Linebeck's Farewell
by BridgitKiido

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo.

Timeline note: This takes place at the end of Phantom Hourglass, after the credits have run. Obviously, spoilers for the game's ending.

The next thing that Linebeck knew, after he had lost consciousness when the fog engulfed him, he was flat on his back on the front deck of his ship, staring at the bright sun above him. That was right, he was on his ship. The ship that had sunk in that battle, but he supposed the Ocean King had been true to his word and restored it.

He stood up and walked over his ship once or twice, in an attempt to get his bearings. He was certain that the entire adventure had been no dream, even if some parts of it were difficult to believe. Here was the golden cannon that Link had uncovered on his travels and, after asking permission to change the S.S. Linebeck, had made into their nautical weapon. Linebeck had never owned a canon before one became necessary, and one had only become necessary when Link's journey had required that they destroy a natural stone barrier blocking a channel to the west.

And yet, Link, Tetra, and that crazy little fairy named Ciela were nowhere to be found on the boat. He supposed it was inevitable – the spirit of courage had probably returned to her world along with old man Oshus, and Link and Tetra… well, they had to have come from somewhere, so he supposed they had returned to whatever ship they had come from.

He tried to convince himself that this was a good thing. Traveling with Link had only gotten him into trouble, really. All those times when Jolene had raided his ship, all the dangerous situations he had been pulled into, just for the sake of saving the life of a girl he hardly knew. Without that kid around, he'd be able to sail at his own pace and do what he wanted to do, and now that the sea was peaceful, he wouldn't get hurt.

…Except that the only way he would have believed that was if he was the same person that he had been when Link had first helped him out at the Ocean King's Temple, and even he knew that he had changed a lot since then. When he had first agreed to help Link and Ciela find the ghost ship, he had done so because of the promise of treasure. But in hindsight… the adventures that he had gone on with them, and the memories that he would always have of them, were his treasure, far more valuable than gold or jewels.

He would always remember the first excursion to the Isle of Ember. How selfish and cowardly he had been, excusing his unwillingness to help explore the island with unnecessary repairs to his boat. And yet even with his excuses, Astrid had claimed that Link and Ciela would eventually find him invaluable. Linebeck hadn't believed her at the time – heck, Ciela hadn't believed her, and he doubted that Link had either.

(And the truth behind that statement was still debatable, really. Perhaps Link and Tetra would have been able to free themselves from Bellum's tentacles without him standing up to it. And he certainly hadn't been a big help after that, to put it lightly. He still felt unclean, even though they had forgiven him, telling him it wasn't his fault.)

But each excursion from island to island, chasing the ghost ship through the fog, hearing the improbable but amazingly true story that Oshus had told when Tetra's condition was known, seeing the three pure metals and their final product, watching as Link and Ciela fell from the ceiling after their first battle with Bellum and as Tetra revived…

All of these, he knew, were once-in-a-lifetime memories. Heck, maybe once in a million lifetimes, if you were really lucky. And even through the danger and the hard times, it had almost been… well, kind of fun. It was a real shame, Linebeck sadly thought, that it was over, that he would be returning to his prior mundane lifestyle of aimlessly wandering the seas, embellishing the stories of anything even remotely interesting that he found to the point where the absolutely mundane became the stuff of legends to the ears of anyone who would bother to listen.

A small part of him noticed the large, brown pirate ship anchored nearby and wondered for a moment if Link and Tetra were perhaps on that ship, getting ready to go on their own next adventure. But he brushed that thought away as he went down to the wheel. Even if it was true, he wouldn't be joining them anyway.

So, with a mental farewell to Link and Tetra – his charges, his traveling companions, his… heck, he'd go as far as to say friends – Linebeck started his ship's engine and started off toward the horizon. Who was to say – maybe if he looked hard enough, he'd find an adventure of his own to go on one day, but only if he got over his prior cowardice and sought it out himself. Link had taught him that much, at least.

And maybe, just maybe, if Linebeck did seek out adventure, and if he was very lucky, perhaps he would see them again, someday.