ABOARD THE BIRI

Kin shivered in the predawn chill that pervaded her damp, wooden cell. Beneath her, the floor slowly bucked to and fro. She sat on the one splintery bench that doubled as both seat and bed, and she nibbled on the stale bread that was her breakfast.

Three days ago, she had been buried alive in the remains of Mother Isle. She was screaming for Link when she heard a pop! and she suddenly appeared on the deck of a large, four-masted galleon. A galleon full of pirates.

After the initial excitement created by a half-dead bard materializing aboard their ship, the pirates had locked Kin in the brig until the captain could decide what best to do with her. The first night, she had struggled not to panic – women at sea were rare, and she'd heard horrible stories about ladies being captured and misused by roving pirate crews; the second night, she had been too cold to fret much; and by the third day, she felt more annoyed than anything. How long did they intend to keep her locked up? It was cold, she was slowly collecting splinters all over her bruised body, and her stomach was complaining about the barely edible bread they kept feeding her. She half wished they would just sell her to a slaver and be done with it – at least a slaver would keep her healthy.

The pirates hadn't bothered keeping a crewman posted outside her cell – even if she could escape, where would she go? Needless to say, after three days she had become bored.

"THEY SAY OLD MAN YOUR FIRST HORSE WILL DIE
AND THEY SAY SO AND THEY HOPE SO
OH POOR OLD MAN YOUR FIRST HORSE WILL DIE
OH POOR OLD MAN!"

It was the most obnoxious and repetitive song Kin knew, and she sang it as loudly as she could.

"SECOND VERSE!

THEY SAY OLD MAN YOUR SECOND HORSE WILL DIE

AND THEY SAY SO AND THEY HOPE SO

OH POOR OLD MAN YOUR SECOND HORSE WILL DIE

OH POOR OLD MAN!"

A crewman stuck his head through the hatch.

"Shut yer damn yap, she-whore! I swear on Din's ass I'll feed you to the octorocks!"

Kin stuck her tongue out at him and kept singing. "THEY SAY OLD MAN YOUR THIRD HORSE WILL DIE!" She knew the crewman couldn't hurt her. Only the captain had the key to her cell. The man spat in her direction and retreated to the deck above. Kin chuckled; it gave her a certain joy to torment her captors, even if it meant she might be worse off later.

Sighing, she lay back down on the splintery bench. I wonder what happened to the swordsman? She didn't know how she had escaped from Mother Isle, and she hardly dared to hope Link might have been saved as well. And to think...he was the Hero of Time! She could still hardly believe it. If she ever found him again, she was going to chain herself to his leg. No way she would pass up on shadowing someone around whom fate swirled so heavily. Don't you be dead, Swordsman! If you don't give me what I need to write my epic, I'll kill you myself!

Kin closed her eyes, letting the scene from within Mother Isle replay in her mind.

The climb up the mountain had been torturous. Early that morning, Kin had snuck aboard the dinghy that she knew would be used to ferry the swordsman to Mother Isle and had hidden underneath some old rags. When the three men had beached at the mountainous island, she had quietly slipped off the side of the small rowboat and swam a ways along the shore. From there, it was a simple, yet grueling matter of tailing Link up the mountain. Luckily, the trail curved to and fro enough that Kin almost never had to worry that she might be seen, but there were several times that she lost her footing and was nearly sent flying off the side of the mountain – and no one would ever have known.

By sunset, she had accrued horrible blisters on her hands, a nearly debilitating thirst, and a rather large lump on her head from where a pebble – dislodged, no doubt, by the swordsman on the trail above her – had hit her. She was miserable. Then – suddenly – the path had turned into the mountain. As she peered into the dark cave, she noticed the swordsman's pack leaning against the wall near an empty torch socket. Kin almost cried with relief when she saw the water canteen. It wasn't until she had emptied the bottle that Kin began making her way into the cave.

It was slow going. The tunnel was darker than night – Kin couldn't even see her hand before her face – and the floor was uneven, catching her feet and sending her to her knees more times than she could count. By the time she entered the large cavern with the fairy queen, she was bruised and bleeding.

Kin thought back to what had happened in the cavern. There was so much she didn't understand. Who was Vaati? What did he want? Kin shivered thinking about the strange man; he had scared her – made her feel fear deep in her chest. At the same time though, he made her curious. If he was truly as old as he claimed then he had stood witness to thousands of years of history – history that had been sparsely recorded at best.

There was something else too. As she died, Venus kept saying something about the Sands of Time. "The Sands of Time," Kin muttered to herself as she lay in her cell. "Where have I heard that before?"

There were too many mysteries surrounding the swordsman. Kin giggled with excitement. She couldn't wait to unravel them all.

Several hours later, when the sun was just beginning to drop toward the horizon, a commotion on the deck above woke Kin from the light sleep she had fallen into. She couldn't make out what was being said, but it sounded like the captain's voice. The man looked like a colored rag ball, but Kin knew that beneath it all he was a ruthless killer and should be handled with care. Cheering erupted, followed by a cacophony of activity. Trepidation beset Kin as the hatch to the brig was opened; had her fate been decided?

Through the trapdoor descended the captain – his girth filling the small space – followed closely by his chief mate, a silent yet dangerous man named Rogir, and another figure she couldn't quite make out behind them. She tried to make herself small and unworthy of notice.

"This be the brig," Captain Teas said as his bulk wiggled down the stairs. "It most always be used to keep...guests...we're bartering for ransom. If we cross waters with a merchant vessel as we head west, you may see some o' that for yerself." Teas coughed loudly, then spat. "Right now we have but the one guest, and an odd one at that."

"How's that?" the third man asked, clearly uninterested.

Kin shifted, that voice had sounded familiar. As the trio walked into the light before her cell, the third man became visible. She gasped.

"Swordsman?!"

Link barely even looked at her.

"You know this wench, fool?"

Link shook his head. "I've never seen her before."

"Swordsman!" Kin called out again, confusion washing over her. "Link!"

"What was that she called you?" the captain pressed, his suspicion growing. Rogir put a hand on his sword.

"I have no idea. My name is Telun – named for my sire." Link turned to Kin. There was no recognition of her in his eyes. "My name's Telun, wench. Don't forget it."

His derision hit Kin like a fist, completely dissolving the joy she had felt at seeing him alive. Why was he being so cold? Was this really the swordsman she knew? Telun...wasn't that the name of one of the sailors aboard the Zephos? Kin thought. What's going on?

After a moment of silence, Rogir slowly let his hand fall away from his sword.

"Something be funny here," Teas said, slowly looking between the swordsman and Kin. "I don't know what game you're playing, fool, but know that if I find you castin' yer own line behind my back, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Link shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know her." A dangerous edge crept into his voice. "And don't think I would be so easy to kill…captain. I wouldn't brandy such threats so freely in untested waters, if you understand my meaning."

The two men locked eyes. Kin could practically taste the tension. Neither man backed down an inch.

Suddenly, Teas broke out in laughter. "I like the cut o' yer jib, boy! You'd make a half-fine captain with another score of years on you."

Kin let go of a deep breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Behind the swordsman, she saw Rogir relax slightly and slide his cutlass back into its sheath.

"I'm afraid that's not my game, captain. I know how to wield a blade, not a crew."

"Aye, that's why I hired you, fool. Don't forget it."

Link nodded, then turned again toward Kin. "I admit I am curious as to why this poor girl thinks she knows me. You said she was an odd guest?"

"Aye; she appeared on deck three suns ago during port watch." The captain looked like he was searching for the right phrase. "She just...appeared...out of the sky, looking like she'd been trampled by a packhorse." He shook his head. "Magic be a dangerous thing. Every bone in my body says I ought to tie her to a cannonball, toss her overboard, and be done with it, but it be against my nature to waste when there's a profit to be made. We'll be keepin' her aboard as a guest until we reach the western islands, then I'll sell her to a slaver and it'll be someone else's problem."

Kin cringed. So she was destined for slavery. Better than the alternative, I suppose.

"Magic," the swordsman said it like he would a curse. "I've seen more than my share of it, and I'd sooner sink a red rupee than face it again." Link paused, looking at Kin. "But I'd wager this wench is the victim of a magician, not one herself. Otherwise she'd have disappeared days ago."

Teas grunted.

"If my experience is anything to rely on," Link continued, "I don't think you have anything to worry about; there's no magic in this one."

What is he doing? Kin wondered. Does he really not recognize me, or is he planning something? She could barely stand it. 'Just break me out of here already!' she wanted to yell. For the moment though, she decided to hold her tongue. Either he's lost his mind, or he's up to something, she finally concluded. Whichever it is, saying anything to him again and raising the captain's suspicions won't get me anywhere. Besides, she concluded, it sounds like I'm safe for the moment.

Teas turned back toward the stairs that led to the upper decks. "Mayhap you be right, fool. Mayhap. Don't be gettin' any foul ideas though; this cell stays locked, and the key stays with me." Link followed Teas and Rogir up the wooden steps and through the hatch. "We set sail within the hour. I'll have me mate show you to yer bunk and you'll meet the other hired swords."

"Dry accommodations, I trust?" Link asked.

Just before the swordsman climbed through the hatch and out of sight, Kin thought she saw a speck of light shine back at her from beneath the back of his long green cap.

"What's going on?" she whispered to herself, her head spinning. "What in Farore's name is going on?"

Laying down, Kin closed her eyes. Despite everything, she was still happy to see Link alive. Now she just had to wait and hope he was here to help her.

"Mysteries within mysteries." Kin smiled.