I've been told the bar scene is a bit confusing. It must look much better
in Micro$oft Word format. ~_~
--------------------------------------------
When they entered, an immediate and surprising reticence fell over the ship's crew. Every single member eyed the newcomers warily. One, at least half a foot taller than the rest, stepped forward.
From his head to the toes of his boots he was every inch the obvious captain of the ship. His shoulders were wide and powerfully set; his brow was thick and hung over his eyes, which peeped out from under the scraggly cliffs of his eyebrows. His arms were bare and sinewy with muscle and tendon. When he walked one could actually feel the ship rocking back and forth.
Link's own heart momentarily quailed in his chest; such a great size for a man! Then he remembered Ganondorf had been much the same, and his fear dissipated.
"Shan'tellana, Lance, e mena ta suyoi ger fada?" He spoke in a thick, almost unrecognizable accent, and at first Link couldn't place it, but then realized it was a rough, coarse variation of the Liopé accent. How odd, to hear this gruff man speak the Kreyan language with an interesting Liopé accent. How very odd indeed.
"Ger fada e miano, K'fef, anoti de esu Link, miy anoti de esu Jeremy." Lance turned to face the other two. Link had already conquered his awe of Lance's father; Jeremy, on the other hand, was still in wonder of his size. The captain smiled crookedly.
"Link, Jeremy, anoti de esu ger killtui. De esu tuyo Hero of Time, Link- fada?" The Hero of Time could only look at Lance, puzzled. Lance translated for him,
"He wants to know, same as I did, sure enough, if yer the Hero of Time, aye, so it is." Link nodded slowly, returning his gaze to the captain. The face of Lance's father broke into a craggy grin that was actually more friendly than frightening.
"Hoyae! Lyto tuyoses kolopan eti shanga!" The burly captain threw his hands wide in a gesture of friendliness, and the rest of the crew roared their approval.
Link later found out that the captain's name was Captain Lanceton Untille the Fourteenth, making his newfound friend the Fifteen.
The celebration went on late into the night, and by the time he and Jeremy managed to slip away, it was nearly dawn.
"Looks like they weren't kidding when they said we would kolopan until dawn," the younger commented, holding his forehead in his hands. "Methinks I'm having a grafton, Link."
"You're too damn clever for your own good," the blonde teenager replied, and both of them laughed. Jeremy did look rather pale in the dim light, so the two of them made their way back to the campsite of their troop.
"Wake up! Wake up!" A thunderclap of horses' hooves raced by just outside Link's tent, and he jolted with surprise. "Urgent news!" Within mere seconds the Hero of Time was dressed and out the flap of his tent. He was not the only one in a fluster; the other soldiers were dressing and lining up in their assigned spots.
He met the other leaders in the small conference tent near the back edge of their encampment. The leaders' faces were ashen and dark bags hung underneath their eyes.
"General Khegen!" Hastily, Link saluted and bowed with respect. The elderly war general flapped an impatient hand at this courtesy. "What's going on?"
"We've just got word that Selinta, the country just off of the Northern Baronies of Callembah, is the actual target for the Tophetian army." Commander Inkred's face fell rapidly. Link felt sympathy for the commander; his entire family was living in Selinta, and thus could be easy prey for the Tophetian warriors. "What makes it worse is that they know we have spies in their midst; I fear the worst for those brave souls; they must either be caught and held prisoner or killed outright, and we have no way of knowing if they talked or not."
"How is this to be... resolved?" General Lakes inquired. "How do we counteract their feint?"
"We cannot; there is no way we could make it to Selinta in time to help them in anyway." The general's face turned away from theirs. "I also fear what lies secretly in all our hearts, gentlemen; we may also have a traitor in our midst."
Link exited the conference tent and stood stolidly just outside it, his brow drawn together with worry and contemplation. A traitor? How could there be when all of these Hylian soldiers were loyal to the King and the Princess Zelda? How could one betray his own country and nation to the evil whims of a insane maniac? It just didn't add up at all.
"Hile, Link-fada!" Jeremy called, his young face lighting up with delight. "What's the news? What's going on?" The nineteen-year-old hesitated, unsure of how to tell his friend what had been discussed.
"There may or may not be a traitor among us, and 'tis said that the Tophetian warriors are not attacking us here; Mellifluous Bay was merely a ruse." Jeremy's eyes narrowed.
"Then where are they attacking?" Link closed his eyes for a moment, feeling tired and old; he did not know that in several years he would always feel that way.
"Selinta," he replied without opening his eyes. He heard Jeremy's slight intake of breath... but...
But what? Jeremy is as loyal to Hyrule as you are to Princess Zelda, and you have risked your own life for the Princess...
Something tickled deeply at the back of Link's mind, yet he brushed it away as one would shoo a bothersome fly.
"Link... I'm sorry..."
"What for?" The Hero of Time's eyes fluttered open and he looked with some curiosity at his companion. Jeremy himself looked somewhat perplexed.
"Well, you just looked so... forlorn... Do ye have kin in Selinta?" Jeremy already knew the answer to that question, but it was perfunctory, same as breathing air or drinking water-
She bears easy on the eyes, I do admit.
but he still felt discomfited by Jeremy's question. He had no idea if he had any kin in Selinta, or Hyrule, or Callembah and all of its baronies, or perhaps even Tophet.
What a girl, eh?
"Link? Hello?" The Hero of Time blinked and found himself face to face with Jeremy, who looked concerned and inquiring. "What happened? Did you wander off in your mind?"
"I was woolgathering," the blonde teenager replied curtly before turning away. Jeremy's mouth drew down in puzzlement, then his eyes cleared with realization.
"Ye've lost something, haven't you? Yesterday, it was."
"Don't talk like that." Link wanted to leave Mellifluous Bay, to get away from all the odd people with their southern sea accents. "Don't."
"All right then, Link, but if you'd listen to me, maybe I could know what's wrong. So what is bothering you? Last night you didn't really partake in any of the fun, and Lance had to nearly force you to have something to drink. All you would do on your own was stare at the wooden walls of that ship, now tell me what is wrong." Link looked at the sixteen-year-old, whose young wisdom shone on his still innocent face.
He's never killed before, has he? Even though all you killed were monsters, your experience shows through. Perhaps you are older than you seem, Link.
"I... I... I don't know," he answered at last, looking haggard and elderly, like the village elder or the King of Hyrule. Jeremy only got a glimpse of the depth of ancient wisdom and courage lying in Link, and that was when the younger began to feel in awe of the older. "I think I might be sick, but..." There it was again; that odd, aching quail in his heart.
What a girl, eh?
Link shook his head wearily and strode off, leaving Jeremy to wonder alone.
Link sat alone on the far end of the pier, hanging his legs over the edge. He knew someone was coming the minute he/she stepped onto the pier, but he said nothing when he/she stood directly next to him.
"Lovely sunset, isn't it?" Lance noted in his southern sea accent. "Makes a heart fair melt with the joys and sadness of the ending day, it do." The Hero of Time said nothing in reply, only continued to gaze serenely as the blood red sun began to dip behind the horizon, tainting the water a deep royal purple. "And sure enough, our brave swordsman remains seated in stoic silence. Aye, not many cities were built because your kind remained silent."
"Not many cities were destroyed, too," Link retorted gently. "We have a traitor in our midst, it may seem."
"Sure ye do. I know it meself." Before Lance could even blink, Link was up on his feet and his hands locked on the other's shoulders.
"You knew we had a traitor?" The nineteen-year-old's whisper was deadly. Lance swallowed.
'Ain't no way in all of the lands could a spirit even be half as fast as this'n,' his mind babbled. Aloud, the young sailor replied, "Aye, I heard from Jeremy himself, so I did, and 'twould be rather trig of ye, so it would, er heh, heh... heh..." Link released the dark-blue-haired teenager. The older looked humbled.
"I'm sorry, Lance. I guess I must be uptight. Jeremy says I look out of sorts..." Lance studied Link carefully.
"Aye, so ye do. Like something very unexpected hit ye and ye can't get it off'n yer mind." The hero rubbed at his temples wearily, looking very old and very feeble as he did so.
"I don't know. My heart bears heavy in my chest, and I can't explain exactly what is bothering me because I honestly don't know, Lance." The younger patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly.
"Aye, I do know what's ailing ye, Link-fada, and I know just how to solve yer problem... er... at least for now," he added when he noted the look of profound curiosity on the Hero of Time's face. Lance reached for a hidden pocket sewn inside his shirt and revealed the same sketch of the princess of Selinta. Link's eyes shone with reverence as he gazed at the scrap of paper depicting the beautiful girl. "Aye, and methinks we've found the root o' the problem, eh?"
"Yes..." The nineteen-year-old's voice was a breathless little whisper. "But she's so beautiful..."
"As fair as the Princess Zelda herself?" This inquiry caused Link to recoil with shame and embarrassment.
"Perhaps... but I would bet that this one is far more beautiful..." He seemed almost reluctant to acknowledge this. The corner's of Lance's mouth twitched downward, but lifted in his friendly, careless smile.
"Sure she is, and I think that we should go there. A princess this fair will need saving from the Tophetian warriors, I reckon." Link smiled, but his eyes were sad.
"No, my troop and general are stationed here. I'll await orders and not leave them so vulnerable-"
"We're under attack!" A scream rang out, high and piercing. Link immediately recognized it as Jeremy's and began sprinting down the pier.
"Link!" Lance called out, stuffing the sketch back in his pocket. "Aye, Link! Wait for me!"
Link skidded to a halt as he witnessed the massacre that beheld his eyes.
Bodies were strewn everywhere. The ground so covered with blood that not all of it could soak in. Limbs and appendages alike were tossed about carelessly, like a toddler's playthings.
"Jeremy!" He cried out, his eyes fixing on the mangled body of his only Hylian friend. "Jeremy!" The Hero of Time ran to his friend's side. "Speak!" The younger's head only lolled weakly on the stalk of his neck, and his eyes were open with silent horror. Link felt the tears behind his eyes, but as was his fate somehow, they never fell. Wordlessly he closed Jeremy's eyes. "...What happened here?" His voice grew dark and dangerous.
"Link!" Lance shouted to warn him. "Look out behind you!" Before Link could fully turn around (you must remember, despite his almost unnatural speed, he was indeed fazed by the death of his friend), he received a heavy smack to the head and knew no more afterwards.
Before he fell unconscious, however, the Hero of Time heard General Khegen of the Hylian Army say in a trembling voice, "May the gods and all of Hyrule forgive me for your death, Link, but this is for the sake of the Tophetian Might!"
'Traitor...'
--------------------------------------------
When they entered, an immediate and surprising reticence fell over the ship's crew. Every single member eyed the newcomers warily. One, at least half a foot taller than the rest, stepped forward.
From his head to the toes of his boots he was every inch the obvious captain of the ship. His shoulders were wide and powerfully set; his brow was thick and hung over his eyes, which peeped out from under the scraggly cliffs of his eyebrows. His arms were bare and sinewy with muscle and tendon. When he walked one could actually feel the ship rocking back and forth.
Link's own heart momentarily quailed in his chest; such a great size for a man! Then he remembered Ganondorf had been much the same, and his fear dissipated.
"Shan'tellana, Lance, e mena ta suyoi ger fada?" He spoke in a thick, almost unrecognizable accent, and at first Link couldn't place it, but then realized it was a rough, coarse variation of the Liopé accent. How odd, to hear this gruff man speak the Kreyan language with an interesting Liopé accent. How very odd indeed.
"Ger fada e miano, K'fef, anoti de esu Link, miy anoti de esu Jeremy." Lance turned to face the other two. Link had already conquered his awe of Lance's father; Jeremy, on the other hand, was still in wonder of his size. The captain smiled crookedly.
"Link, Jeremy, anoti de esu ger killtui. De esu tuyo Hero of Time, Link- fada?" The Hero of Time could only look at Lance, puzzled. Lance translated for him,
"He wants to know, same as I did, sure enough, if yer the Hero of Time, aye, so it is." Link nodded slowly, returning his gaze to the captain. The face of Lance's father broke into a craggy grin that was actually more friendly than frightening.
"Hoyae! Lyto tuyoses kolopan eti shanga!" The burly captain threw his hands wide in a gesture of friendliness, and the rest of the crew roared their approval.
Link later found out that the captain's name was Captain Lanceton Untille the Fourteenth, making his newfound friend the Fifteen.
The celebration went on late into the night, and by the time he and Jeremy managed to slip away, it was nearly dawn.
"Looks like they weren't kidding when they said we would kolopan until dawn," the younger commented, holding his forehead in his hands. "Methinks I'm having a grafton, Link."
"You're too damn clever for your own good," the blonde teenager replied, and both of them laughed. Jeremy did look rather pale in the dim light, so the two of them made their way back to the campsite of their troop.
"Wake up! Wake up!" A thunderclap of horses' hooves raced by just outside Link's tent, and he jolted with surprise. "Urgent news!" Within mere seconds the Hero of Time was dressed and out the flap of his tent. He was not the only one in a fluster; the other soldiers were dressing and lining up in their assigned spots.
He met the other leaders in the small conference tent near the back edge of their encampment. The leaders' faces were ashen and dark bags hung underneath their eyes.
"General Khegen!" Hastily, Link saluted and bowed with respect. The elderly war general flapped an impatient hand at this courtesy. "What's going on?"
"We've just got word that Selinta, the country just off of the Northern Baronies of Callembah, is the actual target for the Tophetian army." Commander Inkred's face fell rapidly. Link felt sympathy for the commander; his entire family was living in Selinta, and thus could be easy prey for the Tophetian warriors. "What makes it worse is that they know we have spies in their midst; I fear the worst for those brave souls; they must either be caught and held prisoner or killed outright, and we have no way of knowing if they talked or not."
"How is this to be... resolved?" General Lakes inquired. "How do we counteract their feint?"
"We cannot; there is no way we could make it to Selinta in time to help them in anyway." The general's face turned away from theirs. "I also fear what lies secretly in all our hearts, gentlemen; we may also have a traitor in our midst."
Link exited the conference tent and stood stolidly just outside it, his brow drawn together with worry and contemplation. A traitor? How could there be when all of these Hylian soldiers were loyal to the King and the Princess Zelda? How could one betray his own country and nation to the evil whims of a insane maniac? It just didn't add up at all.
"Hile, Link-fada!" Jeremy called, his young face lighting up with delight. "What's the news? What's going on?" The nineteen-year-old hesitated, unsure of how to tell his friend what had been discussed.
"There may or may not be a traitor among us, and 'tis said that the Tophetian warriors are not attacking us here; Mellifluous Bay was merely a ruse." Jeremy's eyes narrowed.
"Then where are they attacking?" Link closed his eyes for a moment, feeling tired and old; he did not know that in several years he would always feel that way.
"Selinta," he replied without opening his eyes. He heard Jeremy's slight intake of breath... but...
But what? Jeremy is as loyal to Hyrule as you are to Princess Zelda, and you have risked your own life for the Princess...
Something tickled deeply at the back of Link's mind, yet he brushed it away as one would shoo a bothersome fly.
"Link... I'm sorry..."
"What for?" The Hero of Time's eyes fluttered open and he looked with some curiosity at his companion. Jeremy himself looked somewhat perplexed.
"Well, you just looked so... forlorn... Do ye have kin in Selinta?" Jeremy already knew the answer to that question, but it was perfunctory, same as breathing air or drinking water-
She bears easy on the eyes, I do admit.
but he still felt discomfited by Jeremy's question. He had no idea if he had any kin in Selinta, or Hyrule, or Callembah and all of its baronies, or perhaps even Tophet.
What a girl, eh?
"Link? Hello?" The Hero of Time blinked and found himself face to face with Jeremy, who looked concerned and inquiring. "What happened? Did you wander off in your mind?"
"I was woolgathering," the blonde teenager replied curtly before turning away. Jeremy's mouth drew down in puzzlement, then his eyes cleared with realization.
"Ye've lost something, haven't you? Yesterday, it was."
"Don't talk like that." Link wanted to leave Mellifluous Bay, to get away from all the odd people with their southern sea accents. "Don't."
"All right then, Link, but if you'd listen to me, maybe I could know what's wrong. So what is bothering you? Last night you didn't really partake in any of the fun, and Lance had to nearly force you to have something to drink. All you would do on your own was stare at the wooden walls of that ship, now tell me what is wrong." Link looked at the sixteen-year-old, whose young wisdom shone on his still innocent face.
He's never killed before, has he? Even though all you killed were monsters, your experience shows through. Perhaps you are older than you seem, Link.
"I... I... I don't know," he answered at last, looking haggard and elderly, like the village elder or the King of Hyrule. Jeremy only got a glimpse of the depth of ancient wisdom and courage lying in Link, and that was when the younger began to feel in awe of the older. "I think I might be sick, but..." There it was again; that odd, aching quail in his heart.
What a girl, eh?
Link shook his head wearily and strode off, leaving Jeremy to wonder alone.
Link sat alone on the far end of the pier, hanging his legs over the edge. He knew someone was coming the minute he/she stepped onto the pier, but he said nothing when he/she stood directly next to him.
"Lovely sunset, isn't it?" Lance noted in his southern sea accent. "Makes a heart fair melt with the joys and sadness of the ending day, it do." The Hero of Time said nothing in reply, only continued to gaze serenely as the blood red sun began to dip behind the horizon, tainting the water a deep royal purple. "And sure enough, our brave swordsman remains seated in stoic silence. Aye, not many cities were built because your kind remained silent."
"Not many cities were destroyed, too," Link retorted gently. "We have a traitor in our midst, it may seem."
"Sure ye do. I know it meself." Before Lance could even blink, Link was up on his feet and his hands locked on the other's shoulders.
"You knew we had a traitor?" The nineteen-year-old's whisper was deadly. Lance swallowed.
'Ain't no way in all of the lands could a spirit even be half as fast as this'n,' his mind babbled. Aloud, the young sailor replied, "Aye, I heard from Jeremy himself, so I did, and 'twould be rather trig of ye, so it would, er heh, heh... heh..." Link released the dark-blue-haired teenager. The older looked humbled.
"I'm sorry, Lance. I guess I must be uptight. Jeremy says I look out of sorts..." Lance studied Link carefully.
"Aye, so ye do. Like something very unexpected hit ye and ye can't get it off'n yer mind." The hero rubbed at his temples wearily, looking very old and very feeble as he did so.
"I don't know. My heart bears heavy in my chest, and I can't explain exactly what is bothering me because I honestly don't know, Lance." The younger patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly.
"Aye, I do know what's ailing ye, Link-fada, and I know just how to solve yer problem... er... at least for now," he added when he noted the look of profound curiosity on the Hero of Time's face. Lance reached for a hidden pocket sewn inside his shirt and revealed the same sketch of the princess of Selinta. Link's eyes shone with reverence as he gazed at the scrap of paper depicting the beautiful girl. "Aye, and methinks we've found the root o' the problem, eh?"
"Yes..." The nineteen-year-old's voice was a breathless little whisper. "But she's so beautiful..."
"As fair as the Princess Zelda herself?" This inquiry caused Link to recoil with shame and embarrassment.
"Perhaps... but I would bet that this one is far more beautiful..." He seemed almost reluctant to acknowledge this. The corner's of Lance's mouth twitched downward, but lifted in his friendly, careless smile.
"Sure she is, and I think that we should go there. A princess this fair will need saving from the Tophetian warriors, I reckon." Link smiled, but his eyes were sad.
"No, my troop and general are stationed here. I'll await orders and not leave them so vulnerable-"
"We're under attack!" A scream rang out, high and piercing. Link immediately recognized it as Jeremy's and began sprinting down the pier.
"Link!" Lance called out, stuffing the sketch back in his pocket. "Aye, Link! Wait for me!"
Link skidded to a halt as he witnessed the massacre that beheld his eyes.
Bodies were strewn everywhere. The ground so covered with blood that not all of it could soak in. Limbs and appendages alike were tossed about carelessly, like a toddler's playthings.
"Jeremy!" He cried out, his eyes fixing on the mangled body of his only Hylian friend. "Jeremy!" The Hero of Time ran to his friend's side. "Speak!" The younger's head only lolled weakly on the stalk of his neck, and his eyes were open with silent horror. Link felt the tears behind his eyes, but as was his fate somehow, they never fell. Wordlessly he closed Jeremy's eyes. "...What happened here?" His voice grew dark and dangerous.
"Link!" Lance shouted to warn him. "Look out behind you!" Before Link could fully turn around (you must remember, despite his almost unnatural speed, he was indeed fazed by the death of his friend), he received a heavy smack to the head and knew no more afterwards.
Before he fell unconscious, however, the Hero of Time heard General Khegen of the Hylian Army say in a trembling voice, "May the gods and all of Hyrule forgive me for your death, Link, but this is for the sake of the Tophetian Might!"
'Traitor...'