The daylight hours had long since been set in motion when Ciela woke up. Her own light that surrounded her miniature body gradually brightened, giving her eyes time to adjust. The entire ship was calm, having the remaining inhabitants still in the sweet wrath of sleep. Vibrant sunlight, unadulterated by the few clouds in the sky, struck through the open portholes and cast a harsh glow on the floor, speckled on the edges and solid in the middle. She took the time to observe the room, not having done so under the high stress of last night.
It was a respectable ship- clean, well organized, and sturdy- something that was certainly missing of the now-sunken S.S. Linebeck. It consisted of three rooms that ultimately divided the entire ship into thirds. The front most third was the main cabin where the controls for directing the ship and the small kitchen were, neatly tucked away in parallel corners, leaving the rest of the room as a casual room- perhaps that of a living space. The left-back room was obviously Jolene's sleeping quarters that she had discovered yesterday but not observed it in its entirety. A door led to the right room that Ciela hadn't seen at all, but she could infer that it was a washroom. The entire ship was made of unfazed hickory; it was still full of luster and kept clean despite its long time in use. Ciela found it curious that such a rough-and-tumble pirate would bother to have her ship so cleanly when she was living on her own.
The sun continued its ascent up the heavens and she lay there for a while, merely thinking.
It was really out of character for Jolene to let her prisoners stay hospitably, and still have the courtesy to drop them off at an island later to continue their search for Neri. She went from an act of tying them down to literally becoming their ferry. Whatever Linebeck had said to her had to have been quite convincing.
Then it hit her like a flying brick. A heavy, painful brick.
She mentally kicked herself for being so daft and not putting two and two together. The letters of which Link had found- the evidence of their past relationship- was still slightly prominent. The 'convincing' Linebeck had done was not him just simply having a way with words (Though Ciela had always assumed he lacked in persuasion), but quite likely some romantic interaction. It was the most alien feeling she had felt to this date, for she never imagined Linebeck actually being attracted to someone, much less actually acting on it. From the letters, she assumed it was a short occurrence that the two shared. Regardless, these seagoing individuals had a flame dwelling between them, drawing them together and burning them simultaneously. Up until now, it had likely been a dying smolder that no one had tended to in months, maybe even years. A single interaction, however, was the strike of flint on flint, and sent a blaze that would not easily falter. Her mind wandered irresponsibly, and she suddenly conjured and unwanted image of the couple kissing.
Ciela furrowed her brow, expelled the image, and whispered, "Eww." She sat up on the stack of towels that had served as her bed, and glanced around the room again, realizing that she was still the only one awake. The towels to her left held the sleeping Leaf, whom of which she had no desire to wake. The projection of sunlight through the portholes shifted in correspondence to the sun's itinerary, casting a harsh line across Link's eyelids as he lay peacefully on the floor. Her eyes darted to Link's right and found that Linebeck would wake up by the same means. The Hero of Winds stirred, his eyes opening in an irritated fashion and bringing him into the waking world uncomfortably. He inched his way to a seated position, shielding his eyes and glancing around. Ciela watched him fondly; he had matured so much since the start of their journey- by leaps and bounds, really- from his already mature self. He was a boy with massive responsibilities, and in turn, gargantuan amounts of courage and exhibited them regularly. She pitied Link, in a way, for he had no freedom: he was a slave for the common good. He was taken advantage of and worked, fought, bled, and sacrificed all so that the ones who told him he couldn't succeed could live in peace. He was far more gallant than anyone she had ever met- adults, soldiers, and gods alike.
"You're up," Ciela noted as a form of a greeting.
Link turned to her at the sound of her voice and smiled affectionately, "Good morning," He stretched his arms above his head, sighing at the pleasant feeling, "I think we'll find Neri today."
Oh, how Ciela missed Neri! If not for her pleasant laugh, sensible and calculating way of speaking, and downright good nature, then for being the only sane one to keep the crew together. Ciela was growing tired of all of this testosterone in one room and having absolutely no one to talk to the way she could talk to Neri. Link, Leaf, and certainly not Linebeck could ever understand the emotional roller-coaster she was- especially considering the current predicament. As the newfound Spirit of Courage, she could barely remember anything, much less comprehend the entirety of the responsibility of the title. Yes, excitement had been her initial reaction to the discovery, but panic was starting to ensue.
"I hope we at least obtain a clue." She compromised.
He stood up and stretched each of his legs, starting with the quads, then calves, followed by shins. Did he always do this routine? "Maybe we should wake up Linebeck and Leaf so we can have Jolene take us to Bananan Island," Link pondered, but Ciela understood it wasn't a request. She abided by jumping over to the second stack of laundered towels, and shook Leaf by the shoulders. "Wake up," She pestered, "Leaf, wake up."
The Spirit of Power groaned melodramatically and turned so that his face was planted into the fabric, "Leffme aflomn," was his muffled and indecipherable response.
"What?"
He turned over and faced her directly, not even bothering to open his eyes, "Leave me alone." Following this, he promptly greeted the towel again.
The number one thing that irked Neri and Ciela about Leaf was his immature refusal to comply to requests. He acted as a young boy despite his lifetime as a Spirit spanning hundreds of years. She linked him with the thought of an attention-seeking younger brother, whilst Neri was identified as the mature eldest sibling, and Ciela was the misunderstood middle child. Of course, they weren't actually siblings, but it was a comprehensible analogy.
"We have to find Neri, if you haven't noticed, and you can't sleep through the whole thing." She let out a frustrated groan, pulling on his arm, alerting him to full attention.
"Hey, hey!" Leaf flailed in protest, "Let go of my arm!"
"Then get up." Ciela insisted, yanking harder, "I'm tired of you not caring about anything."
Leaf was much stronger than his counterpart for a fact, and he pushed her away with ease, retrieving his arm quickly whilst nurturing it dramatically, and "Fine, I'm up."
Ciela then made her way over to Link, ignoring Leaf for the time being. Linebeck was awake now, obviously fatigued.
He looked giddy, and probably felt so, she assumed. She outwardly huffed on accident, and caught herself. Why was she so hung up on that buffoon's love life? She shouldn't be, that's for sure. Was she, dare she say it, attached to him? Was there a threat that he might leave with Jolene and abandon them? Now that they were lacking a ship and had the option to rent one, Linebeck really wasn't a necessity for travel. He, though, was in this endeavor up to his neck, plus he was offered a wish from the Ocean King, something that he would undoubtedly accept. Regardless of his attempt of the night prior, Ciela decided that he wouldn't leave.
"Sparkles?" Linebeck had noticed her scoff, and questioned it, "Did I irritate you without even speaking?"
She felt a blush creep up her neck and onto her face, making herconfused and angry with herself, "No." Her surrounding light darkened to an orange, and she tried futility to stop it. She stuttered awkwardly, trying to formulate words. He was making her feel so stupid! All of her jeers and insults from prior times had become an expectation- so much that he could intelligently and maturely call her out on it without even making a rude comment. Maybe Link wasn't the only one growing up here.
Linebeck opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the bombast entrance of Jolene from her quarters. She was much more frightening in her own habitat, but that was of no matter. The she-pirate and the sea captain made eye contact for a split second, then Jolene began speaking in a very intimidating and authoritative tone, "We will be arriving at our destination in six hours," she placed her hands in her hips, and turned to the navigation system, "Meanwhile, don't bother me."
"Oh, uh, Jolene?" Linebeck spoke up slightly nervously, and retrieved Roy's letter from his coat pocket, "Change of plans. We need to go to Mercay Island. It's a shorter distance so it shouldn't even be a problem."
Leaf gaped, "Mercay? But what about Neri? We have to find her quickly!"
"I'll explain later," Linebeck responded curtly. He looked to Jolene pleadingly, "What do you say?"
To Jolene, it had no consequence where they traveled. This could, however, mean that Linebeck had made his decision and decided to leave with her while dropping the others off at an island they were more familiar with. A bit too sympathetic for her tastes, but she paid it no regard. "Yes," she nodded, "I'll take you there.
Linebeck acknowledged her with a nod, then strode up the steps to the deck, motioning for Link and the fairies to follow.
They entered the sunlit world and collectively inhaled the misty sea air, tinted with salt and and low visibility. They cast long shadows in the sun's wake, stretching their figures and warping them to the curvature of the deck.
Linebeck pulled out the letter again, and held it in front of his comrades.
"What's that?" Leaf popped into the air and hovered over it anxiously.
"You'll find out in a second," Linebeck tore the letter away from his line of vision, "Be patient!"
"Fine," Leaf sneered and slinked back over to Ciela.
"Ahem," Linebeck began quite obnoxiously, "Roy sent a letter to me last night, informing us that he is going to be hanged in two weeks."
Ciela shot over to Linebeck to observe the letter. Reluctantly, he didn't move the letter from her prying eyes. "Hanged?" She frowned incredulously and with a slight pang of sorrow, her eyes darting across the ink and reading it, "...Why?" She knew the answer, of course, for it was an obvious ordeal, yet she questioned it to eliminate the possibility of her suspicions being correct.
"His...beliefs." Linebeck answered, seeming pained as he spoke. Roy's life was at stake for something that both he and Linebeck shared. This frightened him, as he quickly realized, for if Roy was successfully convicted, one thing would lead to another, and soon Linebeck himself would be the one greeting the gallows.
"Wait," Leaf flew back and forth as a form of pacing, "We're postponing the rescue of Neri because your friend is in trouble? We don't even have a boat after Jolene's!"
Linebeck clenched his teeth subconsciously, "He'll die if we don't at least try, you smart ass cotton ball."
"At least I'm smarter than you!" Leaf retorted, "While a simple, small-minded farmer could possibly be hanged, Neri is most definitely going to die if we don't act now." A tense silence filled the air whilst Ciela and Link determined which aside of the argument they were on. Yes, they hardly knew Roy, although he was a kind individual whom they had grown fond of, but Neri was valuable, a spirit, and their friend. The ship was already headed towards Mercay, but they could still flip their direction while they had the chance.
A decision had to be made rationally and swiftly.
"I'm with Leaf on this one," Ciela admitted, flitting towards the Spirit of Power. She recalled what he had spoken to her about the day prior: they should distance themselves as much as possible from these non-believers for the safety of themselves and protection of the Goddesses. It seemed a bit irrational, for Linebeck traveled with them daily, yet it made sense, and perhaps Roy was...deserving of his punishment. Ciela shuddered and pushed the thought away to be reconciled with later. Neri was the matter in question now, not a man they had only meet a day ago. Leaf grinned at her and Linebeck started at her blankly, as if he were reading her thoughts, knowing how unsettled she was.
All that Link's choice could do was balance the scale or tip it in favor of Leaf.
"I know Roy is just one person, but it's not right to let him die without help or support," He glanced up at Linebeck, "This makes it even."
Linebeck smirked at the boy and tousled his messy blonde hair, "Thanks, kid."
"We could make a compromise." Ciela suggested, and a chorus of, "No!" followed suit by both parties, unwilling to weaken their cause.
Regardless of their maverick and stubborn shouts, Ciela continued, "We could have a time limit," her comrades listened in spite of themselves, "We'll agree to stay for a certain amount of time, perhaps a day or two, and by that point, whether Roy is still sentenced or not, we'll rent a ship and leave to look for Neri." She paused and examined her shipmates, "How does that sound?"
Leaf and Linebeck abided begrudgingly.
"Good" Ciela concluded, "Now does anyone have any ideas about what we could do to pass the next hour and a half?"
They debated their options for a good ten minutes, until they ultimately decided on creating a written log of their journey on the back of Roy's letter. They recalled the start of their endeavor- Link waking up on the beach and Linebeck getting trapped in the Temple of the Ocean King (to which he redefined as, "Misguided,") up until the current events. Mercay came into view, and Linebeck pocketed the document. Jolene jogged up the steps to her passengers and began to inform them, "We're nearly there," She tossed a sack to Link awkwardly, "This is a bag of...supplies should you need them."
Link peered inside it and accounted a few apples, a dozen boiled eggs, and a jug of fresh water. "Thank you," He said, truly appreciating the kind gesture from someone who truly didn't seem to care for them at all.
Jolene shrugged and headed down the steps. The boat was docked within minutes, sleuthly evading the other incoming ships at the harbor. She reappeared on the deck, untied the rope that served as a gate, and gestured to the departing crew, "Good luck, I guess." Link nodded to her and hopped onto the deck, followed by the fairies. Linebeck nearly followed suit, until Jolene's hand met his chest and stopped him in his tracks. She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his, sharing the same thoughts and feelings- these eyes knew each other, and knew each other well enough to have seen the ocean in the same perspective, and watch the seagulls cry out to one another over the ocean waves. They were the seagulls now; they shared the ocean and traversed it, yet it was vast enough that the two would be lucky- or unlucky, depending on the circumstances- to cross paths again.
Jolene's eyes asked the words that they inquired the night before "Are you staying with me?"
Linebeck rotated his angle of vision towards Link and the fairies, weighing the options.
Abandonment, Roy's death without even his attempt at helping, never having to deal with those fairies again, not having to run around to save a statue of a girl from a giant squid, and no wish for a love that would support him and a swashbuckling life.
A lot for a lot, it was, and he had grown attached, as much as he hated to admit it, to Link. The fairies, perhaps, but Link was courageous, gallant, and sacrificed much, making him an idol to Linebeck whom of which only wished he could be that way.
Jolene was gorgeous, intelligent, and brave, yet from even a friendship perspective, there was something missing in her and Linebeck's relationship. He couldn't identify it.
Linebeck turned back to Jolene, and shook his head. Tears welled in her eyes, and as he began to walk off, she pulled him back to get his attention.
"Please," She whispered, "I love you."
He nodded heavily, pain and remorse filling his chest and tightening his throat, "I know," he paused, and sighed guiltily, "I..." He strode onto the dock, and left her alone, like he had done before, only now, it was a final decision.
"All rise!" Judge Ungleichheit was a short, stout man, standing at a rough five foot, three inches tall. He was almost entirely bald, except for a few wispy gray hairs that stood up at odd angles on the very top of his head. His nose was plump and red, curving upward at the tip to reveal several unattractive, lengthy nose hairs. His ears were the same as everyone else's in the room, excluding Roy's. Ungleichheit's eyes were small and beady, yet quite a vibrant green that bore intimidatingly into the souls of all the poor spectators. Yes, the villagers feared this man in the thick black robe that crumpled in bunches at his feet, but they respected him enormously. He was clever, yes, and quite rich. Multiple cases had been solved at the wave of his pudgy hand, as well as the loss of many lives.
The court rose, and faced the sculpture of the Triforce, placing their hands behind their backs and recited the 'Codes, Ethic, and Faith of which we Live by'.
"Oh, Goddesses, grand are thee,
Listen please and spurn our spite.
To make us thrive and live with glee,
We beg for guidance to living right."
"Please be seated," Ungleichheit said authoritatively, and seated himself in the Judge's seat, "Now, would the Plaintiff please deliver their accusation upon which Roy Karlson is accused of."
The court, which was nearly twenty feet in height from floor to ceiling, held eight rows of spectator seats, and large, secluded grouping of seats for the jury, two tables for the Plaintiff and Defendant, a witness stand, and finally, the Judges seat.
A tall, skinny man in a blue suit stood from the table on the left, and straightened his bow tie as he stood up. His hair was curved slightly in the front, clearly gelled in that formation. Clearing his throat, he began to speak: "Roy Karlson- farmer, resident of Mercay, human..." Roy sneered at him from his seat to the right of the Plaintiff, "And atheist- is accused of angering the Goddesses and putting the entire island of Mercay at risk for that reason. I am Sir Procerus, a well known leader in this town, and the residents and I have had enough; we desire to put an end to this madness. Mr. Karlson clearly is using his immorality, ignorance, and hubris to tease us righteous people for living a fulfilled life to compensate for his empty life. That is all, your Honor." Procerus sat down confidently, content with his speech. Yes, it was short, but it packed power, giving the audience what it wanted.
Ungleichheit looked over his papers, the Jurors scribbled some notes, and Roy sat upright in his seat, lips folded, and fists clenched. He dared not turn around to view the audience, but hoped that Linebeck had received his letter and returned to Mercay to aid him. It angered him profusely that his neighbors whom had respected him merely days before had all turned on him because they had nothing to blame for the storm; they decided to listen instead to a man with much money and little reputation beyond that.
Ungleichheit spoke again, now with superiority, "The Defendant may now make his case." He peered down over the desk in front of him to the level below him, "Do you have a lawyer?"
Roy opened his mouth slightly, ready to speak, yet holding back. A few stutters escaped his mouth uneasily, which were quickly rejected by Ungleichheit.
"Answer the question," He ordered.
"I don-"
The doors to the court room swung open violently, and the entire assembly turned to look at the source of the noise, and found a small boy in strange green garb, the well known Captain Linebeck, and two sunset-colored fairies (one red and the other yellow) all standing awkwardly at the end of the rows of seats.
They moved silently to their seats, and when Roy dared turn around like the rest of the court did, he shouted, "That man! He's my lawyer!"
Linebeck froze in his spot and pointed to himself experimentally.
"Yes, you, Linebeck." Roy confirmed.
Linebeck let out a nervous laugh and walked up to the front of the room and stood next to Roy. As to what he was doing, he had no idea.
"Please begin your case for the Defendant," Ungleichheit monotoned.
Linebeck sighed heavily, "Well, erm.. Roy obviously isn't an atheist."
Roy restrained planting his face into his palm.
"Roy..." Linebeck continued, "...like the rest of us have some sort of spiritual occurrence in his soul. Whether or not he chooses to show it is up to him, just like the rest of us. Perhaps, unlike the citizens of this town, he desires a more private spiritual life, one that is free from the input of others. It is more," Linebeck gesticulated towards Roy, searching for the right word, "Clean, per se."
Linebeck turned to the spectators, and noticed a look of enlightenment upon their faces, a curious look that presided only on those whom were internally debating something.
"That is all," Linebeck finished.
He seated himself, and Roy grinned at him, "Good job, that wasn't half bad."
The Jurors scribbled a few more notes, and turned expectantly towards Ungleichheit who continued, "Each side may call witnesses to the stand for questioning, starting with the Plaintiff."
Sir Procerus stood up, cocked his head, and pointed to the back of the room, "You there, boy in green. Come up here."
Link blinked and stumbled out of his seat, inching his way towards the front. A lone voice in the crowd called out, "You can't question children!"
"Yes, I can." Procerus stated matter-of-factly.
Ungleichheit looked over his notes again, sticking his reading glasses on his face, "Erm... no. By Hyrulean law, you can't."
Procerus scoffed and scanned the audience again as Link slinked back to his seat, "I am allowed to question fairies, right?"
Ungleichheit nodded and squinted at the back of the room.
Procerus pondered for a moment, "The red one, the male. I don't want any winey female input from that yellow one."
Ciela huffed quietly and folded her arms at her chest. Not having been exposed to sexism before, she didn't know how to react nor handle it. She slunk in her seat, feeling quite insecure and inferior.
Leaf didn't move from his spot, and Ciela eyed him curiously. "I won't do it; I'm biased."
Procerus rolled his eyes and cleared his throat in a frustrated manner, "The yellow one then. I'll settle for her."
Ciela swallowed heavily and nervously, jumping into flight and coming to the front of the room.
"Do you swear," Ungleichheit asked, motioning for her to put her hand on the Hyrule Historia, "To speak only the truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I swear," she obliged.
"Good," He pointed to Procerus, "You may begin questioning."
Ciela made her way to the witness stand, and Procerus interrogated her in a sly manner, "Has Roy ever admitted to being an atheist in your presence?"
Suddenly, memories down to an exact detail exploded into her mind that she didn't necessarily want to remember.
"You mean," She began, "You're not part of a religious group?"
"Correct."
"So… you don't believe in the Goddesses?"
"Nope. Does that bother you?"
"Yes. He has." Ciela admitted quietly. She made eye contact with Linebeck, and she was unable to read his emotion.
"Interesting," Procerus noted, "Do you believe that what Linebeck says about Roy's spiritual life being 'secluded' and 'clean' to be true?"
Ciela knew what Linebeck had said to defend Roy was a ruse made up on the spot, and it didn't make much sense in Roy's circumstance anyway, so she muttered, "I don't know."
"You don't know." Procerus mocked, "I need an answer."
"I said I didn't know," Ciela said pleadingly, "And that's the..." She glanced over to the Hyrule Historia of which she had sworn over, and her stomach churned. Her religious ties were deeply rooted in her soul, and to swear over them and break them could be a simple act for the well being of Roy, yet it scared her to do so. She sighed and bent the truth, "I'm not Roy, so I don't know what his exact thoughts and beliefs are."
Procerus nodded, unsatisfied, yet decided not to press the matter further. Procerus motioned to Linebeck, "It is obvious Captain Linebeck and Mr. Karlson are close friends. Many times, friends are attracted to each other's company because they share a trait," Ciela held her breath, knowing the events to follow would prove to be painful. Her interrogator finished his sentence, "Has Linebeck ever admitted in your presence to being an atheist? That would in fact obliterate Mr. Karlson's case, for the people want to see one of their own kind making the decisions around here."
Linebeck looked up at Ciela in a sheer panic, staring pleadingly at her.
More memories plagued her:
Ciela's face flushed, "No, not at all! It's just that… I've never met anyone who… doesn't believe as I do..."
Roy smirked, "You know Linebeck."
She wanted those memories to leave for the benefit of him, but they refused.
"Linebeck," he continued to stare at her, puzzled and stunned by the utmost sincerity in her voice, "You don't actually think I'm going to tell anyone, do you?
Linebeck swallowed, "What?"
The fairy tensed, "You don't have to suck up to me. I won't tell anyone…" the spirit paused, "About… your beliefs. You don't have to worry."
Linebeck's skin paled and his heartbeat raced. With a great deal of effort, he finally spoke, "Thanks, Sparkles. And I mean it."
Ciela glanced around the room, feeling the eyes of all the inhabitants on her, trusting her. She also felt Linebeck's eyes, free of the Goddesses' binds of truth.
"He...has. Yes."
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Okay, so I hope you liked this! The Judge and Plaintiff's names translate to something, so... put it in Google translate!
I put the Hyrule Historia in as sort of their sacred text, I suppose. I don't own anyone except for Roy, Procerus, and Ungleichheit. I humbly ask for thorough reviews!