"THE SEA rat," Ganondorf furrowed his brow.

"The monster," Tetra said.

She shot him. Ganondorf uttered some ancient curse.

"I hate firearms," he seethed. "In ages past, Gerudo women proved themselves worthy with their precision and quickness in using a bow. Now combat requires little discipline. An untrained fool can still kill with a gun."

Link rolled over, and saw Tetra lock another round into the gun's chamber.

"I care little for if your bows were impressive. My gun can kill you just the same," she said.

"As long as I have the triforce of power, young Hylian," Ganondorf said, "none of your mortal weapons can bring an end to me."

He pulled his robe aside, revealing that, while their was a hole going through the layers of clothing beneath, the skin was unblemished. There was a glow on his hand.

Even in the midst of the dire situation, Link found his mouth gape open. Ganondorf truly had the triforce of power. A shard of the goddesses' very abilities. Something of stories and of ancient lore, not something to be found in his own life.

Link felt very helpless. Ganondorf's words had burned him to his core, but he still reached out in his mind to the goddesses.

Farore, he prayed, help me stand against this beast.

Link shifted his position painfully, trying to get up.

Ganondorf stomped him back onto the floor. Tetra shot him again. He showed little reaction. It was a horrifying image. The man stood unfazed, even though the bullet had ripped through one cheek and out the other side.

Link averted his eyes from the gruesome image.

"Yes," Ganondorf said, "look away Link. For I do not think you'll want to see what I'm about to do."

Looking down at the floor, he saw Ganondorf stride towards Tetra, his robe flowing across the floorboards. Tetra drew her curved sword to strike him.

"A sword," Ganondorf said thoughtfully. "And the design mimics the Gerudo style. A finer choice than a gun. But it is merely a poor imitation, fit only to be cast aside."

Tetra stabbed him in the side, but he grabbed her unabashed, tightening his thick fingers around her neck.

"There will not be trees to catch you this time," Ganondorf said.

Link got up, and ran towards Ganondorf. And he tossed Tetra out the window.

"You evil wretch!" Link screamed.

He made a frenzied, thoughtless attack on Ganondorf, but Tetra was already falling into the dark. His blows meant nothing to this villain, and eventually the beast grew tired of holding back, unceremoniously throwing a punch into Link's stomach.

"I have tried to maneuver myself into a position to get to her, but the goddesses have thwarted them," Ganondorf said. "It is annoying that I will have to wait for them to find someone else, but time means little to me anymore."

Ganondorf wiped blood off of his face as the cuts there resealed.

"But you," he said to Link, "will wish that your end was as peaceful as hers."

Link moaned in pain and fear, watching with the terror of a thousand nightmares as pure evil stalked closer to him.

There was a crash of noise in the hut.

Link felt something grab around his side. He was suddenly wrenched into motion, and then thrust out into the cold night wind.

He kept his grip tight on the master sword and his shield, but turned his head to see what was going on.

It was a beaked, humanoid face, with soft feathers covering it.

"Komali..."

"Yes young hero," the Rito prince said, "and my guard caught your friend before she hit the walls below."

Link breathed out, and closed his eyes, shocked at the sudden moment of relief.

The darkness beyond his eyelids suddenly became bright.

Link opened his eyes, and saw in another great surprise, Valoo the dragon, torching the place Link had just barely stood in a moment before. Never had he seen such a raging blaze in all his life. It hurt his eyes to even look at it.

But he knew, after witnessing, and feeling Ganondorf's power, that this would not end him. The man was still alive. And now Link had become mortal enemy.

****

"We have been traveling with Valoo to the other Rito islands," Komali said. "So that the youth there may be able to receive their wings as I have."

Link, Tetra, and the two Rito sat on the small deck of the King of Red Lions. Valoo was sprawled on a rock some distance away.

Other than the fading glow of the burning tower, their only light in the dark was a small lantern Link had lit.

"While traveling to our next island," Komali's guard said, "I felt a strange conviction that we needed to follow a different air current, and pass further to the south."

"And then the voices of the goddesses became clear," Komali said, "for Din truly told me that we needed to save you."

"I... I'm not even sure if I'm capable of expressing my debt to you," Link said.

"You saved Valoo," Komali said, "and as you promised, through some means beyond my understanding, Din's Pearl was returned to us. Seeing the joy in my fellow Rito as Valoo gifts them their wings has changed me Link. I know that I am only seeing it because you saved our great master."

Link saw a very surprised reaction on Tetra's face.

"You will forever be an honored friend of the Rito tribe," Komali's guard said. "And we will always give you aid if we are able."

"Thank you," Link said.

Tetra was quiet for a moment, then responded. "Thank you, for not letting me die in a disappointing way."

"Dying in battle to the evil Ganondorf is a disappointing way to die?" Komali asked incredulously.

"No," she said, "dying after him tossing you out like spoiled fruit is what's disappointing."

"Well," Link said sorrowfully, "it is not much better, living with that disappointment. I have failed the goddesses again."

"Your sister is safe," Tetra pointed out. It wasn't so much a comforting remark, as it was annoyance at him not seeing the obvious.

"Yes," Link said. "She is. Can I trust your crew?"

She rolled her eyes. "My crew is a bunch of spineless cowards that could be commanded by the flies on a pig's back."

"How encouraging," Link said. "And contradictory to what I have seen."

"They will not hurt your sister," Tetra said. "But I am going to drag them behind my ship for leaving me behind."

Link sat quietly for a moment, exploring his thoughts. Aryll was safe, at least to the best of his knowledge. He would have preferred that she was not in the hands of pirates but that was better than her being held captive by the most evil man in history.

He felt anxious now, that his ultimate goal, of defeating that man, was very unclear.

"What are you going to do now Link?" Komali asked. "If we can, we will try to assist you."

"I appreciate the offer," Link said, "but for the first time in months, I do not know what to do."

"You really are...," Tetra said, "some kind of hero, aren't you?"

Link cringed slightly. Her tone had not been derisive, but he still felt uncomfortable hearing people praise him like they were.

"Yes," he said, "if the fact that I wield the ancient master sword didn't make it obvious."

"Ganondorf said that Hyrule is still there," Tetra said, "beneath the sea. Is... is that true?"

Link was aghast. She was legitimately curious.

"Yes," he said, "yes it is. And... and it is beautiful."

Tetra gripped the edge of the boat tightly and her eyes became large. "You've actually seen it? Who are you Link?"

"A fourteen year old boy who knows little more than how to steer a boat and hold a sword."

"No," Tetra said, "you're harboring secrets, ones that aren't going to stay locked away anymore."

"Uhh...," Link back away. Was she threatening him?

"Take me there," she said.

"What?"

"Take me to ancient Hyrule," she said.

"Why should I?"

She grumbled. "If there's something I can't stand about you, it's that it takes pointing a gun at your head to elicit action in you."

"Maybe people would be more inclined to listen to you if you weren't blowing their ears off," he said.

"Then how about we try that way," Tetra said. "Please take me to ancient Hyrule."

"I can't believe that you think you can just bully your way into traveling to a mythical place."

"I'm sorry if I'm not as mythical as you hero-boy," she said. "Perhaps you might actually find some answers of your own there, as it seems like you don't have an idea of what to do next."

"Why do you even want to go there?" Link asked, "you're keeping many secrets yourself."

"It's different with me," she said. "I'm a pirate. We don't follow the rules normal people do. Plus, if you are a hero, it means you 'belong to all the people you serve,' and all that gerudo nonsense."

"That's not even remotely true," Link said. "I'm not some statue for everyone to gawk upon because the goddesses have asked me to serve them."

And Link would know. He'd talked to a statue.

"I... I'm sorry if I have caused you any offense for praising your efforts," Prince Komali said. "I did not mean to cause you undue discomfort."

"That is alright," Link said.

He returned his gaze to Tetra.

"Fine," he said. "But now your on my boat. You follow my orders."

"Agreed," Tetra said. Her smug, slight smirk came to her lips.

"And," Link added, "don't point a gun at my head."

****

They said goodbye to Komali, his guard, and Valoo, as they began traveling north to another Rito settlement. Link turned the sail to catch the wind, setting their course for the southeast, and the tower of the gods.

Of course, he did not let Tetra see him redirect the wind. Even though she now knew of his dealings with ancient powers, he was not yet comfortable letting her see it all. All of this had become sacred to him, and he did not want Tetra ridiculing it.

No, she had seemed too distracted by Prince Komali before they left, strangely remarking that "he looked cute for a bird."

She went to sleep on the deck as he kept their course. It was a strange thing, how she had the impeccable ability to fall asleep without any sort of comfort.

A stranger thing caught on his mind, however. The King of Red Lions had not spoken to him since his encounter with Ganondorf. He had not even moved.

It was just one of the concerns weighing on his mind.

Despite his misgivings, over the next few days of sailing, Tetra did help when requested. They hopped from island to island, most of them being little more than atolls.

There was an odd annoyance in him with her around. He had been somewhat alone while sailing before. The King of Red Lions had spoken to him at times yes, but they rarely had casually discussions. That had left Link to think to himself, which could be both good and extremely terrible.

This however, felt like an invasion of his privacy. He could not get into much substantial thought, as he always felt her prying eyes on him; never mind the fact that she was either sleeping or disinterested in him.

But there was something that eased. She had lost much of the mystique about her. He wasn't much afraid of her shooting him. She no longer even felt like some distant, unknowable pirate anymore.

She was just like him. A Hylian.