Finally, I know. It's a lot longer than the last two, so the wait was worth it, I promise you! By the way, Link's name changes midway through the chapter. Just keep an eye out for that, and don't get confused! That would be very bad.

On to Chapter 3! Enjoy!

BTW, Shadow and Achitka, your questions will be answered in this chappie! Thanks to anyone and everyone who's reviewed.

Link groggily awoke. He had a terrible headache and his face hurt, presumably from where he'd hit the tombstone. He found himself lying on a small cot.

He glanced around and cursed. He'd been placed in an uncomfortably small prison cell with nothing in it except the cot and a meager plate of some food and water. Link ravenously wolfed down the food, having become conscious of how hungry he was.

Then he drained the glass of water, but a little too quickly. It went down the wrong tube and he coughed. Recovering, he rubbed his sore nose and looked around again.

The room he'd been placed in was split; one half of the room was his jail and the other was a nearly empty space. The other side had a door that Link knew led outside. Pots were in the corners of that room.

Link decided to figure out a way to escape. He rattled the door, and for some reason it was locked.

"How cliché…" Link thought cynically.

He checked to see if any of the bars were loose, but that didn't happen either. He sighed dejectedly. Unless he used Din's Fire (which would probably burn the down building and roast him alive) he wasn't getting out. His sword was gone too, so he couldn't hack through the wood. He sat down on the folding bed and noticed a small mouse hole. He rolled his eyes; maybe if he were twenty years younger he could squeeze through. Link lay on his back, folded his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. His entire system cried out for sleep, but Link forced himself to think.

"OK, so what the hell am I doing here? I died, woke up here and am now prisoner on some island, which I now know is Kakariko Village. But this can't be Kakariko! Unless I'm in some other parallel world like Termina? But I can easily go from Hyrule to Termina… I don't know about this dump.

Damn, and I'm so tired. Why? Didn't I get knocked out for a few hours? Wasn't I dead? I shouldn't need sleep! Maybe it's just because I'm so stressed out."

A creaking noise interrupted his thoughts. He sat bolt upright, startled, and looked in the direction of the exit. The door appeared to open by itself. He caught a quick glance of the precious outdoors. A salty sea breeze slipped inside just before it closed. Link caught a quick glance of the sun and saw that it was midmorning.

He wondered who could've come inside, but then he looked down. Two little girls, no older than eight, were staring at him. They whispered to each other and giggled. Link rolled his eyes and ignored them. The girls, getting the drift, ran back outside pretending to be scared. They even faked screams.

A few minutes later, a rather large woman came. She forced her way through the narrow door. Link was astounded that she even fit. He laughed silently under his breath. The woman reminded him of a pig. She fixed her beady black eyes on him.

After scrutinizing him for a bit, she nodded grimly to herself. Link thought he could hear her muttering something, which was obviously about him. She left, still talking to herself.

Link burst out laughing when she was gone. The fat lady had an even harder time getting out! He wiped tears from his eyes and tried to calm his mirth. The door creaked open again and he stopped his laugher immediately.

Four boys strutted inside. Link ignored them too, until they started throwing clods of dirt at him. Fortunately, Link's expert reflexes allowed him to dodge easily, but his temper was rising. The boys finally ran away when their dirt supply depleted.

"You better run," Link hissed, brushing dirt off him. "I swear, this place gets worse every minute. I'd rather have stayed dead… well, ok, not really, but this sucks."

A couple more people came in to gawk. He felt like a zoo exhibit! Link's already shortened temper began to flare. If one more person came in he'd give them a piece of his mind, or at least his fist, provided they came close enough. He was extremely pissed.

Luckily, it seemed the town had gotten the message. Nobody came in for hours. Link quickly got bored out of his mind. He would've welcomed company as long as they didn't throw crap at him. At long last, the door creaked open. Judging by the person's silhouette, Link grew angry again. It was another one of those dirt-throwing boys…

However, it was not. Link's temper died down when he saw the boy. He was probably twelve or thirteen, and didn't seem the least perturbed by Link. He smiled shyly and walked in, curiously looking around the shabby space. His eyes rested no longer than a few seconds on Link, but his expression suggested confusion.

The boy swept away the mop of blonde hair that hung over one eye. It immediately fell back into place, and he disregarded it. The boy was wearing orange pants and brown sandals. The blue of his shirt set off his equally sapphire eyes. Link was shocked to see that the boy's eyes were exactly like his. Then Link saw the hat. It was a perfect replica of the one he always wore!

Link pretended to hide his astonishment and tried speaking. The boy seemed to honestly try to understand, but then shrugged. He almost felt like he was meeting a much younger version of himself. Link exhaled, trying to deter his immense confusion.

"This is like a really weird dream…" he thought, "I hope I wake up soon. This is driving me insane."

The lad smiled tentatively and gestured to the door. Link wondered if he was asking him something, or if he was leaving… The kid turned around. It was then that he saw the sword and shield hanging from his back. Link's mind reeled.

"What's he doing, playing a stupid game? And that shield seems awfully small," Link thought. "But, he could help me…"

The boy opened the door and was about to step outside. Link racked his mind for an idea and glanced at his left hand.

"My Triforce shard! Why didn't I think of it earlier?" He didn't know if one measly shard was going to help, but luckily the fragment was enough. He concentrated entirely on the piece and a glowing light shone from it. After a brief moment, he felt a strange tingling sensation and the glow faded. The whole procedure took less than a second and the lad still hadn't left.

"Wait!" Link blurted out.

The boy turned around, startled. "You mean, you DO speak our language?" he exclaimed. "I thought you didn't!"

Link thought fast. "I was…pretending," he said quickly. "I didn't want to bother speaking to anyone."

The boy grinned. "I understand," he said. "The people here are pretty annoying. Just a few minutes ago some little girls I didn't even know came up to me and started talking. That's why I came, actually…"

"What did they say?" Link asked, curious.

"Oh, just something about a 'guy in jail who looks like me.' I had to see what they were talking about," a quizzical expression crossed his features. "I don't know why they said that. Maybe it's because we have the same color hair!" He laughed. "And if you don't mind me asking, what did you do?" The boy stepped inside again and closed the door.
"Do? To get in prison?" The lad nodded. "Oh, that. I honestly don't know. I didn't kill anyone, if that's what you mean."

He nodded again. "Apparently the islanders think you kidnapped some of the local girls. But don't worry; I know they're wrong from experience. I…personally witnessed my sister get snatched by a huge bird. I'm trying to save her, actually…" He trailed off, and Link could tell he was crushed about his sister.

"I'm sorry, kid. By the way, what's your name?" Link asked, trying to change the subject.

The kid seemed to brighten. "Me? I'm Link. And what's yours?" he asked politely.

"I-I'm…" He thought fast, trying to think of a name. He couldn't just say "Oh, my name's Link too." He glanced at a box in the cell that read 'Ravensburgh Wineries-The Finest Wine on the Great Sea.' Seeing no other option he answered, "Raven. I'm Raven." He mentally slapped himself for how stupid the name sounded. Oh well, it was better than 'Wine.'

"Raven, huh? Cool name. Well, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have an urgent errand that I need to finish."

"Wait! Link…" He felt weird saying his own name.


"Could you get me out of here?"

Link looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry- I, I really need to leave. I can come back when I'm done with my errand, though."

Raven sighed, relieved. "Could you look for my sword then? The guys who threw me in here took it."

"You're a swordsman? Wow! But yeah, I'll look for it! I bet that rich fatso has it." Link was suddenly eager to help. He left, saying, "I'll be back within an hour, Raven! I'll be sure to snitch your sword." He darted out the door and let it slam behind him.

"Energetic little thing," Raven smiled, "I remember when I was like that. Now I'm hitting thirty! At least he didn't think the name 'Raven' was dumb." He sighed and waited for Link to return.

He finally came back, this time carrying Raven's sword. He walked rather awkwardly, carefully carrying the sword. He beamed and handed him the weapon.

"That's a really amazing sword you have, Raven! You've been a swordsman all your life, haven't you?"

"For the most part. Dang, and this isn't gonna cut through this wood, either." He unsheathed the sword. "Nope. This wood is way too hard." He resheathed it. "Link, could you check around for some kind of switch? This door has no keyhole, so it's not hand operated."

"Sure!" Link enthusiastically checked the far side of the room and proceeded to shove some of the pots away. He kicked one impatiently and it fell over and broke. "Whoopsy! But here's the switch." He stepped onto the floor button and the door dutifully swung open.

Raven hastily stepped out of the cell, almost as though he thought the door would close again. "Thanks! I owe you one. What are the villagers doing?"

Link fiddled with his hair. "I thought you'd ask me that, so I checked. All of 'em are at a meeting deciding what to do with you. Poor souls have nothing better to do…" he snickered. "And the coast's clear, so you can go outside without any trouble."

"I really owe you, Link!" Raven said. "You have great foresight. But, do you have a boat? I don't want to stay here with rabid villagers after me."

"Yup. Where do you need a lift to?"

Raven faltered. "Um, well, where am I now?"

"You don't know? You must be visiting the Great Sea then," Link said. "This is Windfall Island. Nearby is Pawprint Isle and the Buzzard Roostwell, Dragon Roost Isle. That's just what I call it."

"Link, I don't know any of those places. How about you just take me along and I can help rescue your sister?"

"You'd do that? Really? I sure could use some help. The King of Red Lions doesn't count."

"The King of Red Lions? Who's that?"

"My boat. Yeah, it sounds bizarre, but I think I can trust you. Come on, I'll introduce you." He tugged Raven outside and ran off, expecting him to follow. He headed towards the harbor.

Link called, "Hoy! My boat's over there!" He pointed in the direction of the cove Raven had taken refuge in. He quickly disappeared around the bend.

Raven followed and came face to face with a boat. It had a lovely coat of red and white paint, which were in excellent condition. The boat itself seemed rather small, but in fact it was large enough to hold up to three people and supplies. The beautifully carved dragon figurehead faced Link's direction. It was speaking to him.

"I see," it said, then swiveled its head towards Raven. "Greetings, Raven. It is an honor to meet you." It craned its long neck in a noble bow. Raven, flabbergasted, could only nod. He thought he'd seen it all, and then came a talking boat…

Hero of Time! I am glad to have finally found you. Do you know I have been searching for you for over three hundred years?

Raven wasn't sure he'd heard right. He'd just heard a boat talk! Not to mention the fact that the boat obviously knew who he was. He fumbled with words, still too stunned for speech. Finally, his tongue loosened and he could speak.

He noticed Link busy with the sail and hastily whispered, What do you mean? How do you know me?

The King of Red Lions whispered, Shh. Do not let Link over there understand you or know your true identity. There is no need for him to know right now, and I pray there never will be. Leave it at this: Over six hundred years have passed since your death, Hero, and we have much to discuss.

To Link he said, "Come, Link, if you want to rescue Aryll, we must head to the Forest Haven immediately."

Link finished raising the sail and wiped his brow.

"Ok, hang on, this sail's not cooperating. There."

He fixed the sail, then stepped back to admire his handiwork and check for any further mistakes. Satisfied, he climbed into the boat and waved Raven over.

"Come on! Let's go!"

"Coming, Link, coming…" Raven was still a bit unsure about the craft. The King of Red Lions seemed to know more than he wanted him to know. Could he trust him?

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that now," he thought, stepping into the boat. "I'll just have to see where this escapade take me."

"You've done plenty of that, haven't you?" his mind told him smugly. Yeah, yeah…

"Link, we need to go southeast," The King of Red Lions stated. "I trust you haven't lost the Wind Waker yet…?"

"You don't give me enough credit!" Link complained, steering the boat away from the inlet and out to sea. "Do you really think I'd lose it?" He shook his head, feigning disappointment, but Raven could see that he was smiling. Link let go of the rudder and fished through a small russet bag.

"Here it is, safe and sound," Link held up a white baton about the length of a dagger. It had graceful, curving designs that laced up from the bottom of the wand and ended in a swirl off the main piece. The carvings depicted the wind much like the arch in Windfall did. "So! Southeast it is, then, right?"

The King of Red Lions nodded and Link lifted up the baton. Raven was entirely baffled.

"Oh, Raven! Sorry, sorry," he laughed at Raven's bewilderment. "This is the Wind Waker! I don't know much about it other than the fact that it allows me to control the wind. Handy little thing, though!" he grinned. "I think the King of Red Lions said it was used in some ancient ceremony, but that doesn't really matter."

The King of Red Lions grumbled something about 'kids these days…' He perked up when Link began conducting.

Raven was transfixed. He'd never seen anything of the sort in his life! And Link obviously knew what he was doing…his hand flicked at just the right intervals. Raven suddenly became aware of music.

It was singing. He couldn't say where it was coming from. It sounded like the ocean and the wind were singing an eerie, yet beautiful, duet. The sound permeated through the air and encircled them with its melancholy lament. Raven had the feeling that only he and his two companions could hear the tune.

Abruptly, the melody stopped. A sudden blast of wind from the northwest sent them on their way. The elegant shape of their craft cut through the water like a knife. Sea foam frothed out behind them in their wake. Link inhaled deeply.

"I just love the sea!" he exclaimed, stretching. "It's great this time of year. You can see the fish dart around and the birds soar to incredible heights!" He abandoned the rudder for the time being.

"Link," the King of Red Lions warned, "You need to stop ignoring the rudder! What if you send us hopelessly off course?"

"I won't!" Link answered jauntily, "I know what I'm doing. After all, my father was a sailor, too!" He winked.

Raven was enjoying the sea, too. It had been many years since he'd seen the ocean, and he'd missed it thoroughly. His hair blew about and the breeze refreshed him. He was about to close his eyes and relax when he caught sight of the island he'd first found himself on. He abruptly remembered his ocarina.

"Link!" he called over the gale, "Could you go over there?" He pointed to the island.

"What, Pawprint Isle? Sure," Link adjusted the rudder and docked on the island a few moments later.

"Good thing this island's on the way, otherwise I would've forgotten," Raven thought. "I couldn't bear leaving the Ocarina of Time behind."

Link and Raven both hopped out of the boat and scrambled ashore. Raven headed for the tree in which he'd hidden his ocarina while Link wrapped the sail around the mast to keep the boat from going anywhere. He poked around a bit when he was through.

Raven quickly found the tree and retrieved his shield. Then he grabbed his hat, with the ocarina still inside it. He reached in it and pulled it out.

The ocarina's blue surface reflected the early afternoon sun. Luckily, it hadn't suffered any damage. Raven ran his hand over the smooth porcelain. He wondered how many times he'd used it in his quests…it was extremely important to him. Zelda had given it to him.

Link, becoming nosy, walked over and cocked his head. "What's that? It's really weird, but I think I've seen it before."

"This? Oh, it's a musical instrument called an ocarina," he replied, tucking it in back in his cap. He didn't put the hat on, though. If the King of Red Lions was true to his word, the hat would be recognized by Link, and plus, he was just lazy. He hoisted up his shield and stood up.

"You have a shield too? It looks great!" Link admired the shield, then looked up at the sky and frowned. "We better be going, Raven. It's going to rain soon. I'd like to get ahead of these clouds before they burst." He turned and left.

"He's right, Raven!" called the King of Red Lions. "We have a long sail ahead of us before we reach the Forest Haven."

"Coming!" Raven shouted. The wind began to pick up speed and it violently whipped his hair about. He took a last look around and boarded the boat. Link adjusted the rudder and opened the sail. It instantaneously filled with air and sent them off.

Link was still making minor adjustments to the sail. He fiddled with the rigging and checked a few eyelets. He bit his lip and scowled. "Stupid sail…" he muttered, "It never cooperates when I need speed."

"Link, pay attention to that rudder!" The King of Red Lions snapped. "Don't neglect it!"

"Hmph. I'll just do this," Link retorted. He opened a hatch in front of the mast's base and pulled out some rope, which he tied around the rudder's handle. He tied the loose ends of the rope to some pegs on the sides of the boat.

"That rudder's not going anywhere," Link stated. "Now can I sleep? You said this trip's gonna take a couple hours."

"I suppose you can, but why don't you tell Raven about your journey instead? It'll keep you awake until we're out of these dangerous cross winds," The King of Red Lions said. "We might need you to get us going straight if we get blown in the wrong direction."

Link rolled his eyes and complained. "Come on! All it takes is a few waves of the Wind Waker and we're back on course! You need to stop being such a worrywart."

"You say that as if it were trivial! Only you can use the Wind Waker, Link. The wind is yours, and yours only, to control," The ship answered. "It took me a long time to find you and I don't need you dozing off when you might be needed."

Link muttered something indiscernible under his breath, yet complied. "Do you really care to hear it Raven? It's been a rather dull adventure so far."

"Sure. It'd help pass the time, too."

"Ok, I'm not too good at telling stories, but here goes," Link said. "Hmm…let's see here…I think I'm just gonna have to tell you my life story. It'd be too difficult to explain some junk otherwise.

I was born on an island in the south, far southwest from here. It's small there, but very pretty. It's always warm and the skies are clear. It's name is Outset Island," Link trailed off, and his eyes shone, reflecting the ocean. He looked off into the distance and Raven could tell he was much more homesick than he acted.

"Well, yeah," Link said rather hurriedly, "Aryll, my sister, was born when I was three. My mother died shortly after. I can't remember her too well, except I remember that she was always smiling. My father was crushed. He was lost in a storm at sea when I was seven. My grandmother took over raising us," Link shoved his hair out of his face, but of course it didn't obey.

"Are you ok now?" Raven asked sympathetically.

"Me? Yeah. My grandma's great; even if I was still sad she'd help," Link replied. "I hope she's fine back home, being alone and all."

"I bet she's just waiting for you to come home."

Link's melancholy demeanor fled. "You're right. I need to stop worrying so much and enjoy myself! This is the first time I've ever left Outset. He dipped his hand into the waves and let it hang over the side of the boat. "It was getting rather boring."

"Anyway, three days ago I turned thirteen. On Outset, thirteen is when you come of age. It was supposed to be the best day of my life. I had to wear weird clothes, though." He glanced sideways at Raven. "The clothes looked similar to yours. The custom supposedly honors the Hero of Time from the Legend. Oh!" Link exclaimed, tapping his cap, "This hat matches them, but I liked it so much that I'm still wearing it. I also got this sword.

Aryll lent me her telescope for the day, and as I was looking through it, I saw this gigantic bird. Naturally, I thought I'd zoomed in too much, but when I went to zoom out, I noticed the bird had a girl in its claws. Weird, I know, but it's true! Next I saw this pirate ship, and WHAM!" Link punched his own hand, "They hit that bird perfectly and it dropped the girl on Outset's plateau. Well, on the forest across from it; a suspension bridge connects the two.

I ran up to see what happened and see if she was OK, which she was, but she ignored me. She started to head back to her ship and I followed. Unfortunately Aryll followed me up the plateau. She caught up to me when I exited the woods and was about to cross the bridge. She waved and I thought things were all happy-go-lucky. Then Aryll ran across the bridge and the bird appeared out of nowhere. It…it snatched her up and…" Link pretended to examine a fingernail while he controlled his tears. "Well, the bird…took her…away."

Raven didn't know what to say. He himself had never had a sibling, let alone any family. Unless Saria counted? But even then he'd never experienced such a loss. He had no idea how to comfort Link.

"Well Link, we're on our way to rescue her now—you'll save her soon enough."

Link swallowed. "Yeah… well, after that, I talked to Tetra—oh! Tetra's the pirate girl. She's captain of her ship, which she inherited from her mother. That's all I know about her. She's very weird.

In the end I talked her into taking me on her ship. She knew where the bird roosted and of course, that's where I needed to go. Quill, the postman, helped me too. He told me to get a shield, and so I had to use the family shield. It's old, but it works.

When we finally got to the Forsaken Fortress (the bird's roost- I found out later its name is the Helmaroc King), I had to go alone. That place was very well guarded, but I managed to sneak past the patrols. When I got to the place where Aryll was, that damn bird snatches me up! It took me to the highest tower where this fat dude ordered it to throw me out to sea. I would've died if King of Red Lions here didn't save me."

The King of Red Lions appeared mighty pleased with himself.

Raven managed to slip in a question before Link could go on with his story. "Link, who was the guy at the top of the tower?" He had a whim, but he desperately wanted it proven wrong.

"The King of Red Lions said it was the Ganondorf from the Legend."

Ganondorf, Raven said, disbelieving. Ganondorf… Dread washed over him.

It is true, Hero, The King of Red Lions said, Be patient. I will explain everything later. The Great Deku Tree can also help. Do not mention the subject again until we arrive at the Forest Haven. You'd know it as the Kokiri Forest.

Raven's eyes widened. The Kokiri Forest? Then you mean

Hero. Do not speak. You're making Link quite suspicious.

Link did appeared baffled rather than suspicious, but Raven shut up anyway.

"Um, what's going on? Is this some touchy subject?" Link asked.

"No, it's nothing…go on with your story," Raven answered quickly.

Link shrugged his shoulders and continued.

"So then he drags me to Dragon Roost Isle. He told me that, to save Aryll, I'd have to gather the three Pearls of the Goddesses. He said that the Rito tribe that lived there held the first one.

I met a whole bunch of people there. Quill, the Rito postman who helped me earlier, introduced me. I met the chieftain's son, Komali, and Medli, the attendant to Valoo. Valoo is their guardian spirit who lives on the peak of Dragon Roost. He's basically a fat red dragon.

I found out that Komali had the Pearl. But of course, that jerk wasn't about to give it to me. He was sore about not getting a scale from Valoo, which the Ritos need to fly. Valoo was being crazy, though, and he couldn't go get the scale. Idiot takes it all out on me.

Medli helped out, at least, and showed me to Dragon Roost Cavern. I made my way to the room under Valoo and found this giant crablike insect. It was pinching his tail and making him get irritated. Being the good person I always am" Here the King of Red Lions snorted, "I killed it and got the Pearl. Piece of cake, actually." Link puffed himself up with pride. "You know the rest."

The ocean glittered prettily and seagulls screamed overhead. The sun shone bright and warm. The two travelers and their neurotic boat sailed on to their destination.

Alright, Amme Moto. Shut up.

I got the name 'Raven' from the Oracle of Ages manga by Akira Himekawa. Technically it's 'Reban' but same difference, right? The winery thing was stupid, I know. But what else could the boxes say? 'Drink Coca-Cola'? ...Nooo.

Yay, I put Wind Waker Link in this fic! He's so cute! I used to hate the WW graphics, but now I think they're really cool. I'm trying to tie OOT into WW with this fic. Hope you enjoyed it.

I'll reply to all reviews, which is why I don't do the review thing at the beginning of the chapter. Please review, alright? Me loves reviews!