Chapter 11
Komali's POV
I never wanted it to be like this.
I thought that much was obvious, given the fact I've been a thorn in the side of this 'Link and Medli' thing for who knows how long. Probably longer than even I've known. Probably before I'd even met Link.
Eurgh, look, Medli's done so much for me. To some extent, Link's even done quite a lot for me too. He may have been the reason Medli disappeared in the first place, but he's also the means in which I managed to find her again and not get killed in the process. He helped me grow up, too.
Feels like it's been a long time since I grew up.
Feels like if you stop thinking about being grown up, just for a second, you slide back down again. All the way to the bottom.
"Hey." Says a voice next to me. I came up to this little archway near the town's plaza for some privacy, dammt. "Mind if I join you? This is kinda my spot, but if you wanna stargaze too, I don't got a problem with that." It's just some young adult with a telescope. Didn't know you could get enjoyment out of looking at some lights in the sky. Although, I did used to sneak outside with Medli and grandma to look up at them. Occasionally.
I turn from the man to the stars as he sits down, placing the telescope to his eye.
"You come out here every night?" I wonder. As if anyone could be that sad.
"You bet! Even when it rains, I just have to see if I can catch a glimpse."
"That's pretty cool." That's pretty lame.
"Right? There are so many things in life constantly trying to get you down, you know? It's enough to drive someone crazy! But just one look at the moon, and I forget all about that kinda stuff." The man says, pausing for a second to adjust his telescope or something. "I recently got through some heartbreak stuff. I wouldn't talk to anyone for, wow, I don't know how long. My buddy turned out to like this girl who I'd known since I was a kid, and kinda had the hots for, you know?"
Oh, I know. "That's rough."
"Yeah. But I got through it, thanks to a little guy in green." He says. "And the moon, of course."
A little guy in green? Oh, you've gotta be...
It's too crazy not to be a coincidence.
I look up further, trying to take in all the stars in the sky, and, at the same time this guy's advice. Maybe his crazy sky magic will work for me too?
...Nah.
"Anyway, ever since then, I've been feeling miles better. I even made a new friend, too. I thought you were her at first, 'cuz we usually meet up here."
"Oh, really? Does she have white hair, red clothes and a pair of wings?"
"No need to tease, buddy. I was just expecting her tonight, is all. She usually shows up on nights like these, when the moon's full."
"You sure she's not a werewolf?"
"Who you calling a wolf, birdboy?" Asks Mila, hopping up the wall to sit between me and the telescope man.
I'm about to explain myself before the man cuts me off. "Hey, Mila. You're kinda late, what happened?"
"Nothing much. It's just that the ferry got held up because the pier was pretty much blocked off by, well, that thing." She chuckles, pointing towards the pirate ship. "Now whose idea was it to park that there?" She wonders, with a mocking expression. "Was it you?" She nudges me.
"Do I look like some kind of pirate to you? No, I flew here, of course."
"Why, though? You come back here to sweep me off my feet back to your Dragon Roost Island?"
Sort of.
"Hold on, you two know each other?" Asks the telescope guy.
"Yeah, Kamo. We're old buds."
I lean over to the man, cutting off Mila. "As a disclaimer, we hardly know each other. I helped her get out of trouble with her boss once."
"The nerve! Kamo, don't listen to him. This rich bird was looking for a sword to buy, and I cut the price in half! You still owe me for that, by the way."
She's awfully refined for a girl in rags. Quite well-mannered and quite, well...
Pretty, I guess.
"I can pay you back now, if you want." I add, feeling around my pouch for what rupees I have. Yeah, feels like more than enough, as usual.
"Mh. There aren't any good shops open. Unless you wanna head to the auction, although all the good stuff's probably gone, this late..." She closes one of her eyes and turns to me, mischievously. "Besides, you probably couldn't afford anything really nice."
Oh, you are on, peasant girl. "We'll see. Why don't you show me to this auction?"
"Yeah, alright. You can come along too if you want, Kamo."
"Nah, I'm good. I think I'll just stay here for now. I'll drop by the shop tomorrow, though."
Mila laughs and hops up, clasping her hands together in front of her and bowing deeply to the man, Kamo, and putting on a fake, happy smiley voice. "I can't wait to see you at Zunari's outdoor shop of Fun-Fun-FUN!" She giggles, before hopping down the ladder into the main plaza. I say goodbye to the man, spreading my wings and gracefully dropping down to the floor like an angel.
"A word of warning, though, birdboy. The guy who rents out the House of Wealth for auctions is an ass. He hates Rito like you and he usually watches the auctions from the floor above, so don't bring too much attention to yourself."
A racist? I can deal with that. Not sure about the attention part, though. Mila walks through the alleyways of Windfall like a cat walking through familiar territory. I follow her, marvelling the quick, certain way she moves.
We reach some kind of red, regal door. It sticks out in this town like a sore thumb, because everything else looks so trashy, but this one looks quite pleasant. A little excessive, but pleasant nonetheless. I'm about to open the door for Mila, but she stops, essentially planting herself in front of it.
"Hold up. You gotta do something for me first."
"Oh boy."
"Relax, it's simple. I just need your name."
"Need?"
She rolls her eyes. "Want."
I chuckle, and suddenly stand up straight, bowing ever so slightly. "It's Komali. Prince Komali."
She raises her eyebrows and smiles, shaking her head. "Don't see what you're so proud about, Komali." She laughs, turning around to the door and opening it for me. "We've all been a prince once in our lives."
Dazed by her strange remark, I follow her into the building and find that my ears are immediately assaulted by shouts and cries. Forget the bar, it looks like most of the town's attention is right here in this building.
The lights are dim, but the sparkling of the lavish furniture still attracts my attention more than anything else in the room. If any piece of furniture isn't a fine, velvety red, then it's plated with gold and equally as exaggerated and snobby as everything else.
Yes, that's coming from me.
"I'll assume you know how to bid n' such." Mila teases. "Unless you've been too busy sorting letters to learn!"
I nod to the crowd of townsfolk gathered near the bottom of the stage and say "It's simple, isn't it? I just stand over there and shout numbers up at... oh, hey, it's your boss."
Mila nods, as another islander shouts a price up at Zunari, the shopkeeper who let me have a sword. He's not wearing his hood tonight - probably because he's indoors and that would be kind of rude - and so looks less like a sheep and more like some kind of mole with a strange style of haircut.
"Ooooooh my!" He shouts. "Sold, sold and SOLD! Garrickson, you are simply the centre of excitement and pazzaz! You've just purchased yourself a fine skull necklace for yourself, my dear, yes! Why don't you come up and get it?"
As the lights come up again and the spotlights which were previously illuminating the skull necklace in the dark room - causing it to sparkle even brighter than usual - I look up to the ceiling, and notice there's a giant rectangular hole in it. So, that up there must be the first floor, where the actual owner of this place resides.
Well I can't see the racist just yet so we're in the clear for now.
The previous victor of the bid walks past, deciding that the skull necklace is enough for tonight and the lights dim once more. "Oooh, it looks like we have two new arrival-..." Zunari notices us, and his sentence trails off. After a brief silence, he lights up again, spreading his arms like a welcoming performer allowing us and the others in the room to watch his show. "Let's get on with the second bid, shall we!"
From the seemingly infinite confinements of his coat, Zunari produces a blue piece of paper. I suppose whatever he plans on selling is inside it?
He puts the blue piece of paper on the pedestal with a quick hop.
"Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen!" He assures. "Tonight's second fantastic prize is a treasure chart! What could be at the end of the trail? Perhaps it is a treasure far more than any of us would be willing to spend on this very evening!" He clasps his hands together and begins rubbing his palms with anticipation, still scanning the audience warmly. "In that case, the starting bid must go to one-hundred rupees!"
"One-hundred and fifteen!"
"My, my, a strong bet to begin with from Sam! Who will follow up?"
"One-hundred and twenty-one rupees!"
"Minenco is in hot pursuit of this mysterious prize! Can anyone contend with her?"
The bidding continues like this, with the various townsfolk continously trying to follow each other up with meagre bids, each one clearly too timid or afraid to ramp things up a little.
In my advanced wisdom, I deside to withhold.
"C'mon, bird-brain! I thought you were supposed to be treating me, aheh." Mila jabs playfully at my side.
I open one eye and look to the side at her. "What exactly do you plan on doing with a treasure chart, Mila?"
She looks genuinely offended by this, but soon regains her composure and mocks frustratedness. "You don't know! I could get up to all sorts of hijinks while you're not around."
"I don't think searching for treasure on the open seas really suits your 'hard working' mentality."
Hah, now she seems shocked that I remember that kind of thing. She folds her arms and faces partially away from me, smiling. "I'll get you for this."
The bidding game continues at its boring, slow pace, but the tension is nigh insurmountable. Each 'contestant' seems to really want that garbage, simply because of Zunari's words and how excited it seems to have gotten each one of them.
There is one other observer. He watches from the floor above, and I immediately feel as though I don't like this guy. Nobody with a shred of kindness or decency would wear a tophat and swing around a frivolous cane like that around. Nobody. The man is clearly evil.
Some unfortunate townie wins the chart, and walks out of the building, pleased with themselves. Now all they have to do is go to some other auction where they're selling a ship, and hire a decent crew, and treasure-salvaging gear.
No biggie.
Zunari produces the night's final item and places it on display, the entire audience suddenly being absorbed by a gravity of silence. Even the evil man with the cane leans over the railings to get a closer look.
I don't often say this, but it's beautiful. The way the spotlights dazzle off of its jewels, which are engraved up and down its decorated scabbard, intertwined with golden patterns and almost silky metalwork. The hilt itself looks sturdy and strong, which speaks massively for the alleged blade underneath the mask.
I look to Mila, smirking, as I step into the crowd of amazed townsfolk. Time to get serious.
"This dagger speaks for itself, really, but it is one of my only possessions that I have kept from my homeland, when I ended up here, all those fateful years ago." Zunari begins. I gulp. "Needless to say, I will not let it go easily. Do I hear... one-thousand rupees?"
...
He doesn't.
Nobody does.
That's insane. Even for my allowance, things being sold for thousands of rupees is just a myth, an over exaggeration used by children and mothers who're trying to tell those particular children stories.
None of the townsfolk say anything, but somebody begins laughing.
Somebody above.
"Pahahahahaaa! Zunari, you certainly are an absurd little man! You know as well as I do that there's only one person in this room with that kind of money!" Shouts the evil man, apparently still packing some lungs in that decrepit old body of his.
"Is that a bid from you, sir? You are allowed to entre the auctions, after all." Zunari asks lightly, testing the waters.
"Welllll... why not!? I'm sure I can use it to chase away any vile postmen whom come knocking at my door, hahaha! One-thousand rupees!"
"Going once...!" Zunari says shakily, as if he's finally about to hit the mother-lode.
"Going twice." He continues, quietly, not expecting any responses.
He takes his first breath that will lead the sentence that would change his life.
But unfortunately for him, Komali happens.
"One-thousand and twenty rupees!" Yells Komali, who is I.
Another deathly silence fills the room, but this one is far more satisfying for some reason. All eyes turn to me, and the tension is enough to break all of the expensive pottery in the room. I feel the man's beady eyes studying the lower floor of his house to locate the source of the interloper, and then I feel two hot rays fall upon my white hair.
"Komali... You're crazy!" Mila says, trying to sound serious but unable to contain her giggly smiles.
"No way! Does this kid seriously have that much!?" Exclaims a townie, looking down at me with a sense of desperation in their voice.
"Look at all his jewlery, the dagger's perfect for him...!" Another one swoons.
"O-Oh my!" Cries Zunari, completely taken aback. "Such drama, such praise-worthy defiance! Ladies and gentlemen, the game is not up yet!"
"P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-..." Stutters the evil cane man from above. The crowd's shocked chatter dies down a bit as they look up at him - Even Zunari seems anxious "POSTMAAAN?!" He screams.
I wave, grinning.
"What's the matter? I've never known someone to be afraid of postmen, y'know."
"I am NOT afraid of YOU! BEGONE, BEGONE!"
"Yeah? Is that why you're buying yourself a glorified letter-opener? Too scared to let the postmen do it?"
"BEGONE!"
"Or maybe it's just that the kid in your home intimidates you."
"BEGONE, OR I SHALL PAY SOMEONE VERY LARGE TO MOVE YOU THEMSELVES!"
"I'm afraid I cannot support violence in one of my auctions, oh dear me, no! If you are going to be using money for anything, sir, it should be for your next bid."
"Why, Zunari, you no-good little snake... FINE! One-thousand one-hundred and fifty rupees!"
"One-thousand four-hundred and fifty." I shoot back effortlessly. Despite what I said earlier, this is turning out to be kind've fun.
"You worthless little feathered fiend! Where are you keeping all those rupees!? Or are you lying, just to spite me!"
I shoot Zunari a reassuring but stern look after the man's remark, just so he knows that I do, in fact, have the money he wants. "One-thousand five-hundred rupees." I say, grinning evily. Just so he knows.
"TWO. THOUSAND. RUPEES." Says the old creep upstairs. The crowd of townsfolk, now significantly dazed, confused and stunned have virtually given up making their shocked noises right about now.
I keep my cool, regardless. "How about four-thousand, Zunari?"
The short man with the big blue coat in question has begun sweating at the prospect of such large quantities of money sitting in his safe. He nods.
"You... YOU PEST! FIVE-THOUSAND, and if you say another WORD, I will-"
"Seven-thousand rupees, Zunari." I state, looking up at the old man, who looks like all of his veins are about to collectively explode upon his head.
"Going once..."
"Going twice!"
"Going three times! Sold to the Rito Prince!"
"Goddess, you did it Komali! Nice one!" Mila congratulates me.
"Like you doubted me."
"ARRRGGGHHH! How could I be beaten by a child AND A POSTMAN, NO LESS?"
I fly up to Zunari as the old man storms off, the sound of a distinctive door-slam filling the building as I hand the merchant a few solid, large golden rupees.
He takes the dagger carefully in both hands as if it were a full blade and holds it out to me.
"It seems I pass another blade onto you, hmm?"
"Oh, this one's not for me." I add, motioning to Mila. "But thanks again, I guess."
"It is merely the role of a merchant. Take good care of it!"
"I do have one question, though..."
"Hm?"
"How comes this dagger, originally, costed about ten times the price of that sword you were selling, way back when?"
"...Oh me, oh my, I suppose that's just another one of those mysteries of the universe, yes!" He says, pushing both Mila and I to the door. "I really think you ought to be going now, yes, yes!"
And suddenly, we're outside again.
"We better go before Maggie's dad gets here, princey."
"That guy's a father?"
"I know right!" She laughs, grabbing my hand and practically pulling me back down through Windfall's gate, and down out onto the grassy part of the island.
"Don't you want your present?"
"You sound ridiculous, calling that a present. Nah, you can keep it."
Oh my great goddesses why. "...Really? Really!? I mean, it's a nice dagger and all, but if I wanted one for myself, I would've looked for a cheaper one!"
"Hey, hey, don't be like that, you worked so hard for it! Besides, you're the one who decided the price should be that high, aren't you?" She gives me the look of a mildly disapproving mother - but the kind whom finds almost anything extremely funny. She continues. "What am I gonna do with a dagger, anyway? I don't go on crazy adventures like you."
"You don't know if I go on adventures or not." I pout.
"You're right, you don't have the complexion for it." She beams.
"Well, I'll have you know I'm on an adventure right now, technically speaking. You probably won't, but you wouldn't happen to know anything about some lizard people terrorizing the sea and such, would you?"
"No, but I guess you could say I've heard some pretty weird rumours. Like, towards the east of the Great Sea, there's been an increase in pirate activity. I've seen a couple of 'em, too, on the way to where I work the night shift."
"Any lizards?"
"Couldn't say for certain. Definitely monsters, but I don't know what kind."
"Okay... anything else?"
"Well, there is one particularly odd rumour, but it is just a rumour, remember."
I nod, intrigued.
Mila points out to the ocean, and I follow her direction. "There are rumours that fish are coming to the Great Sea."
...
"What? Fish?"
"Mhm. Great schools of the things. Some of the more adventurous sailors around here claim to have seen huge ones, too, and they all thought they were monsters at first, up until the point where they were sailing right above them and weren't being attacked at all."
"Okay, that is pretty odd. You sure it's not just some drunken tale?"
"It is likely. But the story's been heard a couple of times now, from a few different sources. Fish or not, something odd is happening with this ocean."
"Oh, don't worry, we all knew that ages ago."
"So I can trust this dashing prince to save the day with his band of merry pirates?" She giggles.
"They're not my- You know what, there's no point in arguing anymore, is there?"
"Komali, Komali. Once a woman knows your name, she's got you sussed for life." She sighs. "It's just a shame I won't be any more help to you than a peasant girl on some far away island with far too much to say."
"I mean, our ship's got plenty of room."
Suddenly the tables turn, and she looks at me, wide-eyed. "You mean that is your-"
"Ahah, you bet." I begin, holding the dagger out to her. "So maybe you will have a use for this after all?"