THE FORSAKEN fortress loomed above him, stretching towards the darkening sky.

And it was empty.

No monsters guarded the walls, and the searchlights were unlit. Ragged banners flapping in the wind were the only sign of movement.

"This is not right," Link said. "Something strange is going on."

"I agree," the King of Red Lions said. "Be on your guard Link. Ganondorf is a cunning man. He will not be easily defeated. Many have fought him, and have only been able to contain him."

"What can I do though?" Link asked. "I don't have someone to help me seal him in a dark realm - even then, he will still come back."

"Ganondorf has weakened," the King of Red Lions said. "As the centuries have dragged on, he's lost more and more personal strength, and with it, more and more of his grip on the triforce of power."

"So you think that if he can be separated from the triforce..."

"He will become mortal one again," the King affirmed. "And then he would not return ever again."

"How do I do that?" Link asked.

"I do not know, but the goddesses do. Look to them for guidance. Trust in them, and they will provide the answers when you need them."

Link was quiet. He took at the wind waker. One of the many symbols of the goddesses, and the aid they had given him.

"King of Red Lions?" Link asked.

"Yes?"

"I found something in the castle," Link said. "A journal, detailing what happened when Hyrule began to flood."

The figurehead turned around to face him. Its mouth did not open.

"It sounded devastating," Link went on. "It sounded like many people died."

"They were given ample opportunities to save themselves," the figurehead said, "do not worry yourself with the poor choices of others."

"I know," Link said, "but I just couldn't help wondering - why didn't the goddesses just send another hero? Why did they have to let there be so much destruction?"

The boat sighed.

"I regret to tell you Link, that we do not know everything in this mortal sphere. We do not know why the goddesses do certain things. One could rightly ask why they allowed Ganondorf to come to power at all - and I do not know the answer to that either."

"I'm sorry," Link said, "I know that it is wrong to doubt the goddesses, but..."

"It is not wrong to have concerns," the King said, "but do not let those worries distract you from remembering the great things the goddesses have done for this people. We do not know what Ganondorf would've done had the flood not occurred. We do know that the Hylian people have been preserved, as well as the other races in the land."

Link still felt slight shame for admitting his doubt.

"It is as great a challenge to work through concerns such as this," the King said, "as to fight physical battles. Continue to walk forward, even when you do not know what lies ahead. This too, is a sign of courage."

Link uneasily placed his concern to the side for now, and reminded himself of the good that had happened in his life, and the good that had happened in Hyrule. The goddesses had helped him do the impossible.

He steeled himself, and put on a confident face. He was not going to let anything distract him from what he was going to do. He was going to save his sister, and the other prisoners, at any cost.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After sailing around the fortress walls, he found a large gate, seemingly to let boats into the fortress interior.

Contributing to the foreboding atmosphere, it was unsecured, and open wide.

He cautiously sailed through. After mooring the King of Red Lions and stepping onto the stone dock, he found it looking even more abandoned than before.

Had there been a tree in this place, you could've heard the sound of the wind rustling its leaves.

This felt like a trap. He couldn't be sure. Perhaps Ganondorf had anticipated his arrival, and escaped to somewhere else.

The clouds became a flat grey as he walked within the fortress walls. Shadows faded from the ground.

All of the fortress felt cloaked in a aura of danger. But he was not going to let himself be afraid. He was tougher than he was when he was here last. He'd fought foul creatures. He'd stepped out of moments of shadow with his life and will intact.

Link rounded a corner as he climbed some steps, and was taken aback by an unlikely sight.

Tetra.

"Hey kid," She greeted non-chalantly.

Gonzo and Senza stood a step below her.

"What in blazes are you doing here?" Link asked in shock.

Tetra took out a blue rupee and rolled it around in her fingers.

"Heard this place was abandoned now. Thought we'd strike while the iron was hot, before anyone else got here to loot first."

"Seems we weren't a second too soon," Senza said.

"I'm not here for treasure," Link frowned, "I'm getting my sister."

Tetra laughed.

She laughed.

Gerudo, Link hated her sometimes.

"If," Tetra said, "she's still here."

"I'll still keep searching," Link said. He resumed climbing the steps.

Tetra shrugged as he walked past. She and her crewmates walked with him.

"Kid, I congratulate you on your reslilience, but I...."

She gasped. He heard her footsteps cease.

"That sword...," she said, "where in the name of the golden goddesses did you get that sword?"

Link turned around, a look of disdain on his face.

"None of your business."

"Who are you?" she asked in earnest.

"Me?" Link said, not turning around as he climbed the stairs, "I'm just some nobody island boy on a little jaunt to save his little sister."

Tetra mumbled something.

He jogged up the stairs a little bit faster. What had that been about?

More importantly, why was Tetra, of all people, so intrigued by his new weapon?

His thoughts fled away as he saw the door that had led him to his sister before. The last time he stepped through this door, it had ended miserably. But despite his underlying tension, it was an enlivening sight.

Link unsheathed the master sword, and it gave a nice clean ring. He didn't care if Tetra saw it. If she wanted to gawk at it, she was free to do so.

He pressed his palm against the wood of the door, and felt it creak on its rusted hinges. Light flowed into the darkened room before them.

As his he eyes adjusted to the dim light, he felt them begin to pool with tears. He ran to the cells that held the girls.

His joy was dampened as he saw her more clearly. Her bright expression had eroded away. Unlike when he'd last saw her, she'd now been in this cell for many weeks.

As he gazed through the bars, he saw a faint light return to her eyes. She didn't say a word. They just wrapped their arms around each other, and took breaths of relief.

Her body... it was emaciated.

"I thought...," she sobbed, "I thought you were dead."

"No," Link pressed his face against hers, "I'm more alive than I've ever been before."

"Stand aside," Senza said.

He shoved Link forcefully out of the way, and Link nearly went to threaten him before Tetra gave him a glare. Senza plugged a pouch of something into the keyhole of Aryll's cell, while Gonzo put one in the other.

"Get back against the wall," Gonzo told the girls.

He lit fuses coming out of the pouches with a tinderbox, and all of them backed away. A burst of fire rattled the metal, and threw open the doors.

Once again, Link and Aryll came together, but this time, they were not separated any longer. They were together at last.

"I told them you'd rescue us," she continued to cry. She pressed her wet eyes into his chest. "But they didn't believe me."

"It's okay now," Link reassured, rubbing her back. She had grown much thinner, and her eyes... they were hollow, and no longer seemed quite so pure and innocent. He shed more tears, sensing the horror she'd had to go through.

"We need ta' move," Senza said. He crouched down to meet Aryll's height. "M'lady, would you do me the honor of carryin' you to safety? You look like you could use a rest from walking."

She sniffled, and then glanced to Link.

Link flared his nostrils with a disapproving look.

"C'mon kid," Tetra said, "you can't even trust us to help you?"

Link sighed, and gave Aryll a gentle nod. Aryll climbed into Senza's burly arm, and with his other arm, picked up another one of the girls.

Gonzo did the same.

The older girls said they could walk themselves. Link could tell however, that it pained them with their frail bodies.

As they left the cells, Link made an interesting observation. All of the girls were Hylians with blonde hair. No trace of those with Lynnan blood, or of the minor races.

"Don't dally boy," Senza said, "we need to get out of here. Whoever locked these uns' up won't be happy."

"I'm sorry," Link said, "but go on without me."

It hurt him to say that. He wanted to return home with Aryll. He wanted to at least be with her, even if the pirates didn't take Aryll back home immediately.

"Are you mad?" Tetra exlclaimed in a hushed tone. "Didn't you nearly get yourself killed the last time you were here!?"

"Why do you care if I get hurt?" Link asked.

"I don't," she said. She folded her arms. "But your sister will be crying till the sea boils over if you aren't there."

"Please," Aryll sobbed, "I just want to go home."

"Will you please take her home for me?" Link asked the pirates. "I don't care how long it takes, just make sure she's safe."

"And what exactly are you going to do?" Tetra asked with confusion in her eyes.

"I'm going to confront their captor."

Tetra became expressionless.

"You're crazy!" one of the girls shouted.

Gonzo clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Take them to the ship," Tetra told her crewmates. "I'll follow soon after."

The girls and Gonzo left, followed by Senza. Reflecting light flashed off of Aryll's eyes as he saw her vanish from view.

Tetra walked close up to Link. She shoved him harshly against the wall behind him, and he nearly dropped his weapon.

"I don't know what game you're playing," she whispered in a sharp tone, "but you're losing it."

Link pried Tetra's grip off of him, and surprisingly, she relented. She didn't even pull her gun on him.

"I have a special task that I need to perform," Link said. "And it's none of your business."

Tetra groaned in frustration. "You're a very strange boy Link."

She said his name. He couldn't remember that happening - ever.

"I don't know what you're up to," she said, "but it definitely isn't just saving your sister."

"I want to know why you care so much," he retorted. "I want to know why you're so interested in this sword."

"Because it's the master sword!" She cried out. "It's one of the most honored relics in Hylian history!"

"I see," Link said, "you want to pawn it off."

Her eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched.

"How dare you..."

"And let me ask you something Tetra," he said. "How do you know what it looks like?"

She trembled.

"No one knows what it looks like," he said. "So how come you know?"

She remained quiet.

Her mouth finally opened.

"None of your business."

"Well," Link said, walking away from the wall, "it seems we have a mutual understanding then. I don't feel like sharing, and neither do you."

He started to walk past her.

She pinned him back against the stone.

"Not so fast. You're not leaving this wall until I hear what you're up to."

"You won't get an answer," he grunted, "until you let me go."

Their piercing eyes stared each other down. Once she saw he wouldn't budge, she let go of him, and he stood up straight.

"You want to know what I'm doing?" he asked.

"Yes."

"The man who captured my sister and the other girls," Link said, "is the ancient Ganondorf."

Her mouth slowly dropped open in disbelief.

"How can you possibly know that?"

"None of your business," Link repeated.

She placed her hands on her head in confusion and shock.

"I don't know if what you're claiming is true," she said, "but either option is ludicrous. Ganondorf was destroyed in the ancient flood, and even if he was alive, how do you think you could possibly defeat him?"

Link looked down at the master sword, and the Triforce design in the blade.

"I have been helped along," he said with fervor. "I've grown since I was last here. The goddesses have watched over me, and I know that they will stay by my side."

"You're an idiot," Tetra scorned. "You've turned your sails into a course without wind."

Link's face remained steady. Her comment made him think of the wind waker, resting in his satchel.

"You're going to get yourself killed," she said.

"Then," Link swallowed, "I will... I... I will die trying."

Amusement briefly appeared on Tetra's face. "Ah, hard to stare in the face of death, ain't it?"

Link clenched his teeth, and tried to contain his anger.

"Look," Tetra said, "what you're going to do is get on the ship, and get home without getting yourself skewered, alright?"

Link stepped close to her, and stared her dead in the eyes, close enough that he could see her steel blue irises.

"Since when did you care so much about my safety?" Link asked. "What loss do you take from me getting killed?"

Tetra looked bewildered for a moment. She was genuinely taken aback, trying to parse through her thoughts. It only lasted a moment, then she stuck her thumbs in her trouser pockets, trying to regain the illusion of uncaring.

"We'll look awfully suspicious if we come to your island with your sister, but news of your demise," she said. "I'm no fool. I remember that your father was quick on his bowstring."

"I don't believe you."

She threw her hands up in the air.

"Can a pirate not keep a poor fool from spilling his blood?"

Link said nothing in response. Tetra seemed frustrated that she'd been forced to show her hand.

"Alright Link. If you want to jump into a monster's maw, go right ahead. Like you said. It's none of my business."

The tower quaked violently, and stones showered down around them.

Both of them jumped out of the way of falling rubble, just in time to see a shadow obscure the moonlight in the open ceiling.

The helmaroc was back.