"Breathe in... Breathe out... Focus. Overcome." Krystal's eyes flashed open and narrowed. "Here we go!" She shifted the wooden staff, currently held between both hands, to her right hand, holding it out to her side before rushing forward. The water on the beach on Outset Island was up to her knees, but it didn't slow her down, the water tickling between her toes in her sandals as she closed the distance between her and Orca. The old man raised his fishing spear over his head and brought it straight down as she got close, but Krystal quickly held her staff up sideways in both hands, catching the sharp end of the spear and pressing up against it. They held the stalemate for a few seconds before they leapt back from each other, the water rippling around them.
Krystal could hear the sound of cheering behind her, but she blocked it out as she adjusted her staff. She knew that the rest of Outset, including her grandmother and Sturgeon, had all come out and gathered on the dock to watch her and Orca spar. The pirate ship sat behind them, currently unoccupied as the pirates repaired the bridge leading to the forest, but she had a feeling they were watching, even as far away as they were, as well. Tetra was sitting on the dock next to Aryll, sitting calmly compared to the little girl and most of the other islanders' excited movements. The only ones who definitely weren't at least hopping in place were Sturgeon, who was steaming at the sight of his brother 'warping' Krystal's mind with his barbaric teachings, and her grandmother, who was clutching Krystal's dress tightly in her hands as she looked on with a worried expression.
Krystal edged towards Orca again, thrusting the tip of her staff at him several times before he made a horizontal slash with his fishing spear. The tip hit her staff and she grunted as she was knocked off-balance, but she stayed upright and kept the staff between her hands. She moved in closer and made a variety of swings with her staff, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal, before leaping up and doing a sweeping swing with her staff. Orca blocked them all and, with a yell, moved forward while thrusting the pole of his staff towards her. She shifted to a defensive stance, wood meeting wood for a moment before he backed away.
They continued for several more minutes before Orca held his left hand out. Krystal blinked and relaxed her stance, planting the bottom of her staff against the sand before they both bowed to each other. As they stood up straight, Orca said, "Ah, now that was a fine display of your skills, Krystal. My arm feels pleasantly numb. How about you? Is your arm feeling the strain of our session?" Krystal smiled and made a low hum of agreement as she handed her staff back to him.
Orca took their weapons back to his house with Sue-Belle and Sturgeon following behind him, the latter griping at him all the way back, while Krystal grabbed a linen towel and began drying her fur off. While she was, Aryll and their grandmother made their way over, Aryll exclaiming, "That was amazing, Big Sister! You're really skilled!" Krystal smiled and patted her on the head before looking at their grandmother. The older woman let out a sigh as she handed over her dress, giving the fox a look that was more sad than disapproving. Aryll grabbed Krystal's hand and said, "Come on, let's go play!"
Tetra's hand closed around Krystal's other arm above the elbow and said, “Hold on, Aryll. I need to borrow your sister for a minute. Don't worry. We're just going to have a pirate-to-fox chat.” Aryll looked a bit disappointed for a moment, but she quickly smiled and agreed before going with her grandmother while Krystal slipped her dress back on over her head.
The two girls walked along the path towards the bridge, moving apart briefly to get out of Sue-Belle's way. As they moved back together, Tetra remarked, “I didn’t know you were so skilled with a staff. I figured swords were your preference.”
Krystal replied, “I have some experience with both because of Orca. I have more experience with a sword because that’s what he had readily available for me to use. It’s a good thing that is what he had, but personally, I think I have more of a preference for staves. That’s why I wanted to have one of his fishing spears converted into one.”
Tetra nodded in reply. “How's your arm really feeling?” she asked a moment later.
Krystal rolled her left arm, shaking out some stiffness. “It feels all right. Whatever Ganondorf’s hand left behind started feeling better after we resurfaced, like the sun drove it away,” she said softly. She looked down at it. The mark he'd left around her arm hadn't faded, but Aryll had helpfully traced over it with white paint, making it look more like a tribal marking rather than a burn mark. She'd even done Krystal's right arm over the cut, giving her a matching pair.
Tetra tilted her head. “Well, that's… good, I guess. She stopped at the foot of the black rock and looked up towards the rope bridge, Krystal following her gaze. “Another day and your island should have a bridge as sturdy as the old one was. Are you sure you want that gap it had before? Seems… unsafe.”
Krystal nodded. “That's the intention. It's to discourage curious or rash kids, neither of which I have been,” she shot a sidelong glance at Tetra, who smirked back at her, “from going up into a forest where monsters could be lurking. There shouldn't be much of a reason to go up there now anyway.” She walked over to the nearby tree and ran her fingers over the bark before placing her palm against it. It was healthy again, new bark already growing over the spots that had recently been scraped and peeled.
Tetra walked over, standing behind her as she looked up at the tree's trunk. “Island dwelling concerns that I'm not familiar with, I guess. Still, I get it.” She looked down at Krystal, “It is kind of nice, though, island life. We can probably extend our stay by a few days, but…” She trailed off, letting what they both knew she was going to say hang.
Krystal looked back at her. “I know. I'll be ready,” she said quietly. Tetra looked at her for a moment before nodding and turning to go back to the ship. Krystal watched her for a moment before taking her hand off the tree and walking back towards her house.
She looked to her right towards the beach for a moment before looking to her left up the hill upon hearing Aryll call to her. Krystal waved up to her and made her way up the hill. Abe and Rose were tending to their pig while Joel and Zill were running around with Aryll. She waved to the adults before turning her attention to Aryll when she asked, “Is everything all right, Big Sister?”
Krystal smiled and leaned forward as she replied, “Mm-hmm. Tetra was making extra sure of that.” She stood up straight, “Still want to go play?” Aryll nodded eagerly and they turned to go, waving to Abe, Rose, and the kids as they made their way back down the hill, heading for the beach. They spent the rest of the day playing together and made their way home at dusk for a hearty meal from their grandmother, Tetra coming out to join them.
The following day, Krystal had chores and errands to run, so Aryll headed back up the hill in the afternoon to play with Joel and Zill. She caught glimpses of Krystal going across the island and heading in and out of the pirate ship, and it all seemed so normal to her. Late in the day, though, she was approached by Zill and she had to dodge to the side to avoid getting his dangling snot bubble smeared on her pirate dress. "Hey, Aryll!" he chirped.
"Yes, Zill?" she asked, wondering what was on his mind.
"So? So? So? So? So?" he rattled on before taking a moment to sniff, drawing his snot bubble into his nose for a second before it began to dangle again. "So... did Krystal tell you when she's leaving with the pirates?" he asked.
Aryll blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Wh-What?" she stammered, confused.
Before Zill could say any more, Rose barked from the other side of the pen's fence, "HEY! YOU HUSH!" She smoothed her expression as she turned to Aryll and said, "I'm sorry, Aryll. Don't pay any attention to him..."
Joel nodded and echoed, "Don't pay any attention to him."
Zill started, "But I thought Krystal was..." Rose cut him off with a sharp "SHUSH!" before chuckling nervously. Joel echoed the laughter, minus the nervousness in his mother's cadence.
Aryll looked at Zill for a moment, the younger boy looking like he was waiting for an answer, before turning her gaze towards the bath behind their house, where Krystal was washing up. Krystal hadn't told her anything about leaving, but it was evident that Zill had planted a seed in her mind. "I, um... I have to get home," she said, turning to leave. Abe placed his hands on Zill's shoulders to keep him from following her as he, Joel, and Rose waved goodbye to her. Krystal saw her coming down after she finished splashing water on her face and waved to her with a smile. Aryll smiled and waved back, the sight of her sister's smile pushing Zill's words out of her mind for the time being.
The thought resurfaced the following morning at breakfast, however. Aryll looked over at Krystal while they were eating. Her motions were relaxed, natural, not like she was hiding something or trying to get out of the house as quickly as possible. Nothing about her seemed to suggest she was planning anything. Still, she hesitated for a bit before asking, "Big Sister?"
Krystal turned her head to look at her, a curious expression on her face. "Hmm? Yes, Aryll?" she asked.
Aryll fidgeted for a moment before saying, "Um... Zill said something strange yesterday. He was wondering if I knew when you were, um... leaving with Miss Tetra and her crew?" Krystal's tail halted its lazy motions, her fingers clutching her fork tighter as her eyes widened slightly. Their grandmother kept eating like nothing was wrong while Aryll looked down at her plate and said, "I didn't really understand what he was talking about. I mean, it's sad that Miss Tetra and the pirates have to leave, but that doesn't mean you're planning to go with them... right?" She looked at the blue fox hopefully.
Krystal looked down at her fork, setting it down loudly beside her plate as she cleared her throat suddenly. "Actually, Aryll," she began to say, "I was going to talk to you today about that..."
Aryll's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, what? You are?!" Her fork clattered onto the table. "Big Sister, why?!"
Krystal tried to say, "I..."
Aryll looked from her to their grandmother, cutting her off as she said, "She can't, Grandma! Tell her she can't!" Their grandmother continued eating, not even looking up at Aryll's outburst. "Grandma?" she questioned, tilting her head.
Their grandmother slowly set her fork down before looking up. "It's all right, Aryll," she said carefully. "I've known for days that Krystal was planning to leave the island."
Aryll’s mouth fell open at this. “What?! Grandma! You’re… Are you saying you’re okay with that?!”
The older woman turned her head to look at her, “No, Aryll, I’m not. I’m not saying that at all.”
Aryll started, “Then why…”
Their grandmother cut her off as she looked back at Krystal and said, “Because Krystal has grown so much since her birthday. Not by choice, but by necessity. She has sailed across this Great Sea and seen things I could only imagine. She has fought terrible beasts and ancient evils. And most importantly, she’s had a taste of the world beyond our little island. I always knew if she ever left, she would want to continue venturing out to find where she came from, who her real family is…”
Krystal slid out of her seat and made her way over to their grandmother, getting down on one knee before her. “You and Aryll are my family, Grandma,” she began. “This island is where I came from. It is and always has been the most important thing to me. I may never know where I was before you found me on the beach. That has nothing to do with why I want to leave.”
Aryll spoke, “Then why, Big Sister, why?”
Krystal turned her head to look at her sail, now pinned up on the wall. “Because a very good friend, almost like a father in a way, told us to live for the future. His time has ended, but he wanted us to keep living and find a path to follow. And…” She paused for a moment, her voice sounding uncertain when she continued, “He said something that he didn’t have time to elaborate on before he was washed away. It was like… a warning, perhaps? Something he wanted us to do? I’m not certain, but I don’t think he would’ve told us if it wasn’t important.”
Aryll shook her head and stood up, crossing around the table to Krystal. “What else could there possibly be, Big Sister?” she asked, placing her hands just below her shoulders. “You said you and Miss Tetra defeated the evil man in the tale! There shouldn't be anything left for you to leave for anymore! No more monsters, no more ancient evils, nothing!”
Krystal looked at her sadly. “I mean, yes, it would be nice if that was the case, Aryll. But… he said…”
Aryll cut her off, “Forget what he said! He must have been wrong! Miss Tetra is leaving, so let her handle it!” She shook in place slightly, though whether it was from trying to shake her or because she was on the verge of crying, Krystal couldn't tell. “Your future is here, with us!”
Their grandmother stood and said, “Aryll!” Both girls turned their heads to look at her, Aryll's eyes brimming with tears. She let go of Krystal and turned, running for the front door.
Krystal stood up and held her hand towards her as she ran, taking a step forward as she called, “Aryll!”
Their grandmother spoke, catching her attention, “Don't, Krystal. Just… give her some time alone.” Krystal hesitated as she looked back at her before looking down, her right hand moving to clutch her arm below the white markings. She looked at her and realized two things: one, she was nervous about Aryll being alone, the scars of watching her younger sister get kidnapped clearly running deep, and two, she did think what she had been told was a serious matter given how her gaze drifted back to and lingered on the sail.
________________________________________
Tetra found Krystal sitting on the beach, her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them and her tail curled around her, resting against her boot. She took a seat next to her, looking out at ocean for several moments, the silence between them comfortable despite the thoughts weighing down the fox’s mind. “I take it Aryll found out about you leaving,” the pirate girl finally said.
“Yes. Not from me, technically. From Zill,” Krystal said. “He might have stopped wetting the bed, according to Joel, but he still has a tendency to run his mouth, and he somehow knew about me and told her.”
Tetra nodded, not needing to say what they were both thinking. They sat in silence for several moments before she glanced over at Krystal. "You sure you still want to do this?" she asked. "Or is your sister being upset enough of a reason for you to reconsider?"
Krystal didn't turn to her. She continued to look out at the sea as she spoke, "It seems so simple in theory, doesn't it? The journey's over, I got what I wanted and then some, and now I can just go back to the life I had before." She turned her head to look at Tetra, "Maybe if I hadn't been grabbed by that bird the first time, I might've been able to, but after sailing across the Great Sea and seeing everything that I saw and meeting so many people, it's..." She hesitated before saying, "It's not. It's not the thrill that's causing me to want to keep sailing, it's seeing worlds I never imagined I'd ever get to see for real." She turned her head away slightly and glanced down at the sand as she added, "And... you know..."
Tetra nodded again, "Right. 'That land doesn't need another failed king. It needs you'. He knew something, but who knows if he would've told us if he'd had more time?" She looked towards the water as well. "He really was trapped in the past, wasn't he? He was so caught up in Ganondorf and the Hyrule buried under the Great Sea that everything else came second for him. I don't think he would've wasted his last breaths telling us something inconsequential, though. That's reason enough for me to want to find out what it was."
Krystal looked at her and said, "Those are my thoughts, more or less. It has to be important." Her gaze drifted down. "I just... don't know how to convince Aryll of that."
Tetra turned her head to look towards the lookout tower. She could see the sunlight glinting off Aryll's telescope as well as the girl's silhouette at the top behind the railing, clearly looking down at them. "Well, that might not be possible, Krystal," she began. "Aryll's not you. She can't see things from your perspective." She pushed herself up off the sand and looked down at the fox. "She doesn't have to understand your choices, but she should try to accept that it's your life and you're not doing anything that requires an intervention, so she shouldn't be trying to hold you back from living your life how YOU want to." She started walking towards the dock, "You are sisters, after all. You should understand each other better than anybody." Krystal watched her walk away, her legs sliding slightly through the sand as her grip on them loosened, leaving prints through the sand.
The next few days passed by in a blur of preparations and chores. The bridge to the forest was fixed, so the pirates turned their attention to loading the ship for departure with Krystal helping. During this time, Aryll spent most of her time up in the lookout tower, watching them with her telescope, not coming home until dark. Meals at their grandmother's house were quiet affairs; no one seemed to have much to say, and Aryll deliberately kept her gaze on her food to avoid looking at Krystal.
The fox said nothing during these times, not sure what to say. She would just finish her meal and go back to packing. She was filling a pack with additional items she thought she would need, including the resized green clothes her grandmother had made her for her birthday. When it came time to sleep, she slept up in the loft beneath the wooden wreath still hanging on the wall, letting Aryll have the bed all to herself. She would hear small steps creaking up the ladder and someone sidling up beside her during the night when it seemed like she was asleep, but she kept that knowledge to herself.
Finally, the day came where they were to depart. As the sun climbed up into the sky, Tetra found Krystal standing at the top of the hill, looking out over the water with her pack on her back. She approached her, standing next to her at the edge. “Hey. What are you doing, fox girl?” she asked.
“Just taking in the view one last time,” Krystal murmured. “It's going to be a long time before I see it again.” The silence hung between them for a couple of moments before she said, “I used to come up here a lot when I needed some time alone. Staring out at the sea, looking at that reef, wondering what lay beyond… It used to calm me when my thoughts were a mess.”
Tetra crossed her arms, glancing over at her as she asked, “It's different now that you've been beyond it, huh?”
Krystal admitted, “A little. Still calming, though.” She stared for a few moments more before taking a deep breath, inhaling Outset Island's air one last time. She turned to Tetra, “Okay. I'm ready now.”
They made their back down the winding path, silent but not uncomfortable. Mesa looked up from his grass cutting as they went by. Krystal looked over at him, pausing for a moment and nodding at him before facing forward again. Mesa's eyes widened and he scrambled after them, slipping slightly on the still damp grass clippings.
Tetra noticed the rest of the island beginning to gravitate towards them as they reached the other side of the bridge. Orca was already on his front porch, the old swordsman nodding at them as they passed. Sue-Belle paused in the middle of carrying a vase, setting it down and rushing to fetch Sturgeon. Abe and Rose looked down at them from above for a moment before turning to go call for their children. Krystal's grandmother was standing on the beach, her hands behind her back even as she frowned, but there was no sign of Aryll anywhere.
Krystal veered off the path to make a detour to the mailbox, noticing that it was shaking. When she was standing in front of it, it said, "Good morning! Letters for Krystal? We have one letter! Here is your letter." It reared back and made a spitting sound before a box dropped down into the opening. She opened it and read it.
'To Krystal,
We all wish you, Tetra, and the rest of the crew the best of luck on the journey ahead. We know it will be long and may be fraught with peril at times, but don't ever forget that home is closer than it appears.
To that end, we have partnered with Tingle to enhance the range of the delivery system. Enclosed in this letter is his latest creation, the Tingle Bottle. It is a magic bottle that can be sent great distances to and from Dragon Roost Island when postboxes in range are not available. You can use it to send letters from far away, and we can use it to send letters addressed to you no matter how far away from home you are.
We cannot thank you enough for all you have done. Wherever your journeys take you from this point on, know that you will always be in our thoughts and that we will be awaiting the day that we meet again.
May the winds of fortune continue to blow across your bow.’
The letter was signed by Medli, Makar, Prince Komali, his father, and pretty much the entire Rito tribe. Krystal smiled softly; this was more proof that this world was her home. She looked down and found the Tingle Bottle in the package, which was a green bottle shaped like Tingle’s head. She pulled it out and placed it in her Adventure Pouch and slipped the letter into her pack. She then turned and made her way down to the beach.
Krystal's sharp hearing caught her grandmother saying "...You'd better take care of her, you hear?" to Tetra as she made her way down the slope. Tetra nodded in a slight bow in reply before turning to go board the ship while the older woman turned to Krystal as she reached the sand. She gave her a small smile as she said, "Oh, Krystal. My dear, sweet Krystal..."
Krystal mirrored her smile as she said, "Grandma... This is not goodbye."
The older woman nodded, "Yes." Her eyebrows knitted together even as she smiled, "But I know it will be a longer farewell this time." She brought her hands out from behind her back, revealing four bottles filled with soup. "That's why I made sure to prepare extra of your favorite soup for your journey. I've also included the recipe so as long as you have the ingredients, you can make it yourself." Krystal noticed a piece of parchment sticking out from in between the bottles. "Keep it warm and don't eat it all in one place. Try to make it last a while and get those pirates to eat a little healthier."
Krystal moved forward and wrapped her arms around her grandmother. "I will, Grandma," she murmured as she hugged her tightly. She didn't want the hug to end, but she knew she couldn't keep Tetra and the rest of the crew waiting. She pulled back and they shared a gaze for a moment before Krystal looked back up the beach. Everyone had gathered to see her off. Everyone except for Aryll. She looked down and exhaled softly before taking the bottles from her grandmother. She knelt down and set them on the sand, the older woman looking down at her curiously as she reached into her Adventure Pouch.
"BIG SISTER!" Krystal's head snapped up, turning to look back up the slope. Aryll was running down from the crossroads straight towards her. She stood and held her arms out, barely taking a step before Aryll leapt at her. She wrapped her arms around her and spun them both in a circle for a moment as they embraced tightly, both of their eyes pricking with tears.
As she stopped, she held Aryll out so she could look at her face and said softly, "I'd hoped you would at least come to see me off."
Aryll's soft smile dipped, her tears close to spilling over. "I know you would stay if you didn't think this trip was important," she whispered. "And I know I can't tell you what to do, Big Sister. It just feels like... we've been drifting further and further away since your birthday, and now I don't know when we'll each other again... No more talking, no more playing together..."
Krystal gave her a small smile as she said, "Well, we certainly won't be able to play together, but that's the only thing that we won't be able to do." Aryll looked at her curiously as she knelt and set her down on the sand. She reached into her Adventure Pouch again and pulled out a small glowing stone that looked similar to the one Tetra had given her. "I seem to have picked up a bad habit of getting things slipped in my pocket," she remarked as she looked down at the stone in the palm of her hand.
"What is that?" Aryll asked, looking at the stone curiously.
Krystal looked at her, "This is a very special stone, Aryll. I have a similar stone that Tetra gave me, and it allows us to talk and see things even when we're far apart." She looked down at the stone again, "This stone belonged to my friend, and it does the same thing. I am certain he slipped it into my pouch before he vanished." She reached out with her free hand and gently grasped Aryll's right wrist, bringing her arm forward and turning her palm up. "Maybe he intended it as an apology of sorts, I don't know." She turned her own palm over and gently placed the stone in Aryll's hand, "All that matters now is, as long as you have this stone, we'll be able to see each other while I'm away. You and whoever you choose to share this stone with will be able to talk with me at any time." She closed Aryll's fingers over the stone before leaning back slightly.
Aryll looked down at the stone as she uncurled her fingers from around it. "We can talk anytime?" she breathed.
Krystal shrugged lightly. "I think so. I didn't have someone to talk to all the time, but that should be the case." Aryll looked up at her again and, unable to find any words to say, moved forward to hug her again. Krystal hugged her back, letting it last for a minute before letting go. She then smiled at her as their grandmother moved behind the younger girl, putting her hands on her shoulders as she gave Krystal a sad smile.
Tetra watched as Krystal gathered up the bottles of soup and put them in her Adventure Pouch before standing and making her way over to the dock. She walked down the length of it, pausing once to look back at everyone before walking up the boarding ramp onto the ship. The rest of Tetra's crew was on the deck, Senza and Nudge nodding to her with all the rest as she looked around. Tetra called from next to Gonzo on the bridge, "Ready to cast off?"
Krystal's ears perked as she turned to look towards the sky as if she was searching for something. "Mm, not yet," she said, her left hand drifting towards her Adventure Pouch. She pulled out the Wind Waker and conducted with it, calling upon the power of the wind gods. All of a sudden, the wind's direction shifted.
Tetra glanced up as the ship's sail began to billow from the wind blowing into them. She raised her left hand as she turned to Gonzo and called, "Anchors aweigh! Hold the tiller steady!" She smiled as she crossed her arms and faced forward again. "As for our destination... the wind will guide us!"
Everyone on the beach began to wave as the ship pulled away, except for Aryll. Krystal peered over the starboard railing and saw her running to the end of the dock, her right hand still closed around the stone. She waved back to her once and the little girl, despite the tears in her eyes, raised her left hand and waved back to her. Krystal pulled her head back as Outset Island began to get smaller and looked at her left hand, which was still resting on the railing. It was faint, but the mark of the Triforce of Courage was still there, lighting up like it was encouraging her. She turned her head to look towards the bow. The Great Sea was vast, but unlike the last time she'd set sail on the pirates' ship, she didn't feel alone. Back then, she'd been a stowaway they'd allowed to come onboard; now, she really felt like a member of this band of rogues, all of them sailing these waters in search of something new.
