1 – Secret

Fifteen minutes.

Moonlight silvered the sloshing waves of the sea as the little boat made its way to the walled island. One hand on the rudder, the other gripping the boat's bow, Link of Outset Island stared ahead, face rigid with granite determination.

He wasn't going to let the captain down this time. The three Stones of Katomb had eluded Tetra and her pirate crew for months. Two of them had been lost already – thanks to Link falling short both times – and had been snatched up by a rival pirate by the name of Sneer.

It didn't matter. One of the Stones would be enough to fund the rest of their voyage, their search for a new Hyrule. And Link would capture the last one now.

The boat's keel ran up against the gravel and sand of the island's shore with a groan. Jumping out, Link risked one last glance back towards the sea. Lightning forked the night sky in silence. The azure light briefly illuminated the shadow of Tetra's ship, dubbed The Harkinian by King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule. A flash of orange light bloomed out from one of the ship's cannons.

Eleven minutes.

Link drew himself up to his full height. He was clad in a replica of the green outfit his Grandma had given him so long ago on Outset Island. He'd outgrown the original now.

Link turned and strode toward the dark shadow that rose up from the island's floor. It was a high, wall made from roughly-hewn stone blocks. No-one knew who had made it. Not many people even knew it was here. Beyond the wall lay the last Stone of Katomb.

His boots left prints in the soft sand before he came to a stop. Link took off his hat and rummaged about inside. Fabric rustled, metal clinked against metal. His hand felt the touch of rough fibre and, satisfied, Link pulled the item out.

A grappling hook.

He snuck his hat back on. It didn't really have to be said that his hat was enchanted, with a cavernous interior that allowed him to store all the treasure he'd found in his many travels. Before King Daphnes had cast a spell on it, Link had been forced to lug all his things around in a pack strapped to his back.

Nine minutes.

The wall wasn't the only thing protecting the Stone. A sea serpent usually lay coiled around the outer perimeter of the island. Link could see the slimy traces of its presence on the stone before him.

Tetra's ship would be distracting it right now – hence the firing cannons - but from experience they knew it always returned to the island with a set period of time. Link needed to be back in the boat and away by then.

Whup whup whup… The hook chopped the air as Link swung the rope. With a grunt, he threw and the hook clattered high above before catching. Link tested it with a sharp tug. It held.

Link scampered up the wall. He was over to the other side within minutes. Two, in fact.

And there it was. The last Stone of Katomb, smooth and spherical, sitting on a pile of straw under the moonlight. Link grinned, and made to move toward it –

When the soft sound of weeping made him pause.

Six minutes.

Link peered to one side. There was a cage, shrouded by shadow, and from within there peeked out a small, dirty face streaked with tears. A little boy.

Five minutes.

Link looked from the Stone to the boy and then back again, his chest tightening as indecision riddled his heart.

The little boy sniffed. An image of his younger sister Aryll flitted into Link's mind. He sighed.

Link ran over to the cage, landing into a crouch at the last moment.

Three minutes.

"Hey," he said. "How did you get here? Where are you from?"

The boy wiped his nose with a dirty arm. "I'm scared."

"Don't be." Link smiled. "I'm a pirate."

"Pirates are bad."

"Not me," Link replied. "I'm a helpful pirate."

"Do you have anything to eat, Mr Pirate?"

Link paused, then pulled off his hat and struck his hand inside again. Captain Tetra would frown if she saw this. She always said that keeping food in his hat was just plain gross. Link had argued that it was an emergency stash and they'd need it one day.

He pulled out some bread, sniffed it to make sure it was still good – it was – and handed it to the boy, then put his hand through the bars to pat him on the head. The child wolfed the bread down.

One minute.

"Watch out." Link drew his sword and struck it against the lock. Sparks flew. The door swung open and the boy tumbled out.

Now all he had to do was get himself, the boy and the Stone off this island without the serpent catching him. Link turned to the boy –

And found no-one there.

Even better – the last Stone of Katomb had vanished as well.

Panic bubbled within him. Had it been all a trick…? A distraction to keep him at bay as the serpent made its way back…?

Link flicked a glance toward the wall. The serpent would return any second now. He clenched his fist and hissed. Failed again!

Link spun up from his crouch and gripped the pommel of his sword hard. He would have to fight the beast.

"Mercy deserves mercy."

Link turned on his heel at the sound of the voice. His eyes widened. A woman in a long, flowing cream-coloured dress approached, almost gliding as she moved. She trailed shimmering light behind her, and she seemed to shift from being translucent to being opaque and back again.

No one's supposed to be here…

Link's thoughts were snuffed out when the strange woman smiled. He felt transfixed. His sword clattered noisily to the ground as his grip loosened.

"I've watched you for a long time, Link," she said, raising her palm. The Stone of Katomb sat in her palm. It had begun to glow, matching the woman's ethereal presence. "Kind, brave, generous and gentle. You deserve to know the secret." She paused, as though bracing herself. "Take it!"

A beam of pure light shot out from the Stone and struck Link straight in the forehead. He stumbled back a few steps, inhaling sharply as knowledge poured into his mind. Link's jaw slackened.

"But…" he gasped as his eyes began to water. "So…real…"

And that was when Link of Outset Island realised that his life had changed forever.