Oh wow, its been a Minute since I wrote a Zelda fic, huh? Well, I couldn't stay away forever, especially not from this fic idea. This is actually a revamp of an old fic I wrote years ago (Twisted Fates), but new and improved. It's set post Wind Waker, and spans all the way up to pre-Spirit Tracks, basically serving as a love letter to my favorite branch of the Zelda timeline, the Adult Timeline. I won't spill to many details here at the risk of spoiling something, so I hope you enjoy! Let's get started!

Chapter 1: Fog

"There is no place my eyes have seen that can compare to the beauty of my fallen kingdom," the King told him one evening. "In its prime, Hyrule was a jewel beyond any other, blessed by the hands of the Golden Three themselves. I was just as blessed to once be called king of such a paradise, a land of lush fields, sparkling rivers, and towering mountains. It truly is a shame that you couldn't have seen it, my boy."

Link almost told him he had seen it. He'd seen those fields, those rivers, those mountains, all things he hadn't been able to fathom before descending beneath the surface of the ocean. He just hadn't seen the version of them the King remembered so fondly.

"Yeah," he replied. "I wish I could have…"

He pulled the sail taunt. The westerly wind he'd just awakened flowed into it, pushing them onward across the gentle waves. He could only just barely begin to make out the lights of Windfall, shining like a beacon on the darkening sea. A beacon that'll bring a much-needed restock and a rare chance for Link to sleep in an actual bed for a change.

The King was silent for a moment. Link tried to come up with a way to break that silence, to ease his boat's melancholy for a time long gone by. But in the end, the King continued, a small smile breaking out upon his wooden face.

"And yet even after all this time and all this change… I still find myself in awe of how much of my old Hyrule has managed to survive over the ages."

"Oh?" Link leaned forward in his seat. "Like what?"

"Well…" the King began, craning his head upward. "This ocean shares the same golden sunsets Hyrule was once soaked with. The same silver moon, the same shining stars, the same endless sky. The only difference is that the world they all shine upon is one of sand and sea instead of valleys and trees."

"Wow, King," Link said, grinning. "I didn't know you were such a poet."

The King quickly got back at him for that comment. He usually broke through choppier waves smoothly to shield his passenger from the brunt of the sea spray they could bring. But this time, he cut through the surf harshly, all but dousing Link in chilly salt water.

"Hey!"

"Mind yourself, my boy," the King scolded, but there was a smile behind it.

"I'll try…" Link chuckled, wringing his cap dry. "Is that it though? Is the sky the only thing left up here that reminds you of what Hyrule used to be?"

"...No." The King closed his eyes, trusting Link to steer them steady. For a boy with no prior experience, he'd become quite the sailor over their past few months of traveling together. Even if that skill had to have come from a place of necessity above all else.

"There are many shades of my old kingdom that rest upon this new sea. I see Hyrule in the islands that were once its tallest mountaintops, in the tribes that used to call its rivers and forests home, in the spirits that still devoutly guard this domain. I see it in the legends your people whisper upon the winds, in the stories they honor, the traditions they continue to uphold. I see it in the descendants of its survivors who managed to thrive in the new lives they've come to lead. And most of all… I see Hyrule in Princess Zelda–in Tetra–" he corrected himself before Link could beat it to him. "And I see Hyrule in you, Link."

Link frowned as he pulled the sail in so they could glide up to Windfall's dock. "How?"

The King's smile turned bittersweet, not that Link could see it. "Simply put, my boy… you're a new player in a very old game…"

This wasn't the first time the King had said something strangely cryptic, and Link knew it wouldn't be the last either. Still, that was hardly enough to keep his curiosity in check. "What's that mean?"

"...Let's save that story for another time," the King replied. It wasn't the first time Link heard that either. "For now, it's getting late." By now, he'd pulled up to the dock. The King never needed to be roped up or anchored for the night; Link could always expect to find him loyally waiting in the exact same spot the next day. A talent few other boats could attest to–then again, few other boats were inhabited by the spirit of the king of a long-faded land. "We're going to want to get an early start in the morning, so run along to the inn and get yourself a full night's sleep."

"Aw, but I'm not-" A long, loud yawn split his protest in half. "Even tired!"

"I can see that…" the King laughed. "Now, off with you to bed, my boy. You'll never find the Triforce of Courage if you can't even stay awake long enough to dredge up a single shard of it."

"Ok, fine, you win…" Link heaved a heavy sigh as he hopped up onto the dock. "Night, King."

The King of Red Lions nodded, seeing Link off as he bounded for town. Once he disappeared around a corner, the boat closed his eyes, bowing his head as he offered up a silent prayer for the boy. A prayer that would be heard… but certainly wouldn't be answered. "Good night… hero."

"Good morning, you lazy bum!"

While he doesn't hear Tetra, he does feel the bucket full of frigid water she throws straight into his face. He jolts awake, darting upright with a gasp. Out of instinct, he rapidly glances around for any nearby threats or foes. Only to find something much worse standing over him: a very annoyed pirate captain.

"Uh… 'morning, Tetra," Link groggily greets, trying to gather his bearings. Fortunately, the sun is hot today, and the ship's deck soaks in that warmth enough that it's already starting to dry his sopping clothes. "What's with the wake-up call?"

"I don't know," Tetra hands her now-empty bucket off to Senza. "What's with you napping on deck while you were supposed to be on swabbing duty again?"

"Sorry." He stands, stretching his still-sleepy limbs out. "But I couldn't help it! The sun felt so good and the deck's actually a lot comfier than you'd think it'd be, and Niko said he'd cover for me-"

"N-no, I didn't!" Niko squeaks from across the deck when Tetra shoots a glare his way.

"He did, and I thought I'd just-"

"Ugh, ok, just… stop," Tetra raises a hand. "You're embarrassing us both at this point."

"Sooo… you're not mad then?" Link ventures.

"Oh, no, I'm furious," Tetra says with a downright dangerous smile. A smile that strikes almost more fear into Link than any monster he's ever faced. "I just know there's no point in yelling at you when I know nothing I say will make it through that thick head of yours, 'hero'." She leans in close, to the point that their faces are only inches apart. Link flinches, pulling back a bit as he tries to understand why his cheeks suddenly feel so strangely hot. He doesn't get a chance to figure that mystery out before Tetra reaches forward, pinches the edge of his cap, and yanks it down over his eyes.

"Hey!" he fumbles to put his hat back in place. By the time he can see again, Tetra's turned her back on him. A hand rests on her hip as she makes her way to join the rest of her crew. "Let that, and the bucket of water, serve as a warning. Don't fall asleep while you're supposed to be cleaning my ship again. Unless you want me to toss you straight into the sea next time…?"

"I know you wouldn't," Link hurries to catch up to her.

"Try me," her smile widens as she offers him her signature wink.

When Link calls her bluff again by sticking his tongue out, she returns the favor by elbowing him in the gut. They launch into a light skirmish of pushing and prodding each other from there, exchanging plenty of playful digs in the process. It's not lost on any of the other pirates as they observe the pair's usual antics from their posts.

"This is the third time this week those two have gone at it like this," Mako notes, adjusting his glasses. "And the twelfth time this month. Trust me, I've been keeping count."

"Heh, I think it's a nice change of pace from how things used to be around here," Senza says, grinning. "It's good for Miss Tetra to have someone her own age 'round here to pal around with. And if there's anyone who can match wits and strength with her, it's that kid."

"Hmph," Nudge crosses his arms. "Well, if you ask me, I think that boy's just a distraction. A phase, at best. One of these days, Miss is gonna get tired of him and dump him right back on that nowhere island we found 'im on."

"She wouldn't do that!" Niko gasps, horrified. "O-or at least I hope she wouldn't. I'd lose my first and only swabbie if she did!"

"Relax, Niko," Gonzo glances back from the wheel. "Your 'swabbie', ain't goin' anywhere, yeah? Miss likes him too much to just ditch him at a whim."

"Oh, and how do you know that, Gonzo?" Mako asks, suspicious. "Did Miss tell you herself? I know she confides in you the most, but I didn't think she'd be the type to let her very first crush slip to anyone, not even you."

"Shut up, you knucklehead!" Gonzo scowls, raising a first. "She ain't got no crush. O-or… 'least I don't think she does. But if she did, I'd be the first to know about it, so don't go around making up tall tales like that unless you wanna walk the plank, yeah?"

"But we don't even have a plank!" Niko points out.

"Hey!" A sudden shout from the captain herself cuts through their conversation like a sword. Despite their usual bravado, they all stiffen to attention when they turn to see Tetra scowling up at them from the main deck below. "Do you ladies care to share whatever it is you're gossiping about up there?"

"Er, n-no, Miss!" Senza gulps, nervous. "We were just getting back to work!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Tetra sneers before turning back to Link. "Now, where were we…?"

Link flashes a daring grin as he picks up the broom he should have been using to sweep the deck with. He brandishes it with all of the skill he gathered from wielding much more deadly blades in much more dangerous battles before. Tetra understands his challenge before he can even say it, and she doesn't hesitate to draw the cutlass from her belt.

"Don't go easy on me, 'captain'," Link teases as they circle each other.

"I never do," Tetra returns just shy of taking her first swing.

Link counters it squarely, to the point that the dull side of Tetra's sword only leaves the smallest notch in the wood of his broom. He offers a solid parry in return before trying to knock her off her feet with a low blow. She anticipates it and gracefully leaps over the stick, rolling around to try and tackle Link from behind. With an uncalculated spin, he tries another swing, cursing himself for letting her catch him off guard. He has all the more reason to panic, however, when the bottom of his broom suddenly catches onto something. It doesn't hit Tetra; instead, it snags the inside of her scarf with enough force to loosen it off her neck. From there, the wind takes it, carrying the crimson cloth along its path toward the open sea.

"Oh no!" In an instant, Link drops his broom, their battle all but forgotten. The other pirates watch in equal shock as the scarf flutters freely in the breeze straight toward the port side of the ship. It nearly flies clean overboard, but just before it's lost to the sea, Link's hand wraps around its very tip. And Tetra's arms wrap around his waist before he can tip off the edge of the boat's railing.

She yanks him back hard and both of them fall to the deck together. Tetra is the first on her feet, and before Link can even regather his bearings, she wastes no time letting him have it. "What's wrong with you?! Do you have a death wish?! Or are you just plain stupid?"

"No, I was just-"

"You're lucky I managed to catch you when I did," she cuts him off, crossing her arms. "Cause if I hadn't, you'd be gyorg bait by now. You owe me, big time."

"You mean on top of all of the other things I owe you for?" Link retorts, grinning.

Tetra's face flushes red as she turns her nose up at him. "I swear to the goddesses, Link, you're such an idiot-"

"An idiot who just so happened to save this." His smile widens as he stands, holding the scarf out to her. Tetra starts, surprised that he'd actually managed to catch it after all. Even the other pirates seem impressed as they murmur amongst themselves. Her anger softens as she stares at the boy who's saved not just her scarf, but who'd saved her–in more ways than she can really count. And the longer she stares at him, the more she realizes… maybe she's being a bit too harsh on him.

This time, anyway.

"...You know what? You keep it." She folds his hand around it, pushing it back over to him.

"W-what?" he blinks, dumbfounded. "But… Tetra, this is yours. I know how much it means to you. I can't just-"

"You can, and you will, because I say so," Tetra's hands land on her hips. "You may be an idiot, but you did technically end up getting the upper hand over me in that spar. So… I'd say you earned a prize for your efforts. Plus, I'd rather you have that than any of our treasure."

"I've never asked for any of your treasure and I'm not asking for this either," he still tries to hand it back over to her. She'd once told him that it was one of the few and final things her mother had left behind for her before she died. With so little left to remind him of his own parents, the last thing he'd ever want to do is take away such a precious heirloom from someone else, especially Tetra.

"Ugh, you always have to turn things into such a fuss, don't you?" she rolls her eyes. "Fine. Then I won't let you keep it. I'll let you borrow it for the day instead. Sound fair? Or are you gonna complain about that too?"

Link still hesitates, but ultimately, he knows this is an argument he won't win. Not against someone as infamously stubborn as Tetra. "Ok. I'll hold onto it just until the end of the day."

"And you better take good care of it too," Tetra winks. "Or else."

"I will," Link nods, holding the scarf a bit closer. "I promise."

She notices how devout and careful he is about folding the cloth up and putting it into his pouch, treating it with the same respect he would have if it had been one of the sacred shards of the Triforce. Part of her almost laughs, but another part of her finds it touching, almost, that he'd care so much about something so trivial, about something that matters so much to her all the same. She's learned many things about Link during these past few months of traveling with him, and among them is that he's sentimental to a fault. It's a trait that doesn't mesh well with her crew's stoic exterior, but she can't deny she finds it almost… charming, to a degree. Not that she'd ever admit that out loud.

"Miss Tetra!" She finally pulls her sights away from him up to the crow's nest where Zuko is stationed. "We're nearly at that spot you wanted us to check out!"

"What spot?" Link asks.

"I already told you," Tetra leans against the port railing, peering out into the sea. "We're looking for that 'ghost ship' everyone's been talking about."

A ripple of alarm spreads through some of the crew members. Niko starts shivering, while Mako flips rapidly through the pages of his latest book. Even Nudge seems a touch paler as Senza eyes the surrounding seas suspiciously. Only Gonzo keeps his cool, though that's hardly surprising. Link's not so sure there's anything that could shake that towering tank of a pirate; anything, that is, other than his captain.

"Tetra, you're not serious, are you?" Link sends her a skeptical look. "I thought you said the ghost ship wasn't even real."

"I-it's gotta be!" Niko cries, hiding behind Gonzo. "Why else would all those other ships be going missing around here lately? The ghost ship's behind it all for sure!"

Tetra smirks. Link can already see the telltale signs of mischief brewing in her eyes, but he doesn't have time to defuse it. "That's right, Niko," she begins leadingly. "Every last ship disappears, all because they were cursed by that scaaaaary ghost ship!"

"Cursed!?" Niko nearly faints out of fright. Fortunately, Senza manages to catch him just in the nick of time. "M-Miss Tetra… can I take the rest of the day off if I'm cursed?"

"Whoa, hey, relax, Niko," Link assures, stepping forward. "Nobody's getting cursed. Tetra's just trying to scare you."

It takes a moment for the truth to set in, but when it does, Niko finally manages to steady himself back on his own two feet. He even manages a nervous chuckle, though his shivering doesn't stop as he continues surveying the sea for any signs of the alleged ghost ship.

"Tch, way to take the fun out of everything," Tetra punches Link lightly on the arm.

"Huh. And here I thought you'd be thanking me for calming Niko down before he threw up all over your ship, again," Link smirks. The thanks he anticipates doesn't come; instead, he's met with another punch, this one a bit harder as Tetra saunters past him. "You're welcome!" he calls all the same, savoring the way her shoulders hitch and her hands curl into fists at her sides.

"Hey, Miss?" Gonzo asks, stilling the ship's wheel. "I heard tell these seas are protected, yeah? Somethin' about a spirit called the… Ocean King? Wouldn't someone like that protect any ships coming through here? Unless there really is a ghost ship…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Tetra scoffs. "There's no such thing. I bet all this drama is over nothing more than a bunch of rouge pirates up to no good. That's why I wanted to come out here and investigate. I'll expose them as the frauds they are and remind them that there are rules to being pirates. And who knows? Maybe we'll even manage to snag a bit of their treasure as payment for the inconvenience…"

"Oooh, so that's what this whole thing is about," Link smirks. "Is treasure really all you think about, Tetra?"

"When you're a real pirate, it's the only thing you think about," Tetra returns with another sly wink. "Besides, I'm sure there's no Ocean King either. It's just some silly myth made up by the locals, right alongside the ghost ship itself."

"What's all this fog about then?" Mako calls back from his spot at the bow.

"Hm? Fog?" Tetra looks out at the sea. Sure enough, a heavy layer of mist has obscured the surface of the water, blocking the summer sun and clear blue skies from sight. It brings an odd sort of chill along with it, all but silencing the sound of waves and gulls that should be echoing across the ocean. Despite that, it's not the first time their ship has run into a mere patch of fog and it certainly won't be the last. But the sheer suddenness of its onset alone is enough to unsettle more than a few of the ship's passengers.

"Cursed fog…" Niko whispers, practically flopping down onto the main deck. "It's a sign! We're already too late to escape! We're… we're doomed!"

"Quit being so dramatic!" Tetra snaps, unsympathetic. "Zuko, can you see anything!"

"No, Miss!" the lookout shouts down. "It's too thick!"

"I guess all this fog would explain why all those other ships went missing…" Nudge notes apprehensively.

"Doesn't that make us lost too?" Link points out to Tetra.

"No," she rolls her eyes. "This fog is probably just some weird trick or something. Don't tell me you're scared, 'Mr. Hero'?"

Link normally would have taken that kind of jab and thrown it right back at her. But something about this fog, about this strange spot of sea as a whole, has him almost as uneasy as the rest of the crew. He's just better about hiding than any of them are. "I'm not scared. I just don't think getting us stuck in the middle of nowhere was a very good idea."

"My ideas are always good, that's why I'm the captain," Tetra argues. For a moment, the other pirates fear another fight is about to break out between the pair, even here and now. Fortunately, it doesn't get a chance to escalate any further as Zuko calls from the crow's nest once more.

"Ship ahoy!" Almost everyone below freezes, their hearts sinking in mutual dread when Zuko confirms it. "Uh… Miss Tetra, I can see… yeah, a ship approaching to the front." He takes another look through his spyglass. "Or at least… I think it's a ship…?"

Despite this intel, there's still no signs of anything emerging from the impenetrable fog. Link rushes ahead, leaping onto narrow bow spirit and all but ignoring Tetra's warning so he can get a better look. He finally sees it as it cuts through the mist, a massive shadow looming slowly as it creaks and groans across the waves. Its sails are in tatters, its wood withered to the point that it's a miracle it's even managing to stay afloat at all. A faint glow seems to envelop the vessel, yet not a single soul appears to be on board; not captain, no crew, no passengers or prisoners. This ship carries nothing… nothing other than the fear-fueled rumors that have made it so famous.

"I-it's here!" Niko pulls his cap over his eyes. "It's the g-ghost ship!"

"And you call yourself a pirate," Tetra mocks. "It's just a run-down old hunk of junk! Whoever owns that thing oughta be ashamed for letting their boat rot out from under them like that."

Link climbs back down from the bow, frowning all the while. He doesn't tear his sights away from the ship even as it pulls up close alongside theirs. Something's off about this boat, that much is clear, something that's bound to go far beyond a mere pack of delinquent pirates like Tetra's so convinced of. His hand twitches for a sword he no longer carries, for the need to fend off whatever unearthly, ominous energy seems to surround every inch of the silent ship. It rings eerily similar to something–to someone, he'd faced before, and it reminds him far too much of that monster of a man for comfort. At first, he doesn't know how that's possible, how this ship could even remotely emanate the same kind of aura. Until he realizes exactly what that aura is:

Raw, unrestrained evil.

"Tetra," his voice is tenser than he means it to be. Not that he cares; he isn't interested in saving face in front of her now. "I think we should get out of here."

"Oh yeah?" Tetra nods, disinterested. "Well, I still think you're just scared like all those other cucoos over there." She points a thumb back at her crew; almost all of them are staring at the imposing ship with wide eyes and hanging jaws. "For the last time, that ship isn't haunted, and I'll prove it."

She steps up to the port railing, but before she can climb up onto it, Link grabs her by the wrist. "Tetra, wait–"

"What do you think you're doing?" she glares back at him, pulling her arm away.

"What do you think you're doing?" he echoes. "You can't go on that ship! Even if it's not cursed, you have no idea who or what could be on it. It's not safe!"

"I think I can handle whatever's on there just fine," she rests her hand on her cutlass.

"I'm not saying you can't," he treads as carefully as he can. It's the best practice he can possibly take when it comes to trying to change Tetra's mind, a nigh impossible task he's only accomplished a handful of times. "But… y'know, why risk it?"

"Why not risk it if there's treasure on board?"

"But what if there isn't any?"

"Then we'll just cut our losses and be on our way," she shrugs. "Look, Link, you can stay here, crying about ghosts or whatever with the rest of the crew. As for me, I'm going on that ship putting these silly rumors to rest for good. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Tetra, please." He catches her wrist once more. She stops, just long enough to glare back at him. And in that split second, desperation takes over. He'd almost lost her once before; he can't bear the thought of losing her again, not to something like this, not to anything at all, really. What comes out of his mouth next is ridiculous, downright stupid, and he knows it. But if it can keep her safe, if it means he won't have to watch her get hurt again… then he might as well say it. "Let me go instead!"

"...What?" Tetra's anger melts into surprise, then suspicion. She looks at him as if he's grown a second head. "Why…?"

"I just… think it'd be better if I went instead of you." It's not what he really means, it isn't "it's better if I'm the one in danger, it's better if you're safe even if I'm not". Still, it shows his sincerity to Tetra, if nothing else.

"Link… I…" she drifts off into silence, glancing back at the ghost ship. He hopes she can tell this isn't coming from a place of ambition, that it isn't another stake in their almost endless rivalry. He hopes she knows he means it, that he'd be willing to and has put himself through so much worse for her sake.

He hopes she knows why he would do this, and anything else for her in the first place.

"Are… are you sure?" she asks. She can't help but feel guilty, even though she knows she shouldn't, even though he'd been the one to make the offer.

Link nods, a touch more confident now. "Yeah. 'Sides, it's like you said; there's probably nothing on that ship than a bunch of lowdown pirate wannabes. Somebody's gotta put them in their place, right?"

"Now you're speaking my language," Tetra smirks, though it soon slides away. "But don't forget, you're going on that boat representing me and my crew. The least you could do is look the part."

"Huh?" Link flinches when Tetra suddenly reaches into his pocket. She pulls her scarf out, tying it loosely around his neck in the same fashion she usually wears it. It looks strange on him, that's his first thought. The swath of deep crimson clashes harshly against the cheery green of his tunic. But Tetra doesn't seem to care how bizarre that scarf is resting around anyone's neck other than her own.

"Don't you dare let anything happen to this, you hear me?" she leans in a bit closer to whisper in his ear. There's something in her voice, something strange that Link rarely ever gets to hear. Something that makes him think there's more than one layer to that command.

"I already told you," his fingertips skim the blood-red fabric. "I won't."

She finally smiles, easing up. She grabs him by the shoulders and spins him around to face the ghost ship. "Well, what are you waiting for?" her voice picks back up to her usual verve. Link figures it's probably for the sake of saving face in front of her crew. "Go 'n get me some treasure already!"

"Yeah…" Link lets out a halfhearted chuckle. "Treasure…" He takes a step up to the starboard side, but stops there, gripping the wood railing without even realizing it. What he'd felt earlier is back in full force, darkness and danger practically hovering over the ship like a shadow. It's enough to make the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight, to make his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach like a rock. But still, he doesn't waver, he doesn't back down. After all, he's faced the most treacherous trials and traps the sea has had to offer, he's fought monsters and demons and even the undead; how can some old ramshackle ship be worse than any of that?

So he steadies the last of his nerves, climbing up onto the banister. The sea air, for as eerily quiet as it is right now, still hangs heavy with the scent of salt and secrets. "There's nothing you won't find when you go out on the sea," his grandmother used to tell him and Aryll. "Whether it's above the waves or below, it holds more mysteries than anyone can ever hope to find out." Link wonders if the ship sitting before him is just another one of those mysteries, like so many others he's managed to solve before. If it's nothing more than a puzzle to put together, a riddle to unravel, a question to answer.

Or… if it's something so much more.

"Don't do anything stupid in there," Tetra says somewhere behind him. She says it sharply, sarcastically, almost. But Link knows what it really means; her own discreet way of telling him to be careful.

"You got it," he flashes her a smile. He hopes she doesn't see any of the worry peeking through the cracks of it. "Be back soon."

She nods, but doesn't return his grin. Her arms are crossed, her brow furrowed. She opens her mouth as if she means to say something, but ultimately doesn't. Instead, she turns her gaze away, absently looking to the mast like it's about to topple over. Link takes that as his cue to get going.

He takes a deep breath before making the jump. The distance between the two boats is small, to the point that their hulls are nearly grazing. Link easily bridges the gap, landing solidly on the ghost ship's gnarled wooden deck. His breath catches in his throat as the boat creaks and the rags that serve for its sails flutter. But other than that, nothing happens. Nothing, other than the sinister aura surrounding the ship seems to multiply a hundredfold.

The temperature's inexplicably dropped, to the point that Link rubs his hands on his arms when he takes his first step or two forward. He looks around, expecting pirates or monsters or any number of things in between the two. Only to find an apparently empty ship, with no captain, no crew, and chances are, no treasure either.

"Well?" He hears Tetra's voice echo, faint, but clear, from her own boat. "See anything interesting yet?"

He turns back, more than ready to tell her no. The word's all but left his lips when it happens. A crack of thunder rattles the heavens, as loud as a canon and every bit as deadly. There's no swell of rain, no gust of wind, but there is lightning, a single bolt of it. And of course, that bolt strikes straight into the ghost ship's decrepit mast.

It splits the wooden beam clean in two, sending half of it plummeting over the ship's port side. What little remains erupts in flames that waste no time spreading to the ancient rags serving as a poor excuse for the ship's sails. From there, the fire snakes its way down to the main deck almost as fast as the lightning that brought it on had been.

For a second or two, the most Link can do is stand and watch it all in wide-eyed awe. Until he hears Tetra's panicked shout for him, until he feels the first flush of heat lightly skim his skin.

"Link!" Tetra yells again. He draws in a breath, only to choke on thick, black smoke instead. Through that smoke, he can barely make out the shape of the pirate ship, and he doesn't think twice about making a break for it. His gait is clumsy, frantic as he pulls Tetra's scarf up over his mouth and nose to shield them from the smoke. Before the fire started, he'd only taken a few steps across the deck, but the distance to the starboard side feels like miles now.

He trips more times than he'd like to admit, his vision blurred and his eyes burning from the intense heat. The fire hasn't reached him yet, but it's only a matter of time before it does. Still, he thinks he can make it when he sees a flash of blonde hair and a speck of navy blue somewhere within the chaos. Tetra's already standing on the railing of her own ship, all but ready to jump over to help him. She would have too, if not for every last member of her crew begging her to stay back. She gasps when she sees him break through the smoke, a smile filling in for where sheer terror had been just before.

"Hurry!" she shouts. Link follows that order unlike any she's ever given him before. His heart slams against his chest, his lungs constricted to the point that they might as well not even exist at all. The ghost ship lists dangerously underneath him, throwing him off balance, but by some miracle, he stays on his feet. He'll make it, he keeps telling himself. He's almost there, almost there. He's gotten out of much worse before and lived to tell the tale. This'll just become another story to add to all the rest.

He almost praises the goddesses aloud when his hands blindly fall into the ship's railing. With the flames closing in just behind him, he doesn't hesitate to climb onto the banister. Tetra reaches a hand out to him as Gonzo holds her steady. It's a good thing too, otherwise she'd lean right off the edge of her own ship. Link reaches back for her, and for a single second, their fingers touch. For that final, fleeting moment in time, he's got her and she's got him.

But that's the thing about moments and seconds–they never last anywhere near long enough.

Something latches itself around Link's ankle, coiling tight as it creeps up his leg. He doesn't even have time to look back and see what it is before it yanks him back brutally. He slips backward off the banister, crashing hard into the deck as his hand is pulled away from Tetra's.

"Link!" she screams for him. The very sound of it, distraught and desperate, is nearly enough to tear his soul in two.

"Tetra!" he yells back, reaching out for her again. Whatever's gotten his leg is already dragging him furiously fast across the deck, through the smoke, even through the flames. He doesn't even have a chance to try and break free before he spots her one last time. Her blue eyes are wide, her hand still outstretched for him, even though he's already much too far away to take it. Tears cut their way down her cheeks, and Link finds them brimming in his eyes too. Whether they're from the smoke or from something else entirely, he doesn't really know.

It takes only seconds for Link to disappear from sight, and as soon as he does, Tetra finally finds the strength to pull out of Gonzo's grasp. "Hold on!" she shouts, cutlass already in hand. "Just–hold on, Link! I'm coming!"

She's all but ready to make the jump, more than ready to throw herself straight into the fire, all for him. At least until several sets of hands land on her shoulders, roughly pulling her back onto the deck, away from the ghost ship, away from Link. Just like Link had been pulled away from her.

"Let me go!" she struggles fiercely against Nudge and Senza. "I order you idiots to let me go, right now!"

"N-now, Miss," Senza cautions. He flinches when Tetra's foot intentionally crashes into his knee. "Ow! C'mon, Miss, you can't just-"

"Shut up!" she barks. Despite her fury, her face is still wet, her eyes red-rimmed as even more tears threaten to fall from them. It shakes her crew, to see her like this; the last time she'd cried in front of any of them had been when she was little. When her mother died and left her, and the rest of them, behind. "Gonzo! Tell them to-"

"Miss," Gonzo interrupts. He spares a look at the ghost ship, now leaning hard to one side. The edge of its port deck has already reached the surface of the water; it'll only take mere moments before the rest follows. "I'm… I'm sorry. But… we can't let you… I-it's not–he's prob'ly already-"

"If you finish that sentence I'll throw you off this ship before you can even say you're sorry again," she warns between gritted teeth. "I'm telling you all for the last time: let. me. Go!"

Nudge and Senza exchange a glance. Niko and Mako stand by, gnawing on their lips and wringing their hands. Zuko keeps his spyglass trained on the ghost ship, watching as it sinks even further into the sea. "P-please," Tetra resorts to begging, stripped of any kind of pride or superiority. None of that matters, not now, not with something so much important on the line to lose. "Please, Gonzo. H-he went on that ship for me, I can't just let him-"

A terrible whine cuts through the air, deafening and condemning. It's a noise Tetra and her crew have heard plenty of times before. But never has it sent the kind of sorrow and shock spreading through each of them now.

"NO!" Tetra pries herself free. She runs back to the railing, forgetting to breathe as she watches the last of the ghost ship vanish beneath the waves. It's the fastest sinking she's ever seen, and in her line of work, she's seen plenty. All it leaves behind is a cloud of charcoal smoke that soon fades into the thinning fog, no debris–or a single potential survivor–in sight.

"Link!" She still calls for him anyway, because what else can she do? She's never been particularly pious, but she's screaming prayers inside her mind to the goddesses now. She waits for a minute, then two, then far too many to realistically expect a green-capped blonde head to pop out of the rolling waves.

It never does.

"Miss Tetra…"

She flinches under the light hand Gonzo has on her shoulder. The rest of her crew is silent, heads hung, hats in hands resting against their chests. But not a single one of them has it in them to meet her eyes. Not a single one of them has the strength to say what she already knows to be far too true.

In almost no time at all, the fog has cleared, revealing the same bright blue skies that had been there before. Before it all went wrong. Before the world itself seemed to turn upside down. There's no sign left that the ghost ship had ever been there, that it ever even existed at all. In the same way, there's no sign that he ever existed either. Other than the red scarf missing from Tetra's neck and the warm tears still sliding down her cheeks.

She draws in an unsteady breath, catching those tears as she forcefully wipes them away. She straightens herself, swallows hard, and raises her head high, remembering some of her mother's last words to her. "You have to be strong, Tetra" she'd said, scowling even on her sickbed. "You have to be strong no matter what might happen. And if you can't be strong for yourself, then find a way to be strong for them."

Her mother's wisdom is right, it always is. She's already shown enough weakness in front of her crew for one day, one lifetime even. She can't afford to show anymore. She has to be strong. She has to move on.

No matter how much her battered, broken heart is begging her not to.

"Well," she says briskly, stepping away from the railing. "There's no point in sticking around here anymore. Let's shove off."

"Huh?" Senza balks. The rest of the crew is equally mystified by such a sudden shift. "But… Miss… we-"

"I don't want to hear it." Her shoulders stiffen when she almost trips over the broom. The same broom he'd used to spar her with only a few hours ago. Those hours seem like years to Tetra now that he's gone. "Get to your posts so we can go. I'll be in my cabin if anyone needs me." She glares back at the men, and it's enough to tell them what she really means. That none of them should need her, that she shouldn't be bothered. That she clearly needs time and space to mourn.

So that's exactly what they give her. The ship is quiet as the crew attends to their duties, and soon enough, they're setting sail again. After what they just saw, they can't get out of these cursed waters quick enough. But even as they do, the reality of it all weighs heavy on all of them even still. Because at the end of the day, they're leaving one man short of what they came here with. There's still been a casualty among their ranks. They still stood there and did nothing while a young boy, an innocent child, lost his life right in front of them.

And their captain, a child herself… has just ordered them to carry on as if it never happened.

Miss Tetra's word is final, absolute. They all know that, but it doesn't stop Gonzo from following her anyway. "Uh… Miss…?" He stops her just before she can reach the deck door. "You're… gonna be ok, yeah?"

Tetra doesn't look back at him, one hand pressed to the door, the other balled into a fist by her side. "I'll be fine," she says and hopes she can somehow force it to be true.

Except when she finally slips through the door, when she's finally out of her crew's sight, when she's finally locked herself away within the privacy of her room… there's nothing in the world that can keep the tears from coming.

"I'll be fine…" she tells herself between those tears, even though she knows it's a lie. That every time she'll ever say it every day after this, that's all it'll ever be. It had taken only seconds for her to lose Link. Funny how it also takes only seconds for her to lose herself right along with him.

"I-I'll be…" She can't bring herself to finish, not even now when she's alone. She sinks to the floor of her cabin, guilt wrenching itself around her heart and pulling it down like an anchor. When she closes her eyes in a bitter bid to fight back tears, all she can see is his face smiling back at her, all she can hear is him screaming her name those last few seconds before the shipwreck consumed him–

All she can do is wish that it had been her instead of him.

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