Chapter Eight

I'm blind folded, gagged and my hands are tied behind my back. Not to mention I'm terrified. I have no idea where I am or who I'm with. Whoever woke me up is definitely not Link.

My captor and I are on a horse and riding fast though the forest, with more horses flanking us. What's happening?

Then I hear a voice in the distance. "Nicole!"

Link!

"'E'll follow." A rough voice next to us says.

"That's the point, ya idiot!" The man with the grip on me says. "We want 'im to follow! Ganondorf'll reward us 'ighly when we return wit 'im. Maybe 'e'll even reward us for the little brat we 'ave 'ere." He shakes me hard.

My head spins. I want to yell out to Link not to follow, but I can only manage a grunt that doesn't carry far.

The man laughs. "Don't even try, brat."

Real fear hits me. These men aren't kidding. If I give them any reason, they'll kill me. This isn't a game.

The man laughs again. His laugh reminds me of nails on a chalkboard. "I can't believe 'e actually fell for that! What an idiot!"

The others laugh to. "Some 'ero!"

"Can't even keep one little girl safe!"

They must have tricked him. I hear him yell again. "Nicole!"

"But Captain," One of my captors says. "'Ow's 'e gonna know where we are?"

The man pauses in his laughter. "Uh, well, I didn't think of that..." We stop. He leans down and whispers in my ear. His breath is rancid. "I'm gonna untie yer gag. Yer gonna yell out ta 'im in a desperate little voice an' 'e'll follow us. But ya tell 'im it's a trap... an' we kill ya an' then go back an' kill 'im, ya 'ear?" I nod. He unties me.

For just a fraction of a second I consider warning Link. But I know this man isn't lying, he will kill us. Either way, there's going to be bloodshed.

"Link!" I manage to get out through my tears. "I'm here Link! Help!"

"Nicole! I'm coming!" He yells.

The man gags me again. "Good job, brat."

~X~

We've been riding for at least an hour. I know that Link is close by, but I don't know how close.

Finally we stop, and the man pushes me off the horse. I fall hard and yell out in pain. The man grabs my arm hard and forces me to my feet. He drags me up a flight of stairs, and enter what feels like a huge room. I'm tied to a pole.

"Now all we 'ave ta do is wait for the so-called 'ero." The man chuckles. He rips off my gag and blind fold. It's still dark out, but torches light the room we stand in. It reminds me of the Pirate Stronghold in Skyward Sword.

I study the face of my captor, with difficulty. He's hideous, with long stringy black hair topped with a pirate hat. And he has a smile that would give a dentist a heart attack and make a shark run for its mother. He's like a weird combination of Captain Hook and a zombie. "Welcome, brat, ta our the Pirate Stronghold, our loverly home. I be Salazar, Captain of the pirates. An' who you be? Not that it matters much since we're just gonna kill ya, yer no more use ta us."

"You're not going to win, you know." I burst out before thinking.

"Oh really?" The pirate says in mock surprise. "An' why would that be?"

"Because Link is made of more than you think. He's a hero. And he's fought off tougher enemies than you with ease."

The other pirates laugh. "Are ya kiddin'? The Captain alone could chew 'im up an' spit 'im back out! 'E doesn't stand a chance against us all."

Salazar smiles proudly. "That I would! 'E'd die within seconds."

So... these pirates have pride issues... I can work with that.

I laugh. "Yeah right! Link's going to chew you up and spit you back out! You're the ones who don't stand a chance. Especially you, Captain Ugly."

Salazar and the rest of the pirates go red in the face. "I'll 'ave ya know, brat, that I'm the best sword fighter there was in all of pirate 'istory!"

"Geez, 'e's become a little full of 'imself, don't ya think?" One pirate whispers to another.

"Who said that?!" Salazar whips out his sword.

"'E said it!" The pirates point at each other.

"Never mind you two," Salazar growls, and turns back to me. "As I was sayin', there's no one who could come close ta beating me!"

"Yeah, except Link."

The pirate yells out in anger and frustration. "'E would not!"

An idea comes to me. "Then prove it! Fight off five of your men... at the same time! Then I'll believe you." Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll run himself through with his own sword...

"I'll do it!" The pirate yells. "You! Stanly! Come 'ere! An' you! Bracken! 'Ere, now! Collin, Fist, you too! Now then, be there a volunteer?"

"Yeah," A familiar voice says from high above. The sound of a blade being unsheathed rings throughout the room. "Me."

I look up. Standing in the shadows, a determined and quite angry look on his face, stands a hero.

"Link!"

~Link's POV~

As soon as I hear her voice, I'm on Epona and flying through the woods.

"Nicole! I'm coming!"

Navi flies out from under my hat. "Link? What's going on?"

"Nicole. She's been kidnapped. They, whoever they are, led me into the woods and they took her."

Navi's face contorts in shock. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know."

We ride through the night in strained silence. How could I have been so stupid?

"Link, watch out!" Navi screams.

In my deep-in-thought state I didn't notice that I'm barreling towards a man in the middle of the road. I barely manage to avoid him, and he continues to stand there still as a board. Idiot!

I get off Epona and make my way to the man, my sword drawn. He must be one of the men who took Nicole. "Where is she?" I yell at him. He continues to stand there as if there's not an angry 18-year-old in front of him ready to lob his head off with a sword. He wears high brown boots and good riding pants. He also has a long maroon cape draped over him, and a scarf wrapped around his face with his hood is up, so only his eyes are visible. They're similar to mine. And very familiar.

He raises an eyebrow. "She? Don't tell me the famous bachelor Link has finally found a pretty girl?" An amused voice answers me. I'd know that voice anywhere.

I lower my sword and grin in surprise. "Sheik? What are you doing here?"

"Oh you know me, running across Hyrule without any real reason," He answers. Although I can't see his smile, I know it's there. We've been best friends for long enough that we're getting close to reading each others' minds.

"Well, you better enjoy the freedom while you can. Soon, you'll be a married man, and I don't think Zelda will want you gone so much."

His smile falls and his eyes cloud over with worry. "If we get married." He mumbles.

I walk over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "You will get married. She's going to be okay Sheik. She's strong, it'll all turn out all right in the end."

Sheik tries to smile. "Thanks. So, about this 'she' person..."

Nicole. My stomach flip-flops with worry. How far ahead are they? And what are they doing to her?

Sheik sees the worry on my face. "I'm guessing she's in danger?"

I nod.

"Say no more. Tell me about her on the way. I think I heard her a little while ago. Pirates got her. They'll take her to the stronghold. I'd put my rupees on they're using her as bait to get to you for Ganondorf. Link, what have you been doing for the last few months?"

I realize that since me and Sheik have both been so busy with our own problems, I haven't gotten to tell him my new role in life.

I smile. "Oh, just fulfilling my role as the hero chosen by the goddesses to defeat Ganondorf and take back Hyrule." I relish the look on Sheik's face, the one he only get's when he's surprised. Which is practically never. "No biggie."

Sheik shakes his head as he mounts his horse, which I didn't notice until now had stood in the shadows. "So you'll fill me in on both the girl and this sudden hero thing?"

I mount Epona. "Sure thing."

~X~

Sheik lets his whole stone Sheikah guard down when he's with me or Zelda and becomes a real person. Along with he takes his scarf off his face, so you can actually see him. He becomes more expressive and laughs more. I always marvel at how he can hide all that personality when he becomes a Sheikah statue. It's like he's two different people.

Zelda and Sheik as the same person... that thought disturbs me so much it almost hurts. I think I'm going to keep it from him just a little while longer. It'll scare him more than it does me.

He's not laughing now, though. He listens intently as we ride with a frown. Thanks to a short cut he led us through we reach the Pirate Stronghold in half the time as the pirates. When I asked why the pirates weren't traveling this way, Sheik snorted with laughter.

"Because they have the joint IQ of a grape. The idiots don't even know this path exists. They call themselves great fighters, yeah right."

We crouch in the shadows high above the main room. I've already explained the whole Hero thing and how Nicole got here to Sheik. He took it pretty well. It's me having possible feelings for Nicole he's having trouble with. I swear, he's just like Navi, who stayed out with Epona. She didn't want to, but this could get messy, and I don't want her getting hurt.

"So, you have found a pretty girl." Sheik grins.

"May I remind you that you just happen to be engaged, so me possibly liking Nicole is nothing compared to you. And you fell for Zelda first!"

Sheik's grin gets wider. "You admit it!"

"I did not, I said it was possible. And what are you grinning at, Mr. I-Can-Never-Be-Tied-Down-By-A-Girl?"

Sheik shrugs. "I fell in love. I wouldn't have said that if I had known what love was like. Along with the fact that I didn't know that I'd end up with such an amazing girl."

I smile. I'm glad he's happy.

Then, in walks in the pirates. And Nicole. The Captain has a tight hold on her elbow and they tie her to a pole. I grip my sword. Sheik wraps his scarf around his face again as it dissolves into his non-expressive Sheikah look. Payback time.

~Normal POV~

Link stands ready with the Master Sword in his hand. I've never seen him look so angry. I didn't even think he was capable of being angry. A boy his same age stands beside him, his face absolutely expressionless and partway covered by a scarf. Is that... no way. It's Sheik! He looks even cooler in real life! Both boys look more than ready to pound Salazar's face in.

"Count me in too," Sheik says in an a voice that's just as expressionless as his face.

Link's eyes flick to me in concern. I smile at him to reassure him that I'm fine.

"Ah. The 'ero. An' 'e brought a friend too!" Salazar sneers. "All the more fun for us. You'll be wishin' you were never born by the end of this, boys."

Link laughs.

"I think it'll be you guys who'll be wishing you were never born." Sheik says.

And then sound of swords clashing fills the large room.

I haven't really seen Link in action before. Sure, I saw him fight off a couple Bokoblins in the forest, but now he's in his full glory. His sword seems like it's an extension of his own arm, each move flows into the next. It's amazing to watch. Sheik's just as good. The two boys knock out one pirate after another. They're unstoppable.

The one thing that bothers me is that I'm right in the middle of the fight, and I can't move. I'm still tied to the pole. I try to wiggle the knots of the rope loose, but whoever tied them did a good job. At first I think that they'll probably avoid me, but that thought is short-lived. In his excitement to take a shot at Link and Sheik, a pirate looses control of his sword and it flies at my head. I scream and slide down the pole, the sword barely missing my head, lodging itself in the pole. The nut doesn't even notice me as he pulls the sword out. But as he turns around, mid battle cry, he comes face-to-face with Link, who takes the Master Sword and hits the pirate hard on the head. He crumples to the floor, out cold. Link runs over to me and hacks at the rope with his sword.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He asks in a worried voice.

As soon as I'm free I tackle him with a hug. I can't help it, I'm so relieved to see him. It surprises him, but he hugs me back. "No, no, I'm fine! A few bumps and bruises but I'm fine. Thank you."

He takes a step back and smiles. "Good," Then another pirate steps behind him and gets ready to decapitate him.

"Link, watch out!" I yell. But Link's ready. His sword's out faster than I can comprehend and he's head-to-head with the pirate.

As I watch him take out another two, someone grabs me from behind and rests a knife against my throat. I gasp. "I believe that's enough, men."

Captain Salazar holds me tightly, so tightly that I can't move without the knife slitting my throat. I'm trapped. Link drops his sword. Sheik stops mid swing.

"Believe me boys," Salazar says. "I 'ighly admire yer attempt, ya did well. Yer both decent fighters. But ya see, I 'ave a bit of leverage." He pushes the knife harder against my throat. Link looks like he's ready to punch him. He starts to make his way towards us, but Salazar presses the knife even closer. It hurts now, and I feel a thin stream of blood trickle down my throat. Link stops abruptly.

"I warn ya 'ero, one more step an' she's gone." Salazar hisses. Link looks torn. "Good boy. Now yer gonna stay 'ere, an' yer not gonna follow, or I will kill 'er. Got that 'ero?"

Link nods painfully. "Just... just don't hurt her." He says weakly.

Salazar laughs an ugly laugh and we back away.

Okay, now this really seriously sucks.

We're out of the stronghold and on Salazar's horse in a flash, riding until it becomes a tiny dot in the distance. I didn't realize how close we were to the ocean. To be honest I didn't even know there was an ocean. But I guess it makes sense since they're pirates. The area we ride through looks exactly like the Lanayru Desert, except now with trees and the Lanayru Sand Sea is an ocean. What's Salazar planning on doing to me? I know that he wants Link to follow, but his plan is pretty shabby and not very well thought through. Still, this man is dangerous. Just because his plan isn't the best, doesn't mean it can't be effective.

After about 10 minutes I do something stupid. I try to escape. I jerk my head and bite the hand that still presses the knife to me. Salazar yells out in pain and I wiggle out of his grasp. Unfortunately I hit the ground hard on my left shoulder. Stars flash in front of my eyes from the pain, but it doesn't stop me for long. I get up and start running back to the stronghold, which is really stupid because we're a couple miles from it now. Salazar quickly catches up to me (for a zombie pirate looking guy he can run pretty dang fast) and drags me back to the horse.

"Ya little brat! That 'urt!" He yells. I stomp on his foot and elbow him in the ribs. He yells and lets go of me again, not sure whether to hold his foot or ribs. I make a run for it, but this time Salazar grabs my wrist and yanks on it hard, as if he's trying to detach my arm. It's my turn to yell out in pain. Now he's not just mad, he's furious.

"I'm just about done with ya!" He yells. I yank his knife out of his hand and slash his cheek with it. That's my biggest mistake.

He slowly turns his head to me, eyes full of hatred, blood dripping down his chin. He looks like the undead. "You just can't take a hint can ya? This ain't about gettin' the boy to Ganondorf anymore. This is personal." I try to make a run for it again, but he yanks hard on my hair and pulls me back. He snatches the knife and raises it above my head. I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable...

...But it never comes.

Instead a surprised gasp comes from the captain of the pirates. I open my eyes and instantly want to close them again. A sword protrudes from his chest. He looks down at it like he can't believe it's there. Then his hold on my wrist goes limp and his now lifeless body crashes to the ground. Behind him stands Link.

"Link!" I gasp. I nearly collapse myself. He has a grim look on his face, but I'm just relieved to see him.

I don't realize I'm crying until Link brushes my cheek to stop the flow of tears. I'm shaking too. I try to stop the tears but I can't, the whole mess of this week suddenly hit me in the gut. It's too much. I feel like stupid, sobbing like this, but I bury my head in his tunic and cry anyway.