Chapter 4: The Hero of Winds
In the endless ocean, a lone vessel roams the world’s waters. The black flag of the pirates waves in the wind, its crew strong and proud. They are fearless, righteous explorers always ready to fight for the ways of the pure and just. Never taking from the helpless of the sea, and pillaging those brandishing the iron cannons of war. They are always strong, always resolute, always living freely, going wherever the wind takes them….
At least, that is what they would say if you were to ask them. The truth of the matter is that they were just a rag tag group of guys who didn’t have the will or the courage to tell their spirited and head strong leader that they’d sooner spend their days in a milk bar then sailing the world, exploring and mapping the remaining land not covered by the sea. Most of them hardly qualify as sailors, let alone explorers or adventurers. However, one of their numbers has the heart of a true pioneer. Venturing far from home, he has taken up his sword many times in his journey. Cheerful and honest, he is always prepared and eager to go on his next great adventure. The long months at sea had left him bored and listless, becoming derived of motivation, much to the annoyance of Tetra.
“Link, where are you!” The young captain balked in her displeasure as she stomped her way across the deck of her ship. The three of her small six-man crew that were on deck backed away as she fumed by upon seeing the scowl emblazed across her face, masking the rather delicate features of her face. They were sure to keep their distance from her while she rampaged from the fear that they might get caught in the full force of her anger. Stopping in the middle of the deck, she folded her arms and looked about the ship for the wayward hero, the rhythmic tapping of her sanded feet could be heard throughout the boat. The crew on deck broke out into a fit of fidgets whenever her gaze turned towards them as if they were prepared to jump out of the way of a deadly projectile. “Ugh, where is he?”
Never having anybody to discourage such behavior, Tetra hides her seemingly delicate form under a set of ambiguous shorts, purple top, and blue vest, finished with a red sash tied off around her waist in a tomboyish flare. The sword tied off under left arm added a rather butch touch, she thought proudly. Her long golden hair was kept up in a bun upon her head with metal pins. Her skin, tan from years in the sun, glistened slightly from the mist of the sea. If she desired, she could easily appear as beautiful princess, but her someone of her demeanor would never allow her to be comfortable in such a guise. The young captain is much more at ease in her modest dressings. Not that her current state of mind could be considered one of peace.
“Niko!” Tetra barked sharply, a short of statured young man wearing a red stripped shirt and blue bandana cowering up to the mainsail. She stomped her way over quickly and grabbed the frightened sailor by his collar. “Last I checked, you were his superior! Where’s Link hiding at!”
“I-I don’t know! He really doesn’t listen to me anymore!” Niko stuttered in reply, fearing the ferocity behind the young beauty’s scowl. “I g-guess he’s just bored! The life of a sailor r-really doesn’t compare to the adventures he’s had recently…”
“Being bored is no excuse! You need to crack down and show him who’s the boss!”
“B-but he has a sword! A very sharp and pointy sword!” Niko stuttered, panicking under the pressure of Tetra’s white hot glare.
“So do you!” She responded quickly, losing her patience.
“B-but he actually knows how to use his!”
“Why you spineless little—“ She began to say, continuing her rampage, but a faint sound interrupted her train of thought. She could hear what sounded like faint, steady breathing coming from above her head. Turning her gaze skyward, she looked up the mast to the crow’s nest to see the top of a green cap flapping gently in the crosswinds. Tetra’s eyebrow started twitching in annoyance of the sight. Releasing Niko’s collar, she snapped her fingers in confident demand and then pointed to the top of the wooden beam. “Bring him down.”
“Yes Miss Tetra!” one of the larger, more muscular sailors on deck said obediently. Without a second thought, he pulled out a grapple and started twirling it around, building up quick speed and with a sound flick of his wrist, he sent it sailing up the length of the mast and into the crow’s nest. Not long after casting his rope, he felt a snag on his line. He wrapped it around his wrist and gave it a powerful tug, pulling it and a young lad in green over the edge.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” The youth yelled loudly with a shrill in his voice as he plummeted to the ship’s deck. He crashed into the wood, performing a resounding face plant with a loud FWUMP! Just as he had climbed up onto his knees, the grapple hook, which had been falling through the air behind him, struck him squarely in the back of his head, knocking him back into his unconscious state as the metal hook bounced off and away. The boy looked to be around twelve and had bright blond hair covered by a green cap. He wore a long-sleeved light green undershirt and white leggings under his darker green tunic. He completed his outfit with a black belt with a gold buckle and a pair of leather boots. He had an rectangular object threaded through his belt behind his back like one would a dagger, and it looked to be about fourteen inches long, and was wrapped in a fine purple silk cloth.
“Hail the conquering hero.” Tetra drawled rather half-heartedly. “Somebody get me a bucket!”
“Right away, mam!” Niko chirped obediently. As Tetra rolled the young Lad onto his back, Niko grabbed a retrieved a bucket that had been set aside in the corner and quickly tied it off to a nearby rope, sending the pail overboard and almost instantly pulling it back up and onto the ship, filled to the brim with salty seawater. As soon as he had the knot undone, he trotted over to his captain, who wasted not a second in snatching up the pale and throwing its contents onto the slumbering boy. He flailed about, quickly returning to the realm of the conscious.
“All awake sleeping ugly?” She snarled rather empathetically. “I’ve been looking for you Link!”
“wh-wha…” He stammered as he wiped the sleep and water from his eyes, but before he could get a word in, Tetra was off on her tirade, all of it going straight over the head of the groggy and soggy warrior.
“Where have you been all day? Do you realize what time it is? Have you been sleeping all day? This is a gross dereliction of duty, you know. The crow’s nest is not your post. Heck, you don’t even have one! Do you have anything to say for your actions! Speak up man! You hardly ever talk! Why are you always so quiet?!? Say something, damn it! Why in all my years…” Tetra droned on and on rather absentmindedly, soon enough, Link was awake enough to interject.
“You know…” He drawled loudly over Tetra’s yammering. “I’d talk more if you’d actually stop long enough for me to SAY A FRICKING WORD!!”
“Oh. Eh heh…” Tetra chuckled nervously, a slight blush on her face as she looked off to the side.
“So anyways, what’s up?” Link asked cheerfully, a big smile smeared across his face.
“Don’t give me that!” She hissed in return, jabbing her finger into Link’s face. “You’ve been shirking your duties as of late! That’s inexcusable!”
“Okay, first…” The young lad drawled, slightly annoyed at the blond headed girl’s outburst. He calmly pushed away her offending digit with the back of his hand. “It ain’t polite to point. Second, I’m not doing anything because there really isn’t anything to do!”
“What in the great ocean does that mean?” She snapped.
“It means I’m bored out of my friggin’ mind!”
“Oh! Well… That’s still no excuse!” She balked in her response. Her foot returned to its rhythmic tapping as she crossed her arms. “That’s the law of the sea. Everybody does their share on the ship or else they’re dead weight!”
“Hey! Are you calling me fat?!” Link snapped in return, jabbing his own finger at Tetra, to which her reply was an irritated twitch of her eye and a swift downward blow across Link’s head. “OW!”
“Don’t be a smart-ass!” She barked loudly as she rubbed her knuckle. The sheer anger in her voice was enough to send jolts down the spines of her crew, like there were thousands of tiny needles being simultaneously jammed inter their backs. “You know damn well what I mean! If you’re gonna stay on this ship, you’ve gotta work for the right!”
“Saving your life and the world twice over isn’t enough to get a ticket on this tub? What’s a hero gotta do to get some service around here!?” The youth strained under his breath, glaring at Tetra with a raised brow.
“What’d you say?”
“Not a thing.” Link chirped hurriedly in reply, long ago learning not to invite Tetra’s anger. He climbed to his feet, stretching his hands high over his head as he arched his back, a habit he had developed to prepare himself and his body for the coming day. “So if it’s the law, I might as well follow, even though I’d prefer to go on another adventure. What do you want me to do?”
“Well, for starters…” Tetra sighed tiredly. She has been left stunned many times at how easy going Link could be at times, and just the thought of his boundless energy left her feeling exhausted. Shaking her head, Tetra pointed her finger skyward, directing Link’s gaze to the ship’s main sail, currently in its raised position where it normally remains from lack of use. “We’ve been dead in the water for days. Not even a breeze has come by to give us a push. Why don’t you use that Wind Wanker of yours and wank us up a nice wind, eh?”
A fit of immature giggles sounded out like a chorus amongst the present crew. Link, with his hands at his side looked at her with a brow raised in question of Tetra’s statement. Tetra, never one to find fault in her own self, looked about at the others bewilderedly, wondering why her comment invoked such a strange reaction. Niko, now standing at Link’s right side, gave Link a nudge in his arm, accompanied by a playful wink of his left eye and a knowing smirk. “Gee, I don’t know if that’s possible cap’n. But if he could pull it off it’d sure be a neat trick!”
“What? What’d I say?”
“You know, for a sea faring captain…” Link drawled, still eyeing Tetra rather skeptically. “You’re kind of naïve, aren’t you?”
“I AM NOT!!!” An offended Tetra protested, looking as if she caught a whiff of a most foul stench.
“Yes she is.” Niko and the other faithful sea dogs stated in a matter of factly chorus, in which the seething young captain responded by shooting each of the three one a glare and a snarl, sending the whole lot of them scampering below deck, leaving her and link below above ground. She crossed her arms and gave a huff as she stared at the stairs leading below. Mental note: No food or fresh water for those three for three days.
“In any case…” Link drawled, suppressing a slight chuckle. He pulled the silk encased object from out behind his back and quickly un-wrapped it, revealing a dark blue case, in which he opened up and removed from it a pure white ceramic orchestra waker. It appeared to be about 11 inches in length, and white decorations resembling clouds near its base. He carefully held it between his left index and thumb finger and raised it into the sky, watching it gleam in the in the evening sunlight. He then held its handle tightly in his fist and thrust it forward, holding it before the captain in presentation. “This is the Wind Waker, and with it, I control the winds!”
“Yes I know that! So bring me a breeze and let’s get moving!” Tetra anxiously replied, pumping her right fist in the air in a display of excitement. Link just folded his arms, shook his head, and sighed. He knew that very moment that he did not like being the serious type. His natural carefree, adventurous persona was much more pleasing to him.
“It’s not that simple Tetra.” He said in a not to joyous sigh. “We need a heading.”
“A heading? What do we need that for?” Tetra asked in return with a brow raised, lowering her right arm from the sky and letting it hang, propping her left hand on her waist. “I thought you’d jump at the thought of challenging the unknown?”
“Challenging the unknown is one thing. Getting hopelessly lost at sea is another thing entirely. I like living, thank you very much.” He stated plainly with closed eyes and still crossed arms, strolling back and forth, opposite to Tetra. He then stopped with his left side facing Tetra as he rolled the Wind Waker between his fingers. He peaked out of his left eye with a slight grimace, staring straight at the captain. “But even if we did have a heading, it wouldn’t do us any good. This thing just stopped working one day.”
“WHAT! When did that happen!?” Tetra shrieked in a panic, jumping backwards slightly. Her panic turned to anger and she turned her glaring gaze onto Link. “How the hell can you break a stick Link?!”
“I didn’t break it.” Link responded in a calm, yet strained voice, apparently not sharing the reaction to Tetra’s ire that the others displayed earlier. Both of his eyes were now open slightly, returning Tetra’s glare with one of his own. “It was working fine until a certain captain used it as a toothpick!”
“Are you implying that it’s my fault?!” The young captain bellowed in her sudden rage. She immediately closed the distance between her and the green clad youth, giving her fiercest glare in a breath’s distance from him in an attempt to assert her dominance. Hers was a bold move that apparently left Link unfazed.
“Well if the Tiara fits, princess!” Link bellowed in rebuttal through gritted teeth, returning Tetra’s ferocity with his own.
“WHY YOU—I told you to never ever to call me that!!” She hollered right in his face as she took hold of his green cotton tunic.
“WELL I—Hey, what’s that over there?” Link pondered as he broke free of Tetra’s grasp, their quarrel instantly forgotten. He ran straight to the rail of the ship and peered off into the distance. He was barely able to spot a green and brown something or other at the edge of his field of vision. “There’s something way out there!”
“I wonder…” Tetra asked herself as she joined Link at the side of the ship. She removed her collapsible telescope and gave it a quick flick, popping it open. With a twirl and some flare, she brought it up to her right eye and fixated it onto the far off object, revealing a rather welcome surprise. “I thought so. It’s an island. It’s heavily forested and probably uninhabited.”
“You think so?” Link asked, looking over his shoulder to Tetra. His heart began to swell at the prospect of exploring a new place, uncovering whatever secrets it might have. “Should we check it out?”
“Probably…” Tetra sighed as she returned her telescope to her pocket. “I do know that we can’t stand being at sea for much longer. I think I spotted a small stream flowing into the sea, so we can stand to stay there for a few weeks. It’ll be a good place to camp.”
“Do think you it has buried treasure? Or monsters? Or maybe the remains of a lost civilization?” Link chirped excitedly, now bouncing on his knees. He wanted to get there right away, to explore, to discover, to have a grand adventure. “I can’t wait! Let’s go!”
“Hold on, speedy.” Tetra hummed grabbing Link’s collar and began pulling him along. “You ain’t going anywhere near that island.”
“Wha-what are you talking about?” Stuttered the youth, but Tetra simply ignored him and continued to pull him along as his heels skidded on the wood.
“Niko!” Tetra screamed into the door leading below deck. “Prepare the ship for manual propulsion! And extend the one manned sea craft!”
“Yes mam!”
As Tetra and Link scaled up the stairs to the command deck, the rear of the boat popped open and wooden arms extended out and held out above the sea one of the finest small sea vessels ever built. It was finely crafted and as red as fire, and adorning its bow was a expertly carved head of a lion. Link recognized it instantly. “T-the King of the Red Lions! What are you doing here?!”
“You mean what is it doing here?” the young captain corrected as she tossed Link on board. She pulled a bag from under the helm and tossed it to Link. “Ever since the old man kicked it, it’s been nothing but a regular old boat.”
“Tetra! Just what is going on?” Link demanded. He spotted ores being extended from the ship’s port holes, three on each side for a total of six.
“We are going to that island and set up a camp.” She stated rather plainly as she lowered the ship down into the sea through a series of pulleys. “You are going to find a way to get that Wind Waker working again.”
“What! B-but you can’t just dump me in the ocean!” Link raged as he banged onto the hull of the boat. As the King of the Red Lions dropped into the waiting sea, Link lost his footing and fell backwards onto his seat. He looked up at Tetra, gritting his teeth. “Even if I do find a way, how the heck do you expect me to catch up to you?”
“Easy!” She chirped. Tetra reached into her shirt and pulled out a sparkling red gem attached to a black thread. “You know these pirate charms that let us keep in contact? Well, they also act as trackers for each other. Once you have your little stick fixed, just let your charm hang from the chord and will it to point the way to mine. It’ll lead you straight too us.”
“Tetra, this is crazy! You can’t be serious!”
“Sorry Link, but we have to get going. See you soon!” She cheered as she waved goodbye. With two strong stomps onto the wooden floor, the ores began to move in synchronization, dipping into the water, pushing back in the ocean waves, rising up, and then moving forward to start the cycle anew, propelling the boat forward in its repetition. “Everything you’ll need is in the bag! Good Luck!”
“Tetra!! TETRA!!!” The aggravated youth hollered after the boat. His calls however, were to no avail as he watched the ship shrink away into the distance as it headed towards the only speck of land for miles. He heaved a heavy sigh and looked towards the bag that Tetra set to sea along with him. Opening it up, he found his sword which he had stored under the helm, the sister charm to the one draped around Tetra’s neck, and a week’s worth of rations as well as two large bottles of fresh water. Absent mindedly, he reached into the bag and pulled out the charm, draping it over his own neck. With another sigh, he turns towards the bow towards the carved lions head, its lifeless gaze always fixed on the horizon. “You know, you used to be a lot more company.”
Dejected, he lies his head down onto the wooden floor and quickly fell asleep with the hopes of figuring on his next move. As the night came and went however, Link found that he was just as clueless as he had been the evening prior. He snarled to himself as he pulled out the sheathed sword and attached it to his belt buckle. “Damn Tetra. She has some nerve dumping me like this. ‘Fix it’ she says. How the hell does she expect me to do that? I mean, what are the odds of me just running into a wind god?”
“Oh, pretty good I’d say.” An elderly voice croaked in a chuckle from behind the lad. Instead of turning his head around, Link arched his back and neck to view the source of the voice. Instantly recognizing the being, he collapsed in surprise, scrambling to stand back onto his feet. “It is a Fancy meeting you here, young Waker.”
“ZEPHOS!” Link gasped in astonishment, slack jawed from the sheer surprise of seeing the old frog god. He shook his head in an effort to come to his senses in case his head was playing tricks on him, he looked again and sure enough, the giant green frog he had met on Dragon Roost Island sat upright before him on a cloud. “Wha? How? Where? Who?”
“Close your mouth young Waker. Leave some flies for me.” The old god croaked earnestly.
“Sorry…” Link said apologetically, too amazed to realized that he was being picked on.
“Think nothing of it lad.” Zephos chirped in reply. He lowered his cloud so he was able to look Link more on eye level. “So how have you been?”
“You mean other than being ditched by my ride? I’m just fine.” Link answered, his hands hanging at his side. “Forgive me for asking, but what are you doing so far away from Dragon Roost Island?” Isn’t that your home?”
“Well, yes. But let’s just say Watching your endeavors inspired me.” The god drawled with a nod. “Watching someone so young accomplish so much made me realize something. I’m not really getting any younger, and all I’ve ever known was that island. It made me want to see the world. Learn a thing or two. Adventure for adventure’s sake, you know?”
“Oh, I can completely understand that.” Link said with a big smile. If there was one thing he loved, it was a good adventure.
“But I’m curious as to what you’re doing all the way out here. After the adventure you had back then, I would think you’d be ready for some rest and relaxation.”
“Well, the whole ‘save the world from darkness’ thing kind of killed it for me.” Link emitted. “I mean, if you have to worry about something like that, then you really can’t enjoy it.”
“Point. Now you were saying about odds and fixing something before?”
“OH YEAH!” Link barked eagerly. He pulled the case containing the Wind Waker and handed it to the wind god. “Zephos, could you please look it at this? It suddenly stopped working a while ago. I think the magic may have dissipated or something.”
“Hmm?” Zephos hummed as he opened the case and pulled out the Waker, rolling it between his suction cup thumb and finger as he began to examine it after handing the case back to the youth. He had fallen deathly silent, save for the silent croaking that accompanied the inhale and exhale of his breath.
“Well? Can you fix it?” Link asked eagerly, anxious to get back to the island occupied by Tetra and her crew and explore it in earnest. “Can’t you like bless it or something?”
“Well, it’s true that the magic of the Waker has left it…” Zephos drawled, twirling the Waker between his fingers. “However, the magic hasn’t disappeared. It simply left to another place.”
“Another place? Where in the world would wind magic go to?”
Zephos smirked knowingly, and tapped Link twice on his head with the Waker. Link was rather perplexed for a moment until Zephos winked him at him slyly.
“W-w-wait, me!?! The magic’s inside me?” Link squawked in disbelief, pointing to his own self with eyes wide open. His heart had skipped beats in his shock, not that he really noticed.
“Yep.” Zephos replied plainly.
“Y-you mean I can create tornados? Maybe even fly?” The youth pleaded. His body quivered with anticipation and excitement at the thought of having an actual super power. “I can control wind?”
“Not to that extent, but yes.” Zephos proclaimed joyously as he fought the urge to laugh at Link’s over the top reaction. He tossed the Waker over his shoulder, it flying through the air as it fell into the sea with a plunk as he continued to say “Which means you don’t need that anymore.”
“Weird…” Link drawled. He stared at his hands with utter confusion. “I really don’t feel any different. Do you think I can really use the winds?”
“I really wouldn’t worry about that, Waker.” Zephos stated with a yawn. He smacked his lips and began to rub his potbelly. “A blessing from Mistress Farore and a little practice, and you’ll be streaming air currents with the best of them.”
“Eh?” Link grunted with a tilted head at Zephos’s statement. Before he could inquire further, pain erupted into Link’s right arm, the triple triangle mark shining brightly. It’s brilliance went unnoticed however, as Link fell to his knees, crippled from the pain tears streaming down his face. “MY HAND FEELLS LIKE IT’S BEING BURNED FROM THE INSIDE!”
“Eh? Is it time already?” Zephos asked rather casually, taking no note of Link’s suffering. His eyes had become fixated on Link’s charm, now shining with a brilliant blue light. As it grew brighter and brighter, it cracks began to form. Eventually, it grew so bright that even he had to turn his eyes away from the light. “My lady does love her theatrics.”
A sound similar to the shattering of glass rang out, piercing through wind god’s ears.
Link, the Hero of Winds. Your power is needed.
The Light faded quickly, returning Zephos’s sight. He looked back towards the boat that was carrying his young friend, but the King of the Red Lions revealed itself without a passenger. As it rocked up and down on the waves, all Zephos could spot was an empty case, a bag with rations, two bottles of fresh water, and littered about the floor were black shards that were all that remained of the Pirate’s charm. Zephos breathed a heavy sigh from his hung head.
“It looks like you’re in for another adventure you’re not going to enjoy, Young Waker.”
Chapter 4: The Hero of Winds: End
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Wow. This turned out longer than I'd thought it'd be.
So now you know who is responsible for the abductions. The why will have to wait however. One more, and things will really get moving.
And I don't plan on using Link's powers all that often. This is Legend of Zelda, not Avatar, the Last Air Bender.
