"YOU WANT to come on our ship?"

"Yes," Link replied to Tetra, trying to maintain his composure.

"I don't think you realize what you're up against kid," Tetra replied, "that bird was the largest helmaroc I've ever seen. The only reason my crew went after it was because it got me."

"Yes," Link said, "and the only reason I'm going after it is because it has my sister."

"They were already in the ship when the helmaroc got me," Tetra said. "The bird is long gone this time."

"Where were you when the bird captured you?" Link asked her.

The man that had been with Tetra before, Gonzo, spoke up.

"We were near an abandoned pirate fortress," he said. "The helmaroc appeared to roost there. We don't know why it went after Tetra, helmarocs usually are only aggressive if you go near their nests."

"We are not going back there," Tetra said. "Besides the possibility of incurring the wrath of our helmaroc friend, it's completely out of our way, and we have no time to be a passenger service."

"Actually Tetra," Gonzo said, contradicting her, "we need to go to windfall."

"For what?" Tetra asked.

"When we were coming in to dock here," Gonzo stated, "there was some intense stress on the anchor ropes, as well as on the rudder."

"Do we have any usable rope that will help support the anchors?" Tetra asked.

"Yes," Gonzo said, "but we'll have to go extra to each anchor. They also won't last more than a couple of uses."

Tetra glanced back at Link with disdain.

"So you're suggesting we drop off our little stowaway fish on the way there?"

Link bit his lip to avoid showing his frustration.

"We get the kid to the fortress," Gonzo said, "get the ship fixed while he's there, then come back and get him."

"Gonzo," Tetra said, "I really don't care abou -"

"You're the reason Aryll is gone," Link interjected furiously. "If you hadn't -"

"Your sister got taken," Tetra retaliated, "because she was being stupid and -"

Link drew his sword from its sheath, and was immediately struck to the ground.

Link's parents had been standing off to the side until now, but now Link heard the sound of an arrow being nocked.

Tetra glared down at him with a knife in her hands, and had connected her blade with his, holding him to the ground.

Link had thought he was a decent swordsman, but... this was humiliating. Stopped. By a knife.

"Put...down...the weapon," Link's dad said.

The pressure holding him down was released, and Link almost fell down to the ground as he struggled to stand back up.

"Fine!" Tetra said, thrusting her knife into a fold in her clothing. She looked Link square in the eyes.

"I hope you realize," she said, "that we could've blasted your island to smithereens - and we would've done it for fun as well. Don't expect a quick return trip. It could be a year or two before we have a reason to come back around here again."

Link could tell the remark was meant to upset him, but he didn't care. He got angry anyway.

"Don't push your luck kid," Tetra said before Link could respond. "We'll get you there and get you back, but don't expect an immediate return, or any help with your little suicide mission."

He stared down Tetra's barbarous scowl. Link wasn't sure if he wanted help from this kind of people. They were pirates. They ruined people's lives and considered it sport.

"We'll ship out as soon as possible," Tetra said, "If you take more than an hour, we'll leave you behind."

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With that, Tetra walked onto her ship, and Gonzo followed.

Link felt his father place a hand on his shoulder.

"Link," his father said, turning his son to face him, "you can't do this. At the very least not alone. Wait a bit, we'll gather all the men on the island and then go after Aryll on our own."

"How long will that take?" Link asked. "By that time Aryll could have been..."

Link trailed off, his eyes growing wet.

"Besides," Link added, "it was my fault. I was foolish and thought I should protect that... that pirate." He spat out the word. "Aryll followed me up there. Plus, if I had just let the bird take the pirate..."

Link groaned and put his face in his hands.

"Why did this have to happen? Aryll never deserved any of this!"

"Link," mom said, "we know that you want to help Aryll, but I - ."

Mom began tearing up herself.

"I - can't lose... both of you... ."

Link tried, with great difficulty, not to fall back into his weeping from ten minutes before.

"If I don't go mom," Link said, "there's probably little chance we'll see Aryll again. If I do go, there is a chance."

"Yes," mom said, "a chance."

"No matter what decision we make," dad said, "someone's life will be in danger."

"The more people who go," Link said, "the more who could get hurt."

Link's parents were silent.

"If I go alone," Link said, "it will be easier for me to sneak in and rescue Aryll.

"The ancient hero, when he was summoned to his quest, did he hide in Korok forest?"

He looked into his parents' sorrowful expressions.

"He went on his quest because he knew that it was right," Link continued, "and you taught me since I was little, that if you do something that's right, the goddesses will always, always, be protecting you."

Mom's eyes glinted in the light, tears pooling in her eyes. She wordlessly took Link's hand and began walking Link toward their house. Dad followed.

Link let them lead him, unsure of if he had changed their minds. He wasn't sure he had changed his own. They went inside and mom began to look through cupboards for something.

Soon dad joined her, and mom began filling a sack with food.

Link didn't say anything. He could tell that Mom was trying not to think about what she was doing. He looked around the room as they went to their work.

His home. Fourteen years of memories, and he was leaving.

Maybe forever.

No! Don't think that! He chastised himself. Never think that.

He looked down at the floor and saw his pile of clothes that he had left inside. He grabbed a lump in them, and pulled it out.

Aryll's telescope. Mom and Dad had spent a lot of rupees to buy it for her. Mom had painted little seagulls on it. Link slid it into a loop in his belt.

Mom and dad handed him the sack of supplies.

"I put a tin and some utensils in there for you to eat out of," mom said.

"Thank you," Link said.

Mom wheezed a sigh, placing her face in her hands. "I don't know why I'm letting you do this. Every time I start rationalizing against it, I lose track of the thought."

"I am feeling it stressed on my mind," Dad said to Mom, "that Link needs to go."

"The goddesses are speaking," Mom said, leaning on dad's shoulder.

"Yes," Dad agreed.

His parents walked out the door in front of him, and Link took one last forlorn look into his home. As they came out onto the front porch, Link saw grandma in the corner if his eye.

She was sitting in a chair, looking over the rolling water.

"Aryll is gone, isn't she?" grandma asked softly.

"Yes," Link said quietly.

"You're going to rescue her?" grandma asked.

"Yes."

Grandma turned to him and reached her arms out. Link embraced her.

"You can do it Link," she said with fervor. "I've always been proud of the courage in your heart. May Farore's wind be at your back."

Despite her worried look, there was a stiriking light present in her eyes. Link painfully withdrew from the embrace. Grandma looked back to the ocean, without saying another word.

He walked with his parents down along the beach. Link wished he wasn't wearing boots. He wanted to feel the sand between his toes one last time.

"Link!"

Joel ran up to him.

"Is it really true?" He asked, "are you actually leaving?"

Link timidly nodded.

Joel handed him something. It was his stargazing manual.

"Figured you'd want it," Joel said solemnly, his face deprived of its usual mischievous smirk.

Joel gave him a quick hug. By this time, many other islanders had gathered. They all wanted to say goodbye, and he grew more and more anxious, thinking about the last goodbye.

In a single hour, his life had gone from being just fine, to crumbling before his eyes. The walk to the pier felt like it took years, but that still didn't feel long enough to Link.

As they came close to the ship, Tetra suddenly jerked back the gangplank.

"Oh," she said, "I'm afraid you were a touch too slow. Maybe you can catch a ride with the shop ship when it makes its rounds next month."

An arrow shot through the air and thudded into the ship's mast, not a foot from Tetra's face. Dad already had another arrow nocked. His face was masked with the placid stillness of an archer sighting his next shot.

"Your arm gets the next one," Dad warned.

The gangplank flew out nearly as fast as the arrow had. Tetra turned away quickly and hurried to find something to do out of arrow range.

Link tried not to sob as his dad gripped his shoulders. He shuddered. He couldn't do this. He was leaving behind everything.

He was going to get himself killed. He wasn't thinking straight. Heavy breaths strained on his chest. He hadn't thought this through, and he was going to foolishly wager his life.

A few minutes passed in silence. He was such a child. Crying for mommy the moment they were separated. All the islanders were staring at him. He looked down and closed his eyes. Today he was supposed to be a young man.

He shivered, as if the stares of the islanders, mom, dad, and probably now the pirates were freezing the air around him. He felt a hand force his chin up. Link opened his eyes.

"Link," Mom said, holding up his head, "you will be able to do it... do it for Aryll. Do it for the goddesses"

Link sobbed and shared one last hug with his parents.

He forced himself to end it, then turned toward the gangplank, and willed his feet forward. Making it onto the ship's deck, he afforded a last glance back.

He could barely keep his eyes dry.