Chapter 70: I Thought We Were Over This

…

~~10/27

~~The company is speed-shipping another batch of supplies to us; we should be getting them about mid-morning. It takes about three hours to lower the ship safely, so I'm hoping to get to the surface by this afternoon so we can look for the Sorians.

…

Kon kon. "Link?"

Link, having gotten to bed late last night, rose from a quick mid-morning nap bleary-eyed. He gave the door a confused look, unsure if he had heard the knock in his sleep. "Yeah?" he tried calling out.

"Princess Zelda is aboahd."

So, it had not been part of his dream; Leynne was right outside the door. He started considering getting himself a watch. His crew always seemed to neglect telling him what time it was.

Waaaaaait a minute…

"ZELDA?!" Link suddenly snapped as Leynne's words registered.

"Yes, sih, she's just come aboahd," Leynne replied.

The next second saw Link leap out of his bed and stumble in landing on the floor next to his desk. BAM! "D'ow-hoh!" Link hollered upon slamming one knee on the sharp corner of his desk.

"Link?" Leynne asked through the door. "Ah you all right?"

"Yes!" Link hollered, his voice cracking from panic. "I-I'm fine!"

"Should I tell heh you'h unavailable?" Leynne asked as Link scrambled for his wardrobe.

"It's fine!" Link snapped at him, throwing open the wardrobe's door. "Tell her I'll be there in a minute!"

"Yes, sih."

Link did not know how Princess Zelda could board the ship without any notice; his crew was more than capable of identifying her from a distance and giving better warning than that. He scrambled to put on a tunic and a pair of work trousers that were not as dirty or smelly as the clothes he had been wearing on Obeeta. He noted as he pulled the tunic on that he would have to see about getting some laundry service once they returned to the sky. For reasons not even his tired mind could comprehend, he threw open his footlocker and pulled on the Sorian sword and his gun belt. He was reaching for the Sorian bracelet before he realized what he was doing and froze as he tried to decide whether he should put everything on or take it all back off. Then he realized how stupid it was to do either and slammed the footlocker shut. He quickly pulled on his spare boots and rushed to open the door.

Outside, he saw Zelda conversing with Leynne near the port mizzen-mast, a pair of tunic-clad knights flanking her. Link immediately ran toward them. The sound of his boots against the deck caught their attention.

Just in time to watch Link accidentally hook one foot with the other and fall forward. WHUMP! Link saved his face from smacking the deck hard, but he still hit with a substantial sound and took an additional blow to the back of the head from the hilt of the Sorian sword.

"Link!" both Zelda and Leynne hollered in surprise. Leynne jogged toward him.

"Somebody, kill me, please…" Link mumbled into the deck, his energy lost to utter embarrassment.

Leynne had just gotten close enough to realize Link had said something and asked, "What was that, Captain?"

"Nothing!" Link snapped as he pushed himself up. Leynne waited to see if Link needed help. However, Link stood on his own and brushed himself off. Leynne tried not to grin at Link's attempt to stride with a dignified step toward the princess, especially since he had a bit of a limp. Zelda still maintained a worried look as Link stopped in front of her and bowed. "Welcome aboard, Your Highness," Link said.

Zelda's mouth twisted into a pained attempt to not smile at him, knowing that she would be unable to hold back a subsequent laugh. "Captain," she just replied as she struggled not to cover her mouth.

When Link stood up, he tried his best to maintain a professional air as he asked, "What brings you aboard, Your Highness?"

"I had hoped to greet you as you returned," Zelda said as she glanced around at the rigging over their heads. "I am rather disappointed that we missed welcoming you home."

"Oh," Link replied as he felt his formal demeanor begin to wear off. "I-I'm sure the crew appreciates the thought, Your Highness."

"Thank you." Zelda let herself smile. "I must apologize, but I must return to Castle Island with haste lest my father believe you might take me on another adventure."

Link winced. "Tha-that's all right," he told her. "Thanks for at least seeing us off."

"When will you be leaving?"

"We ah still waiting on supplies from the home office," Leynne spoke up. "We should be descending to the suhface by the aftehnoon."

"I wonder if you might do me a favor," Zelda said. "As I cannot be present when you find the Sorians again, I would at least like some trinkets of gratitude to be sent to Elder Ukhool. It is a rather small gesture, but I want to at least show some appreciation for his hospitality."

"Sure, we can do that," Link replied.

"Thank you. I'm aware of the Sorians' sensitivity to Hylian woodwork, so I asked that a few pieces of earthenware and metalwork be commissioned. I shall have these transferred to your ship before we depart."

"Well, we can send some aihmen with you to retrieve them, Youh Highness," Leynne spoke up. "Most of the deck crew is idle until the shipment ahrives."

"Oh, no, I do not want to trouble your crew further," Zelda told him. "Captain Link has already informed me of your harrowing ordeals on Obeeta, and I have already made arrangements to have the dock workers transport them for you. I ask you to treat them with care; they are quite fragile."

"A ventuh to the suhface hahdly provides much oppohtunity foh such excitement," Leynne said.

"Yes, but I trust you still have Mister Sello aboard."

Link heaved a heavy sigh. "She's right," Link moaned as he placed a hand over his eyes. "If there's metal inside, Sello'll sniff it out before we realize it."

"Unfohtunately, that is one hazahd we cannot seem to live without," Leynne commented. "I shall infohm the crew to keep a close eye on him, though I suspect restocking his supply of alcoholic beverages might assuage this concehn."

"Thank you, Mister Leynne," Zelda said. "Captain Link, I wish you the best of luck. And I ask that you report to us at Castle Island upon your return."

"We will, Your Highness," Link replied as Leynne noticed Ray watching the exchange from across the deck. He quickly started gesturing at her to go away behind Link's back. "And we'll make sure the shipment reaches Elder Ukhool intact."

Zelda gave a curt nod. "Let us return, gentlemen," she said to her knights as she turned around.

Link watched her walk down the gangplank and up the pier, unaware of Leynne still trying to signal to Ray behind him. Once she had turned to cross the port, he spun and swatted Leynne's upper arm. Leynne started and defensively asked, "What?"

"You couldn't warn me?" Link snapped at him. "Who else do we know that wanders around in a pink tunic and slacks like that?"

"I'd hahdly had much notice myself," Leynne replied. "I've only just leahned the Geltoan wohd foh 'princess'."

Link groaned and cover his face again. "I need some more sleep…"

Leynne noticed an airman wearing a blue Skyrider tunic step onto the gangplank and said, "You might have to put the nap on hold, sih."

Link looked up at a well-built young man. However, the airman's attention seemed to be on something he had seen on the dock, his gaze one of confusion cast in the direction he had approached from. Link gave him a moment to respond. Then he asked, "Can we help you, airman?"

"Oh, sorry," the airman quickly said, his attention snapping to the pair in front of him. "This is the Island Symphony, right?"

"Unfortunately," Link replied.

He raised a few sheets of parchment to glance at them. "I'm from the Sailwind," he said. "We've got your supplies. Uh… my captain wants to know how soon you need them; there's quite a lot." As if to prove it, he turned and showed them the list.

"The sooner, the better," Link said. "We're trying to ship out again." He gave the list a quick glance. "Looks like you ordered everything but the kitchen sink."

"I'd requisitioned a kitchen sink," Leynne told the airman in a concerned tone.

The airman quickly turned the list around and looked through it while Link cast Leynne an irritated expression. "You did requisition a kitchen sink," the airman replied. "Page three. We got it."

"You requisitioned a kitchen sink?" Link asked Leynne.

"Yes, sih."

Link gave the airman a confused glance before asking, "Why did we requisition a kitchen sink?"

"Sello stole the one out of the galley; we still haven't found it."

Once again, Link covered his eyes with a hand. "Leynne?"

"Yes, sih?"

"What the hell is wrong with my crew?"

…

~~I'm never saying "everything except the kitchen sink" again. I have now met people dumb enough to include it.

…

Allowing an airship to descend slowly to the surface was a tricky process; the Island Symphony had only done it once. The first part of the process was to reduce engine activity and allow the heat built up in the ballast tanks to dissipate into the naturally cooler air of the higher altitudes. The easy half of this phase was simply lowering the ballast control lever at the helm. The crew cringed at the second half: telling Sello to physically decrease the engine's output to the ballast tanks after the ballast control would not move any further. Link's veteran crew remembered the first time this had been attempted, when they had discovered Sello had no working concept of "gradual process". Sello had straight away reduced the heat feed by half, giving the crew a few seconds to realize this before the ship plunged a distance of about four times the ship's height. A few had been hurt when the ship had then begun to slow, causing the unprepared to collapse to the deck (including Link). This time, however, Leynne had located Sello's cutoff point and watched Sello as he reduced heat, giving the crew a smoother ride.

Cutting off heat to the ballast was a large leg of the journey; they would be able to see some of the landscape before the ship would settle into a stationary altitude. Going past this point would require them to actually open the ballast tanks and let the Loft Steam, the precious substance that allowed all Hylian airships to fly, leak out until they were at their desired height. Until then, Leynne had returned to the main deck since completely cutting the heat from the ballast left him without a need to monitor it. He found Link watching the horizon on the starboard side as mountains in the distance began to take a more defined shape.

"Captain," he said as he approached. "I trust we ah not falling as fast this time."

Link sighed and scratched under his cap. "No, we aren't," he admitted, "but I didn't realize how long this was gonna take. It's kinda irritating."

"Should I release some of ouh Loft Steam now?" Leynne asked. "It would make ouh descent fasteh and moh interesting."

Link gave him an annoyed glance, having cued off Leynne's flat delivery. "Okay, I get it," he replied.

"Wheh ah Ihleen and Janni?" Leynne asked as he glanced across the deck. "I thought they would be up heh."

"Irleen said something about feasting on some good Hylian food before we reach the Sorians," Link said. "Uh… I think Janni went to take a nap. I'm not sure; I wasn't paying attention."

"Is something troubling you?"

Link heaved a sigh. "Well… I'm not sure what to do after we get there," he admitted. "What are we gonna do, just drop Irleen off and-and that's it? And what's Janni supposed to do? She's right; she doesn't know those people."

"We've already spoken about this, Link," Leynne pointed out. "Janni has the option, and I'm cehtain that she will do what she feels is best." He crossed his arms and smirked at Link. "I've the mind that you don't know what to do with youhself when we get theh."

Link glanced out at the horizon before giving Leynne a conceding nod. "Well… yeah, I suppose that's up there, too. I mean… it's been two years. Do you think anyone remembers me?"

"I would hope so. A young captain would be someone to remembeh foh a time, and I have my doubts that Sorians find the concept as familiah."

Link shrugged. "I dunno. I think I'd remember meeting the royals from another people than a young captain."

Leynne raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You feel that Princess Zelda might have left a betteh impression than you?"

"She got out and explored. I spent most of my time there in a library. It kinda makes me wish she'd come along instead of just sending that big crate; it'd make meeting them go a little smoother."

"I am ratheh amazed myself that she did not want to witness the discovery of the Sorians. She had placed hehself in a very fohtunate position, yet she only eveh gave us a few wohds befoh retuhning home."

"Yeah, that seemed a little rushed."

"Well, she had admitted that heh fatheh feahs heh being whisked away on anotheh adventuh," Leynne pointed out, the second half of his statement delivered with a melodramatic tone.

Link breathed a scoff through his nose. "Like that stopped her the first time. The way she acts, she would enjoy getting her dad riled up instead of actually listen to… him…" Leynne watched the grin on Link's face melt away to stunned realization. He was clearly missing some information behind Link's reference to the "first time". Link then put on a pained looked and gave an exasperated groan. "Oh, you gotta be kidding!"

Link's declaration immediately led to him storming past Leynne. Leynne shared a confounded look with Dholit (standing further down the bulwark to monitor Layna, who was hanging over the side) before turning to follow. "Link, what is it?" Leynne called after him.

"Zelda doesn't care if she pisses him off!" Link hollered back. He continued to stomp his feet as he descended the starboard stairs. Leynne quickened his pace to catch up.

In the cargo hold, Link located two things. The first was easy to find: it was a cube-shaped crate no bigger than Link with the winged triangle symbol of the Hyrule royal family emblazoned on the side. The second item was the crowbar he swiped from atop an open ration crate. Leynne reached the hold just in time to watch Link jam the crowbar into the side of the crate. He was not sure if he should stop Link, but it seemed plain that Link knew something he did not. Link ripped the top open and dropped the crowbar loudly against the deck. He pushed the lid up and pulled himself off the floor in order to look inside. After half a minute, his feet dropped down to the deck, and he stomped in Leynne's direction.

"Nail it shut, dump it off." Those words hung in the air as he simply stormed past Leynne and returned to the main deck.

Leynne could only give the doorway to the staircase a confounded look for a moment, stunned by the sudden change in his captain's demeanor. Then, as he approached the crate, he considered that Link could not be serious since he had always taken his obligation to the royal family in earnest, having admitted to Leynne that Link's contact with Zelda left him in constant fear of offending King Lauris. To slight them now seemed like too drastic a change in personality, even given the ordeal they had escaped only about three weeks ago. Rather than comply immediately, Leynne took a moment to lift the crate's lid and peer inside.

His confusion only deepened upon perceiving the concerned, doe-eyed gaze of Princess Zelda staring back at him.