blew by, ruffling their hair as they sat together. "I can't believe we're going to be leaving tomorrow," Link murmured, his arm around Tetra, "I personally wish they'd given us more time to be here."
"I know," Tetra replied, "But it's the way they operate, I guess. I assume we're going to be taken in for training." It was the best guess she could ever come up for why they had to leave so soon.
Link nodded, "I can be certain of that, but I'm sure it will all be fine. We're strong and capable of doing this, I know it."
She gulped. Capable wasn't exactly on her list of the things she was at that point, not with the baby coming along. She squeezed his hands and tried to keep herself calm.
"Besides, we have been through tough situations before," Link said, sensing her concern, "And this is no different. We will get though this, don't worry."
Yeah we did, Tetra thought as she snuggled closer to him, But we weren't expecting a child then, nor have been recruited to their side. She wondered how this will play out in the coming days. "I hope so," Tetra said, tightening her grip on Link's hands, "I'm just worried that something might go wrong and-"
"Don't say that," Link said, cutting her off, "This isn't like you. We have to think positive on this." He wondered what has gotten into Tetra lately. He knew it wasn't like her to worry so much, normally she jumped up and took charge. She'd been unusually hesitant.
"I know... sorry." She pursed her lips, "I'm fine, this just seems unreal." Everything, that had come up seemed unreal. Even the little baby she carried seemed unreal.
"I know what you mean," Link said as he watched the sun sink slowly into the horizon, "Ever since the Svain came, everything has been unreal. I just hope that when this is over, everything will go back to the way it was before or close to it."
Assuming if it does end, Tetra thought to herself. They sat side-by-side, touched by the dying rays of the sun as the day ended. They finally left when the sun was out of sight and it began to turn dark.
On the Svain army ship, Markada was filling out a report to send to her superiors. She was very glad that they'll be leaving Outset in the morning as she felt like killing someone if she had to stay for another day. Once we leave, I'm going to give whoever planned this a piece of my mind, she thought angrily, There is nothing of value on this backwater cesspool of an island! Markada was so frustrated she slammed her fist onto the table.
"Don't be so angry with yourself, Lady Markada. You did well on this venture, you gained two new soldiers in a day practically and tomorrow we set sail again." Tyran said, smile growing into quite the devious smirk.
"That's true," Markada said, her mood lightening a little, "And we can add this to our list of successes along with Windfall and Dragon Roost." She turned to Tyran, mirroring his smirk. "So, what's on the agenda?" she asked.
"For now, we are returning to one of our main bases to train the new recruits," Tyran replied, "As for future conquests, only our leader knows and he won't be revealing them anytime soon."
"Then we'll just have to make due with training our newest recruits as well as laying down the law," Markada said as she finished with her paperwork, "Hopefully, things will go according to plan."
Tyran smirked, "I'm certain it all will. These islands barely have anything against us and even if they had armies they would be too puny."
"You're right. We have nothing to worry about. Tomorrow we'll head to the base and begin the training. Although, that Link... I don't think he'll need much. But he still needs to learn the Svain codes."
"As you wish," Tyran said, leaving so he could make some arrangements for training and learning regimen for the new recruits. The room was silent, save for Markada rolling up the parchment once the ink had dried. "I wonder what my place will be in the new world to come?" she mused as she stowed the scroll away, "I know that our leader had promised us great rewards once his domination over The Great Sea was absolute, but I can't help but wonder if he was true to his word. Oh well." She took the lantern off its place on the wall and went to her quarters to turn in for the night.
The next morning was full of activity as the solders of the Svain army were ordering the islanders around to gather supplies for the trip back to one of their bases.
Tetra was feeling really sick that morning but tried to hide it. She wasn't sure if she would be able to for much longer however.
Markada was walking around, making sure everyone was doing their job. She had to stop occasionally to punish any islander who stopped to rest, but otherwise everything was shipshape and they would be leaving soon. "Everything is going according to schedule," she said in a satisfied tone, "Which is good because I am getting tired of this boring little island."
Link felt insulted when he heard the woman, but didn't say anything as it might blow his cover. He had been helping to make sure the supplies were packed up and ready, even helping out with the gathering, on the pretense of leaving sooner. But the actual truth was that he wanted to help out his people one last time before leaving.
But then a sound he would rather not have heard entered his ears and he looked around wondering where Tetra was at that moment. Just as he was about to run off looking for her he heard it again and managed to spot her at his left, on the shore. She was ill again.
"Oh Tetra..." Link said worryingly as he raced to her side, "Maybe you should take a rest, you're still sick and I don't want you to make it worse." He rubbed on her back as she retched some more.
Finally, Tetra felt her morning sickness pass and looked up at Link. "Thanks, but I'm fine," she said as she struggled to get up, "I know you're worried about me, but there are bigger things to worry about than my health."
"But without you... Tetra you mean so much to me, if you..." He wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. Link was about to help her back towards the ship but he couldn't blow cover and take her by the arm... it was dangerous.
Luckily, Tetra managed to get on her feet and was stumbling back to the ship. "I know," she said as she walked ahead, "And you mean so much to me as well. That's why I don't want you to worry so much." She didn't want anything bad to happen to Link, especially when she had yet to tell him about their child.
Hours later, the Svain ships left Outset Island as quickly as they appeared. It came as no surprise that the islanders were glad to see them go. The ships were heading for Windfall Island for a rest stop before continuing on to one of the bases for training the new recruits.
It'd been a day since they left and they were still sailing. Normally travel wouldn't even take that long if Tetra was on her own ship. She gave the band on her arm a disturbed look and made a pfft noise with her lips. Link was on duty watching the skies, he didn't want to but she knew he couldn't get out of it.
Suddenly, a cocky soldier came sidling up to Tetra. He had just a little bit too much drink as he was swaying back and forth. "Hey sweetcheeks!" he said, his speech slurred as he cast a leering gaze on Tetra, "You lookin' fer a good time on the high seas?" She felt nauseated at the stench of his foul breath and backed away. "C'mon, just a little kiss," the drunk soldier said, puckering up for a kiss.
Tetra looked annoyed beyond words and she reached up, grabbed his neck and glared at him as if she couldn't see past the flames in her eyes.
"I am a married woman, I am three months pregnant and unless you want to have a child on your hands as well I'd suggest never drinking again or you could very well get some woman pregnant too! Back... off!" She seethed.
The soldier took a step back, surprised by her fury. "Hey, hey," he said, holding his hands up in defense, "No need to get testy with me!" He was still backing away when he tripped over his own feet and fell backwards with a thud, knocking him out cold. The other soldiers, most of which were sober, got a good laugh at the unexpected show. Eventually, the laughter subsided enough for two of the soldiers to drag the drunkard off to the sick bay.
Tetra sighed, no one seemed to make a big deal out of her pregnancy. She laid a hand over her belly and frowned. "I'm sorry..."
Link heard the raucous laughter and climbed down the the crow's nest to see what was the matter. "Tetra?" he called as he approached her, "Is everything alright?"
Tetra jumped a little when she heard her husband's voice. "Y-yes," she stuttered a little, "Everything's alright, though a soldier tried to hit on me, but I took care of it!"
"Whatever you say..." Link said, baffled with Tetra's strange behavior, "Do you need to go lay down?"
"Link, I'm fine," Tetra said as she put her hand on his shoulder, "There's nothing to worry about right now, so relax." She didn't want him to worry excessively over her as it would complicate matters.
"Alright," Link said, confused as to why Tetra was acting this way.
Later in the day, Markada had called for a meeting below deck to discuss their destination. It was something Link and Tetra couldn't pass up as they could learn of of the state of the Great Sea as well as how far the army's reach extended.
Markada was sitting at the head of the table, looking at most of the soldiers assembled. "I bet you're wondering why I have called you here today," she said as she folded her arms, "Well, I'm informing all of you that we will be arriving on Windfall in a few days."
Link tried not to scoff. If their ships were a bit faster they would be there within a day or a few hours at this rate. He crossed his arms and sunk into the seat. Tetra looked like she was about to fall asleep.
"We'll be staying there for a few days to rest up before going to one of our bases for training," Markada continued, "Though there had been some incidents on Windfall that we may have to look into."
This had peaked Link and Tetra's interests. "What sort of incidents?" Link asked.
"There had been reports of supplies stolen as well as our ships vandalized," Markada answered, "Some of the more superstitious soldiers think ghosts did it, though to me it looked more like the work of rowdy teenagers."
Link made a face as he thought of teenagers on Windfall island. But then he kind of laughed on the inside when he realized just how grown up those little boys would probably look by now. He could only wonder if they still went by the Killer Bees or not.
Tetra could read Link's expression and tried not to laugh.
Luckily for them, Markada didn't seem to notice. "Which is why, upon landing, I will assign guard duty to the new recruits to watch for these pests," she said, "Though the culprits had been able to get through even the heaviest security. I want all of you to stay alert." She faced the new recruits, Link and Tetra included, and grinned. "Consider this your first assignment in our army."
"We got lucky." Link said as they went back to their bunks, he and Tetra weren't sharing a bunk unfortunately. Tetra was to share a bunk with women soldiers and she hated being separated.
"What do you plan on doing when we get there?" She asked.
Link looked around, "We'll talk about this later. Get some rest."
"Alright," Tetra said, glancing behind her, "Just tell me where to meet you and I'll be there."
"The storage area seems to be a good bet," Link replied, "Few people come down there and there's lots of cover." He did a quick look before facing Tetra. "We'll have to be quiet so we won't get caught."
Tetra nodded but the idea of doing that seemed kind of risky at best. She looked at her stomach for a moment and bit her lip, "Alright."
The two looked at each other for a moment and then left for their bunks. Tetra was already missing the warmth of Link's body by the time she walked in the room. Several women soldiers were already sleeping in their bunks as she got to hers. She laid down and put her hand on her belly, just staring into space. I hope we aren't in over our heads, Tetra thought, Especially when I haven't told him about the baby yet.