Foreword
There are a lot of things to know before hand when reading this fiction, though a lot of names and figures will be explained as the story progresses. It does get a bit confusing with all these legends that pop up here and there like gophers. _; Trust me, the names are just pets that begged to be let of out their cages, and all can be pronounced any way you see fit. Or, if you're really picky about these things, you can always e- mail me for the phonetics.
I tried to stay true to the whole "legend" aspect of the deal, and tell the story in a less humorous, more serious manner, just because I am not that funny (on "paper," anyway). I hope this will give serious Zelda readers some brain candy (and hopefully not aneurysms).
Anyway, the usual copyrights follows: I don't own Link, if I did, I'd be rich and I'm not. He's copyrighted Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto (Pikmin!). But the rest of the stuff that obviously isn't Zelda-related (my characters, places, lands, et al) are copyrighted me, so I'd like to know if you're going to use them. Frankly, I'd be flattered. ^^
--------------------------------------------
1.1 [Prologue]
1.1.1.1 A LONG TIME AGO...
Before life began, before the world had form, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule. They were Din, the goddess of Power, Nayru, the goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of Courage.
Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom on top the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul, created all life forms who would uphold the law.
These three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind the golden sacred Triforce. Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence, where the Triforce stood became sacred land.
In the vast deep forest of Hyrule, the Great Deku Tree served as the guardian spirit. The children of the forest, the Kokiri, lived with the Great Deku Tree. Each Kokiri had his or her own guardian fairy, except one. His name was Link.
Early one morning, Link was having a nightmare. It was the same nightmare he had every night. During a storm, Link would find himself standing in front of a mysterious castle. A rider on horseback, carrying a girl would race by. The girl would look at Link as if to say something. Then, another rider would appear. This big man clad in black would look down menacingly at Link. Link would then awaken.
"Link! Hey, get up, Link! The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!"
As Link opened his eyes, he saw a fairy floating in front of him. This fairy's name was Navi. Navi was sent to summon Link to the Great Deku Tree.
"Oh Navi, thou hast returned!" said the Deku Tree. "Thank you, Link, for coming. Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares. A vile climate pervades this world. Verily, ye had felt it. The time has come to test thine courage. I have been cursed. I need you to dispel the curse with your wisdom and courage. Art thou prepared?"
Link entered the Great Deku Tree and broke the curse.
"Well done, Link! I knew that ye were worthy of carrying out my wishes. A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse on me. Employing his vile, sorcerous energies, the Evil One is searching for the Sacred Realm connected to Hyrule. For it is there that one will find the Divine Relic, the Triforce, that contains the essence of the gods. Whoever holds the Triforce can make their wishes come true. Thou must never allow the desert man to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce. Thou must never suffer that man to enter the Sacred Realm of legend. Link, go now to Hyrule Castle. There, ye will surely meet the Princess of Destiny. Present this stone to the princess. I have foreseen that she will understand everything."
The Great Deku Tree gave Link the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. Before dying, the Deku Tree's last words were, "The future depends upon thee, Link. Thou art courageous."
--------------------------------------------
1.2 Introduction
The legend of the Hero of Time unfolded. Link did succeed in protecting Hyrule from the desert man clad in black, Ganondorf, but the road was perilous and often lonely.
After the Final Battle against the great beast known as GANON, Link had finally liberated Hyrule from a seven-year reign of terror. Princess Zelda tried to give Link back the seven years he had lost, but unfortunately could not somehow, even with the songs and power of the Ocarina of Time.
The Time of Restoration came upon Hyrule and the people returned to their homeland. The castle and surrounding city was rebuilt over a period of two years and finally the scarred remains of Ganondorf's rule faded from the now peaceful nation.
Unfortunately, the peace did not hold long. An island country, Tophet, attacked with a swiftness that was greatly destructive, and the story now commences in a small fishing harbor called Mellifluous Bay, also Hyrule's main seaport, where our hero Link is awaiting orders to strike back from the general...
--------------------------------------------
Part One: The Cursed War
1.2.1 Chapter One
The ancient sun was beginning the journey back to the sea as Link scouted the horizon for possible signs of General Khegen's squire.
"Any sign?" A young soldier asked. The Hero of Time, now nineteen years of age and three years the other's senior, shook his head.
"No, only the clouds of dust as a farmer drives his cattle. It has been two days! If we hesitate now, we may lose the war."
"Hyrule has elite soldiers and the best of offensive and defensive technology," the younger soldier cited from memory. "How could we lose?"
"It is strategy that can topple the scale. Mayhap we do have the best soldiers, but if we do not plan strategically or receive certain orders in time, we may find ourselves in tight positions.
"Mellifluous Bay is a key target for the warriors of Tophet; if they succeeded in capturing this town, then they will control all oversea supplies to Hyrule and our allies. If that happens..." Link's voice trailed off ominously and he sat in thoughtful silence. Normally he was not given to much conversation, but today he felt especially antsy.
"Let us go and see if the bar has available seats," suggested the soldier, whose name was Jeremy. Link remained silent for a moment longer, then gigged his horse and followed his friend to the town's bar, The Shipmate's Pub.
The air was smoky, filled with the reek of eye-watering beer and whiskey, and tinged with the humidity of too many people talking. Link blinked as the corners of his eyes stung, but followed Jeremy to a place at the bar. They both hopped onto two stools and waited to be tended.
The young man Link was sitting next to was talking loudly but amiably to a tougher, older sailor on his other side. The Hero of Time couldn't help but overhear as their conversation continued.
"Of course, John me matey, me father always did say that sailing at night during a storm was a fool's idea of adventure, but upon his word, I'll warrant that Old Leatherface was a good and righteous fool in his time." The accent of the younger was not as strong as the others but definitely pronounced.
"Aye, and sure'n he'll want ter see what ye've bought this time, eh laddie buck?" The elder's voice was coarse and tough, like his battered face, but his tone was friendly.
"Help you?" The bartender said, glancing mildly at Link and Jeremy.
"Two beers," Jeremy replied before the nineteen-year-old could cut in. The barkeep assessed them with his cool, mild eyes and then walked off to get his order.
'He thinks we're too young,' Link thought to himself as his gaze traveled around the room. The usual type; burly sailors drinking tall mugs of frothy beer as they shouted, cursed, and generally made mayhem, the hard working lumbermen gulping down their whiskey and muttering in low voices, the softer folk looking around nervously as they drank the cider, whispered, and left. Link's mind wandered pleasantly as he and Jeremy waited, but not so far that he couldn't keep a tab on the pair's conversation.
"Aye, Johnny, and this time he shan't be displeased. I've gone to the land of milk and honey, sure and bye, and of course I were gonna bring him back a rare bauble indeed."
'The sea dialects are commonly misunderstood and often confused with the dialects of the Northern Baronies of Callembah,' the Hero of Time recalled from several lectures by General Khegen.
" 'A rare bauble indeed.' What fancy talk be that, Lanceton, you young snipe of a fool?" The man named John asked, this time a bit dryly.
"I've managed to wipe the dust of Selinta from me boots but nary the accent from me tongue," replied Lanceton cheerfully.
"Aye, and methinks I can't decide which of youse is a bigger fool, yer father or yerself." This remark incited a hearty laugh from the younger, and Lanceton took a healthy gulp of his drink.
"Aye, I do agree with yer there, matey, but 'tis not for ye to decide, I'll warrant. Me father would think me more the fool, and I would think him the bigger un. All's the same, I suppose, and me mother, gods rest her beloved soul, would say the world hadn't ever seen a finer pair of fools in all the lands and beyond."
"This 'rare bauble' ye speak of... what be it?"
"Oh, aye, John, 'tis a rare beauty. I brought back a picture of the fair princess, there, so I did, and a letter thanking me very own father for the speed in which he delivered the food they so badly needed."
'That's right, Selinta was undergoing a severe famine,' Link remembered, accepting his drink as the bartender set them down.
"This is strong drink, Link," Jeremy murmured, then smiled at the small rhyme he had made. "I'll take care of the tab."
"A picture, what a fancy! I've heard naught but great things of her beauty! Does ee have it?"
'None could match that of Princess Zelda,' Link thought somewhat proudly. And to think, the Princess fancied him for her husband and King of Hyrule. Well... perhaps when he had decided to settle himself a bit. His heart and soul still longed for great adventures. Perhaps it was in his blood, which was as mysterious to him as 'twas to everyone else.
"Aye, I do, John," Lanceton replied, smiling gently as he reached into his pocket and retrieved a small folded square of paper. "The drawer of such a picture was far too kind in his heart to have given this to me, I'll warrant, and 'tis a fine drawing indeed!" He handed it to John, who unfolded it and studied the sketch.
"My, what a sight for old eyes as mine, eh?" The elder chuckled amicably to himself. "So 'tis a fine picture, Lance me young bucko, and methinks if'n I were ye, I would keep this un close to me heart, so I would!"
"I do, 'tis a fair face she has, but many's the suitor who do ask for her hand to be their queen, and I wouldn't stand so much as a butterfly's chance in a windstorm. She bears easy on the eyes, I do admit." Lance retrieved the sketch from John's hands and set it on the bartop. Link couldn't resist a quick glance at the drawing, and he nearly gaped with amazement.
It was a full body sketch, stretching from the top of the parchment to the bottom, and it depicted the Princess of Selinta in all her majestic beauty.
Her hair fell to her waist in a gentle veil. Her profile was sideways, but the tilt of her head suggested a flirtatious disposition. Her body was slender and shapely, and clearly the artist was too talented; the shapes beneath the dress she wore were tantalizing. In her hand was a bouquet of flowers, roses no doubt. Link's heart leapt in his chest and he concentrated on finishing his beer.
"What a girl, eh?" Lance commented, and at first Link thought he was saying this to John, but when he set his drink down he realized Lance had been aware of Link's eavesdropping the entire time. "The kind of woman who could set yer body on fire and blind ye in both eyes and ye'd still love her."
"I guess," he said with some uncertainty. Link didn't think he'd still be in love with her if she did that to him, but he understood the meaning of it.
"Where do ye hail from?" Lance inquired curiously. "Ye dunnaught have the accent of a sailor, aye, and the look of a lumberman, and ye surely cannot be from around here."
"Hyrule," Link replied abruptly, the alcohol from the beer hazing his perception slightly but not entirely unpleasantly.
"Hyrule!" Lance's eyes widened with considerable amazement, as if he could not believe this young soldier was a citizen of that fine land. Hyrule! Such majestic wonder the name instilled in his heart. He had been to many lands with his father and some without, but Hyrule, he had never been to Hyrule... Mellifluous Bay and its immediate surroundings were considered neutral territory.
"Aye," Link responded, and then smiled. The sea dialects caught on swiftly. Lance returned the smile, not noticing John getting up and exiting the pub.
"Would ye think of me badly to ask for your name on the first date?" Lance asked, and Link blinked with some surprise before realizing the other was making a joke.
"No," he laughed. Jeremy looked at him with dull wonder, then ordered another beer. "My name is Link, and this is my-"
"Link indeed!" Lance's dark blue eyes were wide with shock and almost fearful reverence. The conversations of the bar halted, as though cut off with a knife, and remained silent for a moment before returning to full volume. "I should say! Upon my warrant, I never thought I'd live to see the day!" The accent had faded from Lance's voice, and Link realized Lance had been talking such a way to fit in with the crowd.
'Who are you?' Link thought, and then the question flitted from his mind.
"If I didn't ask, I wouldn't've known, and bye and bye 'tis the Hero of Time hisself I'm a'talkin' to!" Lance ran a hand through his somewhat long dark blue hair. Blue hair, especially dark, was quite rare with sailors, whose hair usually was black or a vivid pale blonde, and more uncommonly shades of light blue. Link again wondered who this cheerful fellow was. "Shake with me, hero, so that I may have summat to brag about, eh?" Link took the proffered hand and pumped it three times. Lance's winsome face broke into a wider smile. "Thankee, hero, and I might be on my way. P'raps ye and yon Guzzler of Beer would join me, eh? Me father would be most appreciative if ye were to meet him, aye, so he would be."
The three young men exited the pub and headed towards the docks. Jeremy blinked and looked up at the sky with blurred eyes.
"It do look pretty, don't it?" He whispered, keeping his gaze fixed on the millions of stars in the inky black sky. "Makes a man feel small in the larger way of things, hmm?" Link nodded silently but did not offer any other reply. Lance led them down the wooden wharf towards the largest ship docked in Mellifluous Bay.
Even from twenty yards away Link could hear the sounds of jovial drinking taking place aboard the great ship.
"Welcome to the finest ship ever likely to set sail 'pon these great waters of Firth!" Lance stated, throwing his arms to emphasize his claim. "Welcome aboard the Good Ship Miya' Tana!"
There are a lot of things to know before hand when reading this fiction, though a lot of names and figures will be explained as the story progresses. It does get a bit confusing with all these legends that pop up here and there like gophers. _; Trust me, the names are just pets that begged to be let of out their cages, and all can be pronounced any way you see fit. Or, if you're really picky about these things, you can always e- mail me for the phonetics.
I tried to stay true to the whole "legend" aspect of the deal, and tell the story in a less humorous, more serious manner, just because I am not that funny (on "paper," anyway). I hope this will give serious Zelda readers some brain candy (and hopefully not aneurysms).
Anyway, the usual copyrights follows: I don't own Link, if I did, I'd be rich and I'm not. He's copyrighted Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto (Pikmin!). But the rest of the stuff that obviously isn't Zelda-related (my characters, places, lands, et al) are copyrighted me, so I'd like to know if you're going to use them. Frankly, I'd be flattered. ^^
--------------------------------------------
1.1 [Prologue]
1.1.1.1 A LONG TIME AGO...
Before life began, before the world had form, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule. They were Din, the goddess of Power, Nayru, the goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of Courage.
Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom on top the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul, created all life forms who would uphold the law.
These three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind the golden sacred Triforce. Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence, where the Triforce stood became sacred land.
In the vast deep forest of Hyrule, the Great Deku Tree served as the guardian spirit. The children of the forest, the Kokiri, lived with the Great Deku Tree. Each Kokiri had his or her own guardian fairy, except one. His name was Link.
Early one morning, Link was having a nightmare. It was the same nightmare he had every night. During a storm, Link would find himself standing in front of a mysterious castle. A rider on horseback, carrying a girl would race by. The girl would look at Link as if to say something. Then, another rider would appear. This big man clad in black would look down menacingly at Link. Link would then awaken.
"Link! Hey, get up, Link! The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!"
As Link opened his eyes, he saw a fairy floating in front of him. This fairy's name was Navi. Navi was sent to summon Link to the Great Deku Tree.
"Oh Navi, thou hast returned!" said the Deku Tree. "Thank you, Link, for coming. Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares. A vile climate pervades this world. Verily, ye had felt it. The time has come to test thine courage. I have been cursed. I need you to dispel the curse with your wisdom and courage. Art thou prepared?"
Link entered the Great Deku Tree and broke the curse.
"Well done, Link! I knew that ye were worthy of carrying out my wishes. A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse on me. Employing his vile, sorcerous energies, the Evil One is searching for the Sacred Realm connected to Hyrule. For it is there that one will find the Divine Relic, the Triforce, that contains the essence of the gods. Whoever holds the Triforce can make their wishes come true. Thou must never allow the desert man to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce. Thou must never suffer that man to enter the Sacred Realm of legend. Link, go now to Hyrule Castle. There, ye will surely meet the Princess of Destiny. Present this stone to the princess. I have foreseen that she will understand everything."
The Great Deku Tree gave Link the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. Before dying, the Deku Tree's last words were, "The future depends upon thee, Link. Thou art courageous."
--------------------------------------------
1.2 Introduction
The legend of the Hero of Time unfolded. Link did succeed in protecting Hyrule from the desert man clad in black, Ganondorf, but the road was perilous and often lonely.
After the Final Battle against the great beast known as GANON, Link had finally liberated Hyrule from a seven-year reign of terror. Princess Zelda tried to give Link back the seven years he had lost, but unfortunately could not somehow, even with the songs and power of the Ocarina of Time.
The Time of Restoration came upon Hyrule and the people returned to their homeland. The castle and surrounding city was rebuilt over a period of two years and finally the scarred remains of Ganondorf's rule faded from the now peaceful nation.
Unfortunately, the peace did not hold long. An island country, Tophet, attacked with a swiftness that was greatly destructive, and the story now commences in a small fishing harbor called Mellifluous Bay, also Hyrule's main seaport, where our hero Link is awaiting orders to strike back from the general...
--------------------------------------------
Part One: The Cursed War
1.2.1 Chapter One
The ancient sun was beginning the journey back to the sea as Link scouted the horizon for possible signs of General Khegen's squire.
"Any sign?" A young soldier asked. The Hero of Time, now nineteen years of age and three years the other's senior, shook his head.
"No, only the clouds of dust as a farmer drives his cattle. It has been two days! If we hesitate now, we may lose the war."
"Hyrule has elite soldiers and the best of offensive and defensive technology," the younger soldier cited from memory. "How could we lose?"
"It is strategy that can topple the scale. Mayhap we do have the best soldiers, but if we do not plan strategically or receive certain orders in time, we may find ourselves in tight positions.
"Mellifluous Bay is a key target for the warriors of Tophet; if they succeeded in capturing this town, then they will control all oversea supplies to Hyrule and our allies. If that happens..." Link's voice trailed off ominously and he sat in thoughtful silence. Normally he was not given to much conversation, but today he felt especially antsy.
"Let us go and see if the bar has available seats," suggested the soldier, whose name was Jeremy. Link remained silent for a moment longer, then gigged his horse and followed his friend to the town's bar, The Shipmate's Pub.
The air was smoky, filled with the reek of eye-watering beer and whiskey, and tinged with the humidity of too many people talking. Link blinked as the corners of his eyes stung, but followed Jeremy to a place at the bar. They both hopped onto two stools and waited to be tended.
The young man Link was sitting next to was talking loudly but amiably to a tougher, older sailor on his other side. The Hero of Time couldn't help but overhear as their conversation continued.
"Of course, John me matey, me father always did say that sailing at night during a storm was a fool's idea of adventure, but upon his word, I'll warrant that Old Leatherface was a good and righteous fool in his time." The accent of the younger was not as strong as the others but definitely pronounced.
"Aye, and sure'n he'll want ter see what ye've bought this time, eh laddie buck?" The elder's voice was coarse and tough, like his battered face, but his tone was friendly.
"Help you?" The bartender said, glancing mildly at Link and Jeremy.
"Two beers," Jeremy replied before the nineteen-year-old could cut in. The barkeep assessed them with his cool, mild eyes and then walked off to get his order.
'He thinks we're too young,' Link thought to himself as his gaze traveled around the room. The usual type; burly sailors drinking tall mugs of frothy beer as they shouted, cursed, and generally made mayhem, the hard working lumbermen gulping down their whiskey and muttering in low voices, the softer folk looking around nervously as they drank the cider, whispered, and left. Link's mind wandered pleasantly as he and Jeremy waited, but not so far that he couldn't keep a tab on the pair's conversation.
"Aye, Johnny, and this time he shan't be displeased. I've gone to the land of milk and honey, sure and bye, and of course I were gonna bring him back a rare bauble indeed."
'The sea dialects are commonly misunderstood and often confused with the dialects of the Northern Baronies of Callembah,' the Hero of Time recalled from several lectures by General Khegen.
" 'A rare bauble indeed.' What fancy talk be that, Lanceton, you young snipe of a fool?" The man named John asked, this time a bit dryly.
"I've managed to wipe the dust of Selinta from me boots but nary the accent from me tongue," replied Lanceton cheerfully.
"Aye, and methinks I can't decide which of youse is a bigger fool, yer father or yerself." This remark incited a hearty laugh from the younger, and Lanceton took a healthy gulp of his drink.
"Aye, I do agree with yer there, matey, but 'tis not for ye to decide, I'll warrant. Me father would think me more the fool, and I would think him the bigger un. All's the same, I suppose, and me mother, gods rest her beloved soul, would say the world hadn't ever seen a finer pair of fools in all the lands and beyond."
"This 'rare bauble' ye speak of... what be it?"
"Oh, aye, John, 'tis a rare beauty. I brought back a picture of the fair princess, there, so I did, and a letter thanking me very own father for the speed in which he delivered the food they so badly needed."
'That's right, Selinta was undergoing a severe famine,' Link remembered, accepting his drink as the bartender set them down.
"This is strong drink, Link," Jeremy murmured, then smiled at the small rhyme he had made. "I'll take care of the tab."
"A picture, what a fancy! I've heard naught but great things of her beauty! Does ee have it?"
'None could match that of Princess Zelda,' Link thought somewhat proudly. And to think, the Princess fancied him for her husband and King of Hyrule. Well... perhaps when he had decided to settle himself a bit. His heart and soul still longed for great adventures. Perhaps it was in his blood, which was as mysterious to him as 'twas to everyone else.
"Aye, I do, John," Lanceton replied, smiling gently as he reached into his pocket and retrieved a small folded square of paper. "The drawer of such a picture was far too kind in his heart to have given this to me, I'll warrant, and 'tis a fine drawing indeed!" He handed it to John, who unfolded it and studied the sketch.
"My, what a sight for old eyes as mine, eh?" The elder chuckled amicably to himself. "So 'tis a fine picture, Lance me young bucko, and methinks if'n I were ye, I would keep this un close to me heart, so I would!"
"I do, 'tis a fair face she has, but many's the suitor who do ask for her hand to be their queen, and I wouldn't stand so much as a butterfly's chance in a windstorm. She bears easy on the eyes, I do admit." Lance retrieved the sketch from John's hands and set it on the bartop. Link couldn't resist a quick glance at the drawing, and he nearly gaped with amazement.
It was a full body sketch, stretching from the top of the parchment to the bottom, and it depicted the Princess of Selinta in all her majestic beauty.
Her hair fell to her waist in a gentle veil. Her profile was sideways, but the tilt of her head suggested a flirtatious disposition. Her body was slender and shapely, and clearly the artist was too talented; the shapes beneath the dress she wore were tantalizing. In her hand was a bouquet of flowers, roses no doubt. Link's heart leapt in his chest and he concentrated on finishing his beer.
"What a girl, eh?" Lance commented, and at first Link thought he was saying this to John, but when he set his drink down he realized Lance had been aware of Link's eavesdropping the entire time. "The kind of woman who could set yer body on fire and blind ye in both eyes and ye'd still love her."
"I guess," he said with some uncertainty. Link didn't think he'd still be in love with her if she did that to him, but he understood the meaning of it.
"Where do ye hail from?" Lance inquired curiously. "Ye dunnaught have the accent of a sailor, aye, and the look of a lumberman, and ye surely cannot be from around here."
"Hyrule," Link replied abruptly, the alcohol from the beer hazing his perception slightly but not entirely unpleasantly.
"Hyrule!" Lance's eyes widened with considerable amazement, as if he could not believe this young soldier was a citizen of that fine land. Hyrule! Such majestic wonder the name instilled in his heart. He had been to many lands with his father and some without, but Hyrule, he had never been to Hyrule... Mellifluous Bay and its immediate surroundings were considered neutral territory.
"Aye," Link responded, and then smiled. The sea dialects caught on swiftly. Lance returned the smile, not noticing John getting up and exiting the pub.
"Would ye think of me badly to ask for your name on the first date?" Lance asked, and Link blinked with some surprise before realizing the other was making a joke.
"No," he laughed. Jeremy looked at him with dull wonder, then ordered another beer. "My name is Link, and this is my-"
"Link indeed!" Lance's dark blue eyes were wide with shock and almost fearful reverence. The conversations of the bar halted, as though cut off with a knife, and remained silent for a moment before returning to full volume. "I should say! Upon my warrant, I never thought I'd live to see the day!" The accent had faded from Lance's voice, and Link realized Lance had been talking such a way to fit in with the crowd.
'Who are you?' Link thought, and then the question flitted from his mind.
"If I didn't ask, I wouldn't've known, and bye and bye 'tis the Hero of Time hisself I'm a'talkin' to!" Lance ran a hand through his somewhat long dark blue hair. Blue hair, especially dark, was quite rare with sailors, whose hair usually was black or a vivid pale blonde, and more uncommonly shades of light blue. Link again wondered who this cheerful fellow was. "Shake with me, hero, so that I may have summat to brag about, eh?" Link took the proffered hand and pumped it three times. Lance's winsome face broke into a wider smile. "Thankee, hero, and I might be on my way. P'raps ye and yon Guzzler of Beer would join me, eh? Me father would be most appreciative if ye were to meet him, aye, so he would be."
The three young men exited the pub and headed towards the docks. Jeremy blinked and looked up at the sky with blurred eyes.
"It do look pretty, don't it?" He whispered, keeping his gaze fixed on the millions of stars in the inky black sky. "Makes a man feel small in the larger way of things, hmm?" Link nodded silently but did not offer any other reply. Lance led them down the wooden wharf towards the largest ship docked in Mellifluous Bay.
Even from twenty yards away Link could hear the sounds of jovial drinking taking place aboard the great ship.
"Welcome to the finest ship ever likely to set sail 'pon these great waters of Firth!" Lance stated, throwing his arms to emphasize his claim. "Welcome aboard the Good Ship Miya' Tana!"