(edited 6.30.20)
Voyage of HRNS Divine Beast
Link leaned on the port gunwales and gazed subconsciously at the surface of the ocean as Windfall's docks faded into the fog, and then he made his way toward the bow. He passed a few nine-pound guns before he reached the forecastle, and began to ascend the stairs there. The familiar rocking of the ship was comforting to him, but he was still troubled. It was hard not to be, given the circumstances.
As he reached the bow of the vessel, a man strode up from behind him. "You were the first mate on HRNS Loftwing, were you not?" Link's breath caught slightly as he remembered his old ship. He looked sideways at the man beside him. The sailor was wearing what every Hyrulean Royal Navy man wore; what Link had been wearing day in and day out for the past seven years. Of course, now he wasn't wearing the uniform, but that was because he couldn't stand wearing it any longer. The navy blue canvas pants, simple white poet shirt and comfortable cotton jacket reminded him too much of his crew and Captain Horwell.
"I was," Link said carefully as the other sailor casually adjusted the front of his crimson jacket.
"So how did it happen? And how did you survive?"
Link sighed. There was no mistaking what the man meant when he asked 'how did it happen.' He shrugged. "Volvagia appeared from out of the fog so fast that we couldn't ready the defenses. I was up in the nest and I shouted down to the deck what I saw, but no one had a chance to react. She was upon us before we were able to load the guns. We were cruising into Ordon Bay and none of us were ready for a fight. I started to hurry down the shrouds, but before I got halfway down, chain shot hit the mast, so then I was hangin' on for dear life. As the mast fell, I took a bullet in the shoulder and lost my grip on the ropes, plummeting toward the deck. That's the last thing I remember before waking up in Ordon." As he recounted his brief tale, a couple more seaman had drawn near to listen. When he finished, he noticed the first sailor who approached him shudder slightly. "But take heart, man. It's going to go differently this time," Link said encouragingly, laying a hand on the disheartened crew man's shoulder.
"Link, Captain Auru would like to speak with you," said a man from behind him. Link turned and nodded to him.
"I'm assuming he's at the helm?"
This time it was the other man's turn to nod. "Indeed."
"Very well," Link said. "Gentlemen." The last part he directed at the other couple sailors there, when they also nodded, he began to move astern. He descended the stairs, and was shortly passing the cannons again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, he counted, brushing each one with his hand as he went by. Auru would have them loaded soon so they would be ready when the Divine Beast finally found Volvagia. Or when Volvagia finds us, Link thought to himself wryly. Then he was ascending the steps onto the quarterdeck, and he approached the wheel where the captain was standing.
"Link, I just wanted to ask you a couple questions regarding HRNS Loftwing's…" he hesitated, searching for a suitable euphemism for what had happened, "encounter with Captain Zant's ship." He waited for a few seconds, looking to Link for some sort of consent or acquiescence. The younger man only looked at him however, waiting for him to continue and ask his questions. When the captain saw that Link wasn't going to oblige him with consent, he continued. "First of all, no one here had heard that there were any survivors until you appeared this morning." He gazed at Link again, waiting for some sort of response.
After a moment, Link relented. "As far as I know, I'm the only one who survived," he said with a sigh. Auru echoed his sigh.
"That is unfortunate. Curse those pirates. If only we weren't alone in this mission, eh? So tell me, how did they attack?"
Link shrugged. "They appeared out of the fog already knowing exactly where we were. In hindsight, they must have been following us."
"So," the captain stroked his stylized silver goatee thoughtfully, "we'll need to have our guns loaded and the men ready for combat before we even catch scent of them."
"Yes. If we want to have a chance to strike first, we will need to load our guns far before we think we're anywhere near them. Speaking of, where is the last place they were reportedly seen; do you know?"
"Off the coast of the Faron Peninsula, about forty nautical miles from Windfall Port. Of course, that was yesterday evening when the report came to me."
"In other words, that is where they were roughly twenty-four hours ago now," Link surmised. Auru nodded grimly.
"Yes, but the report said that they were sailing deeper into the west."
"Hm. Does anyone know where Volvagia makes berth?"
The captain considered this for a moment. He looked to a man standing next to him. The man was wearing the garb of a navy man, but he wore an odd green stocking cap. "Mido, do you have any idea where Volvagia makes berth?"
"I've heard stories…" the young man started, looking uneasily at Link. "Something about a fortress far to the west, beyond the Norsuthern Current." Captain Auru looked at the Mido's freckled face with confusion.
"You mean the one of legend?" the older man asked.
"It's not a legend," Link whispered, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. Auru looked at him with surprise.
"What?"
"It's not a legend," Link repeated, this time louder. Auru noticed that he had a faraway look in his eyes. "The Forsaken Fortress is a real place. And we absolutely cannot let Zant get there with his loot." He said this with more urgency. "I should have known that that's where Captain Zant would have come from!"
"Erm… his loot?" Auru asked.
Link sighed. "He was attacking ships looking for a specific item. He found that item on HRNS Loftwing. Horwell and I were assigned to the Loftwing to guard it. I didn't know why at the time, or why it was so important. Supposedly, hiding the item on a small scouting brig would be inconspicuous and anyone looking for the item wouldn't think to look in the hold of a small brig, but obviously that plan didn't work very well, whoever came up with it. Anyway, I didn't believe in the importance of the item since I've never actually seen it personally, but—"
"You've never seen it?!" Mido cut in.
"What is it?" asked Auru.
"Supposedly it's a map."
"A map of what?"
"You've heard the legend of the kingdom with the golden power that got taken by an evil man who was eventually defeated by a chosen one called upon by the princess?"
"Of course, everyone knows the legend," Mido said impatiently.
"In the end of the legend, seven sages have a temple built to house the Triforce of Power."
"Go on," Auru practically whispered.
"Well, supposedly, the map is of Hyrule, marking the location of the Temple of Power, and in doing so, marking the resting place of the very Triforce of Power itself."
"No. No way. That can't be. Who told you that that's what it was?"
Link looked mildly ashamed. "An old man named Rauru. He claims to be a descendant of one of the seven sages."
"When did this old Rauru fellow even tell you this?" Mido asked forcefully.
"When Volvagia appeared and started attacking scouting brigs, he approached Captain Horwell and me in Windfall and told us. Neither of us believed him, but a small part of me was afraid that it might be true."
"And now you think it is?" Mido practically scoffed.
Link shrugged. "When I saw Zant's face with my own eyes… there's something… not… natural about him. I haven't told anyone this yet," Link continued, and with those words, the two other men seemed to subconsciously move closer, "but when I saw him in the spyglass from the crow's nest, he looked at me. And I don't mean that he glanced up and saw me in the lookout. He made eye contact with me and stared me down, even though he was a good distance off and I was looking through the spyglass."
"Sounds terrifying," Auru said sympathetically. Link nodded absentmindedly.
"Besides," he said, looking at Mido, "you said yourself that you had heard stories of the Forsaken Fortress."
"Yes. Stories. That doesn't mean they were true," the red-haired young man said defensively.
"Well, we can't risk it. The consequences would be catastrophic if someone like Zant was able to get his hands on the Triforce of Power, if it exists."
"Then we sail west," Auru said, and began to work the wheel to change HRNS Divine Beast's heading. Faron Peninsula loomed in front of them about a mile off now, and the galleon pitched as her captain swung her about to face west.
"Going beyond the Norsuthern Current is strictly forbidden, but we have stricter orders. Our mission is basically to come back with Zant's head or not at all. Poor Eagus tried to sugar coat it for me, but I know where our orders originated," Auru said bitterly.
"From the coast, it takes about six hours to reach the Norsuthern Current, right?" Link asked, trying to ignore the captain's negative take on the situation.
"Around-about, but with an easterly wind behind us, it'll speed it up considerably. I'm hoping that HRNS Divine Beast is faster than Volvagia, and we can gain on her. She has most likely passed the Norsuthern by now."
"Yes, she has had a considerable head start, but Zant doesn't know that he's being pursued, so hopefully he isn't pushing her," Link said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, he has what he set out to retrieve, so he has no reason to rush."
"True," Auru murmured.
Silence descended upon them then, as they each thought about what was to come. Link gently laid a hand on Captain Auru's shoulder, and looked him in the eye. When the man returned his gaze, he nodded solemnly and moved to descend from the quarterdeck.
"Do you really think it could be true?"
Auru looked at the red haired young man on his right. "I don't know, Mido, but if it is, Link is right. We cannot let Zant get his hands on the Triforce of Power. The consequences would indeed be dire." Mido nodded slowly.
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Link was standing at the bow of the ship, gazing out at the rolling blue waves, HRNS Divine Beast having left the dense fog of the coast behind them. Out in front of them, the sea stretched as far as the eye could see. Luckily, the easterly wind that had been aiding their efforts was still blowing, and they continued at a fast pace. He estimated that they were doing about 10 knots; probably faster than Volvagia by a slight margin, he guessed.
From far above, he heard an unintelligible shout. He craned his neck to look up into the rigging of the ship, and was able to make out a small man in the crow's nest - which was considerably taller than Loftwing's had been.
"Norsuthern Current ahead!" he bellowed. All the heads on the deck looked up toward the quarterdeck and the captain. None of them had ever sailed a ship through the current before. It was thought to be a cursed strip of sea, magically flowing north and south. The Norsuthern Current itself was comprised of two different parts. Half of it, the eastern half, flowed north, while the western half flowed south. When a vessel sailed into the Norsuthern Current, it was always from the east (coming from Hyrule), so the aforementioned vessel would encounter the north current first. In coming from the east, the northern flowing water would swing the vessel's bow to starboard, then the ship would struggle to make progress through the northern current, then after fifty or so meters, the water would be flowing the opposite direction, and when the vessel's bow entered the south stream, its bow would swing back to its port, but its stern would continue to drift north, effectively spinning the vessel around, and if the crew was not careful, the ship would continue to spin, and over the years, more than a few crews had met their demise whilst spinning helplessly in the Norsuthern Current.
Today, however, Captain Auru was confident that he had figured out how to navigate the unnatural waters safely.
"Mido!" He called to his First Mate who was standing nearby.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Please relay to Zuko to let us know when we reach one hundred meters from the Current."
"Aye aye, Captain," the red-haired sailor said, springing away. A moment later, Link was next to him.
"What is your plan, Captain?"
Auru grinned at him. "Nothing too exquisite," he said simply. Link shrugged, content to let Auru and his crew handle the sailing on this voyage. He knew he was only a passenger on this ship. His ship had been destroyed along with its entire crew. Horwell… He and the captain had been close friends, and he had tried his hardest not to think about him since the attack of Volvagia. Fuzo, the young, yet bulky redhead who had joined the crew just a week prior. It was only his first voyage… He tried not to think about his former crew. None of them except Horwell and he had even known of the map's existence and supposed importance. Now they were all gone, and Link hadn't been able to do a thing to protect a single one of them. As he mulled over the past week, a wave of silent anger slowly rose in his heart.
He was pulled back to reality when Zuko, the lookout, bellowed down again. "One hundred meters to the Current, Captain!"
Then Auru looked at Link again. A look of determination was on his face, and he nodded at the blonde sailor. Then, he hauled on the wheel of the ship, and HRNS Divine Beast pitched violently to her port side as her bow swung to starboard. She was plowing forward swiftly, and she would be upon the Current in moments. Men all over the deck held onto anything they could get their hands on to keep from falling to the deck of the warship. HRNS Divine beast was facing nearly north now, and all aboard were bracing for the north flow to take them.
Then it did, and they were jerked forward violently by the unnatural force of the Current. A few sailors lost their footing, and crashed to the wooden planks of the deck. One navy man nearly fell from the spar of a higher mast, crying out as he hung on for dear life by a loose rope. Link himself was forced to support himself using the gunwales of the quarter-deck and found himself staring down into the rushing waters of the deadly Current. He automatically craned his neck to look forward and see how far off the south flow was. To his dismay, it was coming very quickly, and they would reach it in seconds. The young man bent his knees and braced himself for the alteration of direction.
When the galleon's bow entered the south current, the wheel ripped itself out of Auru's hands and flung him to the deck, just as the sudden jerk flung others down as well. The ship pitched terribly to her starboard side as her bow was wrenched around by the other current. A man tumbled overboard, uttering a terrified cry. Luckily, HRNS Divine Beast's bow had been pointing so far north, that by the time it was near facing west again, the rest of her stern was almost entirely out of the north flow, and she was stable again, though she was drifting further south than Auru would have liked.
The old captain regained his footing and took the wheel again. In moments, he was guiding the ship out of the perilous currents and heading west once more.
Link was sure he wasn't alone when he breathed a huge-yet-silent sigh of relief. His knuckles were still white, gripping the railing of the gunwale. Slowly, he released the wooden structure. He crossed the quarterdeck back to Auru's side, and addressed the captain.
"Well done, sir," he commented. Auru nodded, and Link continued in a low voice. "Volvagia will doubtlessly reach the Forsaken Fortress before us, if she hasn't reached it already." Again, the captain nodded gravely, still looking forward. "I ask that you let me go in first in an attempt to retrieve the map."
Auru looked at him now. "Are you daft? The Forsaken Fortress - if it exists - harbors untold horrors known only by the keeper himself, be that Zant, or another, darker being."
"I know, I know. But the map is my responsibility. It was my assignment to guard it, and my duty to keep it out of Zant's hands."
"But you said yourself that you didn't know of its importance."
"That doesn't matter now. Besides, I have a better chance going in stealthily than we do trying to take it in a full-on battle. If the Fortress is half as strong as legend makes it out to be, Divine Beast doesn't stand a chance against its fortifications." When Link finished, Auru stood quietly, looking at him. After a few moments, he sighed.
"I suppose you are right. Are you sure you don't want to go in with a couple of my men?"
"I don't want to risk their lives if I don't have to."
Auru looked at him closely. "Assuming this place exists, do you really think you can get in and out alive, with the map?"
Link considered this for a long while, then said: "I don't know. All I know is that I have to try."
The older man nodded solemnly, and looked toward the west again, gazing past the ship's masts and rigging and out over the blue waves under the bright sunlight. Link gazed out as well, and silence descended upon them.
Anxiety rose in Link as he stood there beside Auru, thinking about the daunting task he had set before himself. The crew of HRNS Divine Beast would have followed him into the bowels of the Forsaken Fortress if it was asked of them, and he knew it. But he couldn't ask that of them. He was sure most if not every last one of the hundred or so men on board would perish in such an attack, and he couldn't let that happen, especially if he could successfully retrieve the map alone.
He stood there on the quarterdeck, his arms crossed over his chest and his mind wandering for a good few minutes. Then, in his mind's eye, a beautiful visage was before him, smiling broadly at him. He couldn't stop himself from smiling also, as her glorious cerulean eyes twinkled at his.
"Tetra…" he whispered subconsciously.
"What was that?" Auru asked, shooting him an inquisitive look.
"What? I— nothing," Link stuttered, eyes downcast. He looked back up, and Auru was raising an eyebrow at him. The young man sighed and shook his head, moving away. The captain merely shrugged.
Link's thoughts returned to the blonde immediately, her face filling his mind. He breathed a prayer to Nayru, beseeching her to allow him to see the maiden once more.
Then, Zuko was hollering something from the crow's nest. "LAND HO!"
The young sailor snapped out of his trance and squinted at the western horizon. A tiny speck sat upon the blue line, and he assumed it was the fabled Forsaken Fortress. A shiver ran down his spine, and he subconsciously rested a hand on the pommel of his hanger.
As they sailed forward, the sky was suddenly slightly dimmer.
"HEAVE TO!" the Captain bellowed so that all the hands could hear him. Men sprang to work, attempting to heave the jib sails to windward as Auru turned the ship away from the direction of the wind and even as their pace slowed, the speck grew closer and the sky grew darker, until the vessel was broadside to the Forsaken Fortress, which now sat some few miles off. Link estimated it was between five and seven miles away; he knew the crew wouldn't want to get any closer than that, now that they all knew how very real the cursed place was. Indeed, every sailor aboard seemed to shiver in the unnatural night.
Link looked up at the sky, and the sun was still hanging in its normal spot and shining, however, somehow its light did not reach the sea in this area.
"This place is cursed," Mido whispered as he stepped up to the quarterdeck. Auru only nodded silently. "The men don't want to get any closer to the fortress."
The fortress loomed like a great predator, waiting for an unwitting victim to stray too close to it. They couldn't see much of it in the darkness, but they could see that colossal stone walls jutted up from the sea all the way around it except for one place where ships could enter and exit. Torches dotted the fortress inside and out with an eerie orange hue contrasting deeply with the dark blue night.
"Well Link, I think this is as close as we are getting."
"Understood, Captain," Link said, and began to descend to the main deck.
"You can take all the supplies you think you might need, and of course I will give you a dinghy to take to the walls," Auru explained, following Link down the steps. "I assume you'll want a bow in the stead of firearms so you can maintain as much stealth as possible." When Link nodded, Auru turned his head back and locked eyes with Mido. "Go get him my bow," he ordered. The sailor in the green stocking cap nodded and retreated to his captain's cabin. "How will you get inside the walls?"
"Do you have a grappling hook?" the blonde sailor asked.
"Absolutely," then turning to an immense sailor, Auru commanded: "Dampa, go get a grappling hook from the hold." The man nodded and rushed away.
It took them a few minutes, but finally, they had decided that Link was as prepared as he could possibly be to face the Forsaken Fortress, and the young man climbed down a ladder on the side of the ship and into a dinghy that had been lowered to the water. Many members of the Divine Beast's crew lined up along the port gunwales to see him off.
"Good luck, Link. We will wait for thirty-six hours, then we will attack the Forsaken Fortress," Captain Auru declared. Link nodded. He untied the little rowboat's tethers that kept it alongside the galleon and then sat down on its bench seat. Taking the oars in his hands, he set them in the oarlocks and began his short voyage to the walls of the Forsaken Fortress.
\-][- /...to be continued...\ -][-/
A/N - Thank you so much for reading!
