A Pirate's Life For Me; Zelink, Pirate AU (The Legend Of Zelda)

Chapter Five; Past

Tetra ducked under a swipe of a sword and then responded in kind, her sword slicing across his chest and sending him to the deck. She turned around and stabbed at the second pirate that had her cornered. He tried to parry but he wasn't fast enough; he joined his fellow.

Impa flashed past her on the right and her sword met a sword destined for the captain.

"Thanks," she said as she darted towards another skirmish, aiding Gonzo in his battle. As she dispatched a man with a thrust she spotted who she was looking for.

Six years was a long time to wait for vengeance, but now it was before her and she wasn't going to let it slip through the cracks.

"Guess I started on the wrong end of the ship, captain Lynel," Tetra called, whipping her sword through the air at her side, which sent droplets of blood cascading in an arc through the air which followed the path of the blade.

The man, Lynel, was currently embroiled in a fight with Armos.

As she was too far away to help, she was forced to watch as that dreaded pirate slashed him open, and only then did he turn to face her.

"Well, if it isn't the little pirate's pet, Tetra. If you hadn't arrived in my ship I wouldn't have even recognized you," Lynel jeered as he balanced the dull side of his blade against his shoulder, leaving a stain of Armos's blood where it rested.

Tetra tried to hold in her anger as he walked closer to her. He was so confident in himself; so sure she couldn't even touch him.

"Impa," she called icily.

"Captain," Impa replied promptly, stepping out of the crowd.

"Help Armos," she said as she stalked forward to meet Lynel, where she addressed him again. "It was never your ship, traitor," she replied, falling into a ready stance.

"I believe the term is pirate. Treachery is kind of in the job description," he said with a laugh.

"I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here to kill you," she said as she pounced, thrusting her sword towards him while he was still relaxed.

He was fast, just as fast as she remembered, and he blocked her with his blade. "Big words for a little girl."

A flurry of blows, thrown and parried. Steel resounded against steel as Tetra tried in vain to obliterate the past that was fighting against her.

Then she made a small error in timing and his sword flashed before her eyes. Her hat tore off of her head and landed on the deck beside her. She stepped back and blocked the second attack, her hair falling out of its restraints.

Lynel stepped back and whistled. "So, you aren't a little girl anymore. Someone's grown into a woman since the last time I-"

"That happens in four years Lynel," she growled, interrupting him before he could reveal anything about her past to those listening. Then Tetra slashed at him, which he blocked, so she punched him in the face.

He staggered back and his hand leaped to his nose. He spat on the deck and glared at her.

She stepped forwards once more and engaged him, trying to end it once and for all, but before her sword had even fallen she saw what was going to happen...

Lynel responded with a skillful parry, and then a stab of his own. He caught her, slashing from one side to the other. A second slash followed and caught her in the hand. Her sword dropped to the deck and her palms leaped to her stomach as she cried out in pain and shock.

From the circle of onlookers, Gonzo tried to come to her aid, but a member of Lynel's crew intercepted him.

The battle broke out anew and the clanging of swordplay fell distantly on Tetra's ears.

Lynel stalked forwards and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her to her feet. She grunted as she tried to bite back a cry of pain.

"I win again," the captain taunted. "You've got new scars to remember me by now, but..." he sighed, "this time you won't be getting away," Lynel said as he lifted his sword to her throat.

"I wasn't the one who ran last time," she spat.

Lynel laughed and smiled. "Ah, but a coward always wins in the end," he said, and then his arm tightened as he prepared to slit her throat.

"In the end, courage means more than power," Tetra challenged.

"Big words," he said again. "But time is up." He looked down at her and smirked. "Nothing personal," he remarked.

Those words set her off like nothing ever did before. One fatal flaw in her opponent was that he relished in causing emotional pain. He flourished in places he could torment people, and so he had gone on talking when she should have been dead already.

But now he was gearing down. Now she didn't have time to think about what to do next; she could only act. With no weapon available to her in those last seconds, she struck at Lynel's chest with her bare hand.

Not having a weapon didn't make a whole lot of difference in the effectiveness of her attack, though, and that dreaded captain went flying into the ratlines.

She stooped and picked up her sword, the blood on her hands making her grip slide a little on the handle. Overshadowing everything was the pain of her wounds. They screamed at her but she blocked them out; the pain was not on the top of her to-deal-with list. She had to finish this. She had to finish him.

Tetra stalked forwards and looked down upon the stunned captain. She stared down at the man who had ruined her life, and he had enjoyed it immensely. She raised her sword and glared down at him, the fury in her eyes almost burning holes straight through him. "It is personal," she spat, and then her sword descended and stabbed him through the chest, piercing his heart with all the power of her hate, humiliation, and vengeance.

She left the sword there as her hands trembled. Then she shakily turned to look at the battle. Some measure of relief washed over her as she saw that all her crew were currently embroiled in fights with the few remaining survivors of Lynel's crew.

Which meant that no one had seen her do the impossible. Her secret remained her own.

She collapsed against the rigging and struggled to remain conscious.

This wasn't the end. She couldn't die here. Not from this stupid slash; she had survived worse. Much worse.

Relief once more consumed her even as her vision darkened. If she were to die... at least she had done it... she had killed Lynel... she had... avenged...