Chapter Eleven
Four days after Link had slain the Creature of the Depths, Cloud Drifter pulled into Ashara's seaport. The entire mood of the crew was downhearted and miserable; by now Link had to be dead. Lance took it the hardest of all of them, and rarely spoke and no longer smiled. Captain Danto had also taken it to heart, believing that the loss of Link meant a failure of his captaincy.
"Well, we are here." King Edward and Queen Eloisa had left on another ship, during Link's coma, in order to escape any possible attack on Cloud Drifter, which had surely been spotted by Tophetians when it left Ashara. Captain Danto looked around. General Aston looked slightly ill; even being on a ship for a long while wouldn't cure seasickness, Lance supposed, noticing the general's discomfort. "It's time to begin the march. Three days to Ontharn. King Edward and Queen Eloisa should already have arrived in secret."
The assembled Hylian troop gathered for a quick meal and break before beginning the long march to Selinta's capital. More ships with Hylian troops would be sent later on, as the raging war continued, in order to continuously reinforce their side's supplies and men. Supposedly this technique would make it seem as though the Royal Hylian Army was never ending, but somehow Lance doubted it.
What really got to him was how in the name of the Golden Goddesses Jonathan had ever been allowed to become a Royal Soldier. The young teenager was loud, rude, and spoke ill of Link, even after his disappearance into the ocean. Many of the other soldiers and all of the ship's crew resented Jonathan, and on more than one occasion General Aston had to chastise the teenager soundly.
'May curses and blights never cease,' he thought sourly, watching Link's rival boast of how he had bested the Hero of Time in a sword fight a year ago. 'What a shameless lie 'tis, aye.' The southern sea accent grew on him, and Lance embraced it. The friendly people with their beautiful women, good food, and strong drink... He missed them. He missed the Miya' Tana, its crew, and his father, the captain.
He missed Link.
The life of a soldier wasn't for him; at least, not without his good friend, Link. In a short time it seemed as though they had grown close, although they hadn't spoken much or found out common interests.
'Bound by destiny, I reckon,' the young sailor thought, ignoring his bowl of soup and his ration of bread. His appetite was gone. How could Link be killed so ungraciously, in such a manner unbefitting his courage and strength? It just wasn't right somehow.
Link had no concept of time anymore; it was periods of waking and periods of sleeping and those hazy moments in between. When someone put water to his lips, he drank. He took the medicine he was given, and slept when a comforting voice bade him do so. His whole body seemed to be weak and unable to move, and his side throbbed during every waking moment.
However, this time when he woke up, all pain was gone and his side was bandaged tightly. His body felt renewed and strengthened; the medicine had done its work. A young Aquarian woman was standing next to his bed, alongside Prince Kellen.
"Link, Hero of Time, you did it!" exclaimed the Prince of the Aquarians joyfully. "You've slain the monster!"
"Huh...?" The blonde teenager blinked, surprise. "When?"
"About five days ago!" Preya looked a trifled amused. "You mean to say that you don't remember?" He shook his head. His memories were a little fuzzy; the last thing he could recollect was riding his seahorse to the ruined city. After that it was gray and hazy. "Maybe the poison or the antidote had something to do with your memory loss..."
"As long as I know who I am and where I come from, I'm fine," he replied, but even that was a lie. Who was he, and where did he come from? The Deku Tree Sprout only told him that he was a Hylian, not who his parents were—
"Oh, I have several things for you," Kellen announced, startling the teenager's reverie. The prince issued Preya an urging look, and the herbalist turned and left, closing the door after her. Out of one of his robe's pockets he pulled forth a rather large, spherical object. Link looked at it with some interest, but it only looked like a plain, black ball.
"...What is it?" He could not guess what a black ball could possibly do for him, or his weariness. Kellen's eyes widened slightly.
"Ah... so I suppose I never did explain the rest of the legend... My people cut up the monster's body, and this was found lodged in its stomach. It's a powerful magical tool, used for summoning beasts of any area. It's believed that the Night Dragon forged it, but no one can be sure. I want you to have it, as a reward for your bravery and strength." The blonde teenager accepted the plain, black ball with some puzzlement.
"Oh. Thanks..." Link set it on the table next to the cot he was lying on. "I'll put it in my pouch later." Kellen drew a chair closer to the bed and sat down on it.
"That is only half of what I am going to give you. However, this is not particularly for you." The prince took something out of his other pocket. It was a beautiful silver necklace embedded with deep blue sapphires. Link stared at it with some wonder. Not even at the celebration party, after Hyrule Castle was complete, when royalty from all over the world attended, had he seen anything so elegant or wondrous. "This belonged to my dear friend Aya, before she died of the wasting disease." The look on Link's face must have revealed his surprise, so Kellen explain. "Not even down here can we escape the wasting disease. This was left in her will for me to keep safe and protect. However, there are other evil forces at work down here." Kellen's eyes blazed angrily. "Politicians are a force not even you could hope to defeat, and if it fell into their hands..."
"What's so important about it?" interrupted the Hero of Time. "It looks like a beautiful necklace and nothing more."
"There is always something deeper and more mystical to these things, my friend. This necklace is known to bring extraordinarily charisma to anyone who wears it. You might say it captivates an audience; you could enthrall the people with a market list whilst wearing this. As you could guess, politicians want it so that they may become even more powerful in the government of our peoples. But I don't want certain people to gain more power. I have a feeling that one of them is going to betray me." The prince shifted his gaze to the floor. "And I fear my own brother may be behind it all. So I want you to have this. Tell no one about it, and let no one see it, especially any Aquarian. If they believe I still have it, they won't harm you to get it. You'll take it with you when we go to Selinta."
"When do we leave? Lance and the others must be worried sick..." Link's face fell. Dismay tugged at his heart. Maybe they never made it to Ashara, or Tophetian warriors intercepted them, or anything could have prevented them from reaching Selinta's main port.
"We'll leave tomorrow, after the morning meal," Kellen assured. He carefully handed the necklace to Link. After the prince left so that he could get some rest, Link stared down at the necklace with some awe.
The craftsmanship was excellent, and every jewel seemed to be carved perfectly to fit each crater melded especially for it. They sparked and glimmered invitingly under the bright glows of the lamps.
'Even if it didn't bring glamour, I bet people would still kill for it,' he thought, and that alone brought him back to ground. It wasn't time to fool around and admire baubles given to him; if Prince Kellen wanted him to take care of it, then he would have to. 'As soon as I get back to Hyrule, I'm going to give this to Rauru to take care of,' he thought, leaning over and grasping the black ball. Link rummaged through his clothes, which were lying limply at the foot of his bed, found his pouch, and placed them in it. Then the nineteen-year-old fell back and went to sleep.
In the dark hours of late evening, under the empty black sky, Lance sneaked away from the campgrounds to lie in the grass and stare into infinity, as he had often done on his father's ship in the lookout.
The night was young, although after a hard day's march many soldiers had turned in. The young sailor, unable to sleep and sick with despair, sought after solitude and peace among the grassy hills of Selinta. It was cloudy and there were no stars visible, but a silver coin of a moon peeked through. Lying down on the grass, Lance stared into the infinity, which watched over the lands with its quiet detachment.
How could Link be taken away so quickly and ruthlessly? The teenager closed his eyes and sighed wistfully, feeling sorrow prick at the corners of his eyes. The Hero of Time laid low by a mighty storm. No more fanciful tales of heroism and gallantry; Link was good and dead in his watery grave.
'I could've saved ye, matey, had I only been quicker or more careful,' he thought unhappily. As was customary, he took all the blame upon himself. 'I've brought yet bad luck, I knows it, and I wish I coulda done something to save ye...'
Seahorse riding was just as exhilarating as Link remembered it. Racing through the thick water at speeds Epona could only dream about brought on a new rebirth of life and exuberance that the Hero of Time never recalled feeling before. Prince Kellen rose beside him at the breakneck speed, saying nothing, only concentrating on the darkness before them. The lanterns provided little light, despite their brightness. The inky blackness crowded around them, but Link could feel no fear on such a thrilling ride.
"We're nearly there, Link," the prince called out, every word perfectly coherent, even in the suppressing water. "Let's head to the surface!" Both seahorses veered upward. Faintly there was a soft glow, and it grew brighter as they approached air. "Stop, Link!" The Hero of Time pulled on his seahorse's reins and both riders came to a halt. "This is where we depart. Selinta is just that way. I must go back with both horses now. Can you swim?"
"Of course," the blonde replied, dismounting but holding onto the reins so that he would not float upward. "Thank you, Kellen, for taking care of me." Gratitude was just flattering word for resentment, but he meant it sincerely. The prince smiled as his took hold of the seahorse's reins.
"No, Link. Thank you for saving my people. You must visit again, though hopefully not in the same, troubling manner. Your feat will go down in history. I bid you a safe journey. Long days and fair nights!" With that, the prince turned the seahorses and they raced off. Link was already speeding upward toward the surface, and nothing tasted as good as the first breath of fresh air that he took in.
Indeed, Selinta was just in front of him. It would only take several minutes to swim to shore. But how far from Ontharn was he? Kellen had said that he would be dropped off near Ontharn, but it was not a port city. It might take the rest of the day to walk to the city, and Link couldn't be sure which direction it lay in after he had arrived onshore.
'I'll worry about that later. For now, I've got to swim,' he thought, shaking off his worries and concentrating on getting to land.
The Royal Hylian Army broke camp early and began to march at once. There was no time to waste; the war raged, and Selinta needed help badly. Lance tried his best to ignore Jonathan's haughty claims and false statements, but after a while it grew aggravating, especially since most of it involved how great he, Jonathan, was, and how plain Link happened to be.
"...and can you believe that he turned down Princess Zelda's offer of marriage? What normal man would do that?" scoffed the young soldier, shaking his head. "Something's not right about Link. He could be working for the dark spirits for all we know."
"Then why bother to save Hyrule?" An older, wiser soldier cut in, obviously disgusted with Jonathan's blatant bashing of what he (the older soldier) considered to be a great hero. "If he were so evil, as you speak of him to be, then he wouldn't have saved our country a'tall, and you certainly wouldn't be here." Miffed, Jonathan immediately quieted, but Lance knew that he would not remain silent for long.
"Don't look so glum, my boy," a gruff voice stated from Lance's right side. It was General Aston, who had fallen from the lead so that the young sailor might catch up with him. "A storm couldn't have killed Link off. That boy is harder to get rid of than weeds, mark my words. I bet he'll be waiting in Ontharn for us."
"Do you think?" Lance wasn't in the mood for false consolation. The general nodded.
"I believe it, lad. Link's a fighter. There's no way the goddesses would have taken him from us so rudely, and when we need him most."
Link arrived in Ontharn several hours after he had reached shore, dripping wet and hungry, but never had he seen such action or such wonder in a city before.
The capital of Selinta was enormously large, and spread out over a vast, grassy plain, although not so grassy after they had built their city on it. Tall buildings, nearly as tall as the great castle situated in the center of the city, loomed all around him.
And the people...
All sorts of races, from Hylian to Kreyan to Veian to Reptilian bustled from shop to shop, stand to stand, talking, shouting, and laughing, all at once. The cacophony was as nearly as large as the city, and Link had never been in such a metropolis before.
'And to think I thought Hyrule Market was busy,' he thought, stupefied at the sight of so many people. Link began walking slowly down the street, brushing past people, trying to look everywhere at once and take all the sights in. He was still wet and hungry, but these matters were forgotten as his awe took over his thought.
"Excuse me, sir! Sir! Excuse me..." Someone pushed his way through the crowd, trying to reach Link, who was oblivious to everything but his admiration of the city. "Excuse me, sir!" At last the person reached the Hero of Time and pulled on his sleeve. "Link!"
"Huh?" The teenager turned and faced the person. "...Excuse me?"
"Link, you're here! Where's the army?" The person was a middle-aged man, well built, wearing clothing embroidered with the Royal Crest of Selinta, and had the air of a general, although the friendly light in his eyes suggested otherwise. "Oh, I've been waiting to meet you so much...!"
"Who are you?" Link was more than baffled now; he was downright confused. The man drew himself up and nodded curtly.
"Oh, excuse me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mystu the Thirteenth. I met you at the Royal Celebration, when Hyrule Castle's reconstruction was complete." The man grasped Link's hand and shook it heartily. "I never introduced myself then, I was too star-struck. But it's an honor to finally meet you! I was just over there, about to go into a restaurant to grab a bite to eat, and I saw you walking by like you were hypnotized, and I knew I just had to grab you before you ran into something! So, are you hungry?"
"Am I ever!" Link replied, having a little trouble pulling his hand from Mystu's overly excited grip.
"Good! We'll go to the castle at once and let them know you're here. Er... where's the rest of the army?"
"Oh... I'll explain on the way..."
"So... you finally got here after all that," marveled Mystu as they approached the castle gates. "Well, you're not the Hero of Time for nothing... Heh, heh, heh..."
"Who goes there?" called out one of the Guards of the Gate.
"It's me, Mystu, and my good friend Link, the Hero of Time," he replied cheerfully. Link suppressed a sigh; some people loathed him, some people worshipped him. At the best of times it was hard to tell which was worse. The gates opened.
"Come in at once. King Edward will be delighted."
"...And you don't know when the army will arrive..." sighed the king, leaning back in his throne. Link stood upright and shook his head.
"No, sir. I'm sorry." King Edward dismissed the apology.
"Nonsense. It's not your fault at all. I can only pray that they'll get here soon... The Tophetian Army took another city last week. I only received the news this morning. Tyulia, it was. We can't afford to lose this war. Tyulia was our last stronghold to keep them at bay, and now that we've lost it, they'll head straight for Ashara." The King of Selinta rose to his feet and walked over to a large glass window and gazed out at the city. The Hero of Time watched silently, knowing the pressures of war and evil. He himself had felt it before. It wasn't much fun, being under stress and knowing one wrong move could mean losing everything. Edward sighed wistfully, then turned to face the young adult. "I suppose you're tired from your journey, Link."
"No, sir, just a little hungry." As if to enforce this point, his stomach growled angrily. A smile came over the king's face.
"And here I've been talking you to death. Mystu, please take Link to the kitchen and feed him a proper meal."
"Yes, sire," replied the court officer, taking Link's arm and leading him out of the throne room. "Oh, you'll like the food here. I know the chef personally, and I'll see to it that he makes you an extra delicious meal. How's that, eh?" Link hadn't heard a word of what Mystu the Thirteenth had said; he had pulled free of the older's grasp and was staring at an elaborate painting on the wall.
A beautiful, raven-haired teenager gazed lovingly at him from paint and poster. Long lashes framed twin pools of deep azure and a gentle smile graced her thin, supple lips. Her fragile body was clothed in an elegant dress of pure white, and a garland of roses bordered her lovely hair.
Link simply could not believe that any woman could be as beautiful as the one in the painting. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, and his whole body grew feverish as he stared longingly at the magnificent artwork. It seem that heroics, despite the legends, left little time for romance and other frivolous activities.
"Eh, Link...?" Mystu followed the Hero of Time's gaze and nodded understandingly. "Ah... I see... Many's the man that lost his heart to her, and none have claimed it yet. Maybe with your good looks and outstanding reputation, you'll snag her, eh?" The court officer nudged Link sharply in the ribcage. "You'll be meeting her tonight, at supper time, I'm sure. Right now she's doing her schooling lessons. And as for you, you needed to get some food in you, so follow me this way..."
"There 'tis, the capital of Selinta, Ontharn," General Aston announced, taking his place at the head of the march. "We must make for the castle immediately. It's good food and good sleep for us tonight, boys!" The Royal Hylian Army cheered enthusiastically and began to march at the quickstep to the castle gates.
This was a long chapter (nearly seven full pages), and I'm not sure how I feel about Lance angsting over Link (I still have no idea exactly how their relationship works). You yaoi fans, go ahead and have a field day, but the paths the characters take can surprise even the author of a story.
Also, I'm trying to stay true to how a guy reacts when he sees a "hot chick," and since I'm not a guy, I don't think I quite captured Link's reaction. Before you condemn me for turning Link into some kind of manslut, please remember that he is a guy, and even the most faithful or honorable guys like thinking about and looking at pretty girls, especially when it involves making 'the beast with two backs.' *cough, cough*
Four days after Link had slain the Creature of the Depths, Cloud Drifter pulled into Ashara's seaport. The entire mood of the crew was downhearted and miserable; by now Link had to be dead. Lance took it the hardest of all of them, and rarely spoke and no longer smiled. Captain Danto had also taken it to heart, believing that the loss of Link meant a failure of his captaincy.
"Well, we are here." King Edward and Queen Eloisa had left on another ship, during Link's coma, in order to escape any possible attack on Cloud Drifter, which had surely been spotted by Tophetians when it left Ashara. Captain Danto looked around. General Aston looked slightly ill; even being on a ship for a long while wouldn't cure seasickness, Lance supposed, noticing the general's discomfort. "It's time to begin the march. Three days to Ontharn. King Edward and Queen Eloisa should already have arrived in secret."
The assembled Hylian troop gathered for a quick meal and break before beginning the long march to Selinta's capital. More ships with Hylian troops would be sent later on, as the raging war continued, in order to continuously reinforce their side's supplies and men. Supposedly this technique would make it seem as though the Royal Hylian Army was never ending, but somehow Lance doubted it.
What really got to him was how in the name of the Golden Goddesses Jonathan had ever been allowed to become a Royal Soldier. The young teenager was loud, rude, and spoke ill of Link, even after his disappearance into the ocean. Many of the other soldiers and all of the ship's crew resented Jonathan, and on more than one occasion General Aston had to chastise the teenager soundly.
'May curses and blights never cease,' he thought sourly, watching Link's rival boast of how he had bested the Hero of Time in a sword fight a year ago. 'What a shameless lie 'tis, aye.' The southern sea accent grew on him, and Lance embraced it. The friendly people with their beautiful women, good food, and strong drink... He missed them. He missed the Miya' Tana, its crew, and his father, the captain.
He missed Link.
The life of a soldier wasn't for him; at least, not without his good friend, Link. In a short time it seemed as though they had grown close, although they hadn't spoken much or found out common interests.
'Bound by destiny, I reckon,' the young sailor thought, ignoring his bowl of soup and his ration of bread. His appetite was gone. How could Link be killed so ungraciously, in such a manner unbefitting his courage and strength? It just wasn't right somehow.
Link had no concept of time anymore; it was periods of waking and periods of sleeping and those hazy moments in between. When someone put water to his lips, he drank. He took the medicine he was given, and slept when a comforting voice bade him do so. His whole body seemed to be weak and unable to move, and his side throbbed during every waking moment.
However, this time when he woke up, all pain was gone and his side was bandaged tightly. His body felt renewed and strengthened; the medicine had done its work. A young Aquarian woman was standing next to his bed, alongside Prince Kellen.
"Link, Hero of Time, you did it!" exclaimed the Prince of the Aquarians joyfully. "You've slain the monster!"
"Huh...?" The blonde teenager blinked, surprise. "When?"
"About five days ago!" Preya looked a trifled amused. "You mean to say that you don't remember?" He shook his head. His memories were a little fuzzy; the last thing he could recollect was riding his seahorse to the ruined city. After that it was gray and hazy. "Maybe the poison or the antidote had something to do with your memory loss..."
"As long as I know who I am and where I come from, I'm fine," he replied, but even that was a lie. Who was he, and where did he come from? The Deku Tree Sprout only told him that he was a Hylian, not who his parents were—
"Oh, I have several things for you," Kellen announced, startling the teenager's reverie. The prince issued Preya an urging look, and the herbalist turned and left, closing the door after her. Out of one of his robe's pockets he pulled forth a rather large, spherical object. Link looked at it with some interest, but it only looked like a plain, black ball.
"...What is it?" He could not guess what a black ball could possibly do for him, or his weariness. Kellen's eyes widened slightly.
"Ah... so I suppose I never did explain the rest of the legend... My people cut up the monster's body, and this was found lodged in its stomach. It's a powerful magical tool, used for summoning beasts of any area. It's believed that the Night Dragon forged it, but no one can be sure. I want you to have it, as a reward for your bravery and strength." The blonde teenager accepted the plain, black ball with some puzzlement.
"Oh. Thanks..." Link set it on the table next to the cot he was lying on. "I'll put it in my pouch later." Kellen drew a chair closer to the bed and sat down on it.
"That is only half of what I am going to give you. However, this is not particularly for you." The prince took something out of his other pocket. It was a beautiful silver necklace embedded with deep blue sapphires. Link stared at it with some wonder. Not even at the celebration party, after Hyrule Castle was complete, when royalty from all over the world attended, had he seen anything so elegant or wondrous. "This belonged to my dear friend Aya, before she died of the wasting disease." The look on Link's face must have revealed his surprise, so Kellen explain. "Not even down here can we escape the wasting disease. This was left in her will for me to keep safe and protect. However, there are other evil forces at work down here." Kellen's eyes blazed angrily. "Politicians are a force not even you could hope to defeat, and if it fell into their hands..."
"What's so important about it?" interrupted the Hero of Time. "It looks like a beautiful necklace and nothing more."
"There is always something deeper and more mystical to these things, my friend. This necklace is known to bring extraordinarily charisma to anyone who wears it. You might say it captivates an audience; you could enthrall the people with a market list whilst wearing this. As you could guess, politicians want it so that they may become even more powerful in the government of our peoples. But I don't want certain people to gain more power. I have a feeling that one of them is going to betray me." The prince shifted his gaze to the floor. "And I fear my own brother may be behind it all. So I want you to have this. Tell no one about it, and let no one see it, especially any Aquarian. If they believe I still have it, they won't harm you to get it. You'll take it with you when we go to Selinta."
"When do we leave? Lance and the others must be worried sick..." Link's face fell. Dismay tugged at his heart. Maybe they never made it to Ashara, or Tophetian warriors intercepted them, or anything could have prevented them from reaching Selinta's main port.
"We'll leave tomorrow, after the morning meal," Kellen assured. He carefully handed the necklace to Link. After the prince left so that he could get some rest, Link stared down at the necklace with some awe.
The craftsmanship was excellent, and every jewel seemed to be carved perfectly to fit each crater melded especially for it. They sparked and glimmered invitingly under the bright glows of the lamps.
'Even if it didn't bring glamour, I bet people would still kill for it,' he thought, and that alone brought him back to ground. It wasn't time to fool around and admire baubles given to him; if Prince Kellen wanted him to take care of it, then he would have to. 'As soon as I get back to Hyrule, I'm going to give this to Rauru to take care of,' he thought, leaning over and grasping the black ball. Link rummaged through his clothes, which were lying limply at the foot of his bed, found his pouch, and placed them in it. Then the nineteen-year-old fell back and went to sleep.
In the dark hours of late evening, under the empty black sky, Lance sneaked away from the campgrounds to lie in the grass and stare into infinity, as he had often done on his father's ship in the lookout.
The night was young, although after a hard day's march many soldiers had turned in. The young sailor, unable to sleep and sick with despair, sought after solitude and peace among the grassy hills of Selinta. It was cloudy and there were no stars visible, but a silver coin of a moon peeked through. Lying down on the grass, Lance stared into the infinity, which watched over the lands with its quiet detachment.
How could Link be taken away so quickly and ruthlessly? The teenager closed his eyes and sighed wistfully, feeling sorrow prick at the corners of his eyes. The Hero of Time laid low by a mighty storm. No more fanciful tales of heroism and gallantry; Link was good and dead in his watery grave.
'I could've saved ye, matey, had I only been quicker or more careful,' he thought unhappily. As was customary, he took all the blame upon himself. 'I've brought yet bad luck, I knows it, and I wish I coulda done something to save ye...'
Seahorse riding was just as exhilarating as Link remembered it. Racing through the thick water at speeds Epona could only dream about brought on a new rebirth of life and exuberance that the Hero of Time never recalled feeling before. Prince Kellen rose beside him at the breakneck speed, saying nothing, only concentrating on the darkness before them. The lanterns provided little light, despite their brightness. The inky blackness crowded around them, but Link could feel no fear on such a thrilling ride.
"We're nearly there, Link," the prince called out, every word perfectly coherent, even in the suppressing water. "Let's head to the surface!" Both seahorses veered upward. Faintly there was a soft glow, and it grew brighter as they approached air. "Stop, Link!" The Hero of Time pulled on his seahorse's reins and both riders came to a halt. "This is where we depart. Selinta is just that way. I must go back with both horses now. Can you swim?"
"Of course," the blonde replied, dismounting but holding onto the reins so that he would not float upward. "Thank you, Kellen, for taking care of me." Gratitude was just flattering word for resentment, but he meant it sincerely. The prince smiled as his took hold of the seahorse's reins.
"No, Link. Thank you for saving my people. You must visit again, though hopefully not in the same, troubling manner. Your feat will go down in history. I bid you a safe journey. Long days and fair nights!" With that, the prince turned the seahorses and they raced off. Link was already speeding upward toward the surface, and nothing tasted as good as the first breath of fresh air that he took in.
Indeed, Selinta was just in front of him. It would only take several minutes to swim to shore. But how far from Ontharn was he? Kellen had said that he would be dropped off near Ontharn, but it was not a port city. It might take the rest of the day to walk to the city, and Link couldn't be sure which direction it lay in after he had arrived onshore.
'I'll worry about that later. For now, I've got to swim,' he thought, shaking off his worries and concentrating on getting to land.
The Royal Hylian Army broke camp early and began to march at once. There was no time to waste; the war raged, and Selinta needed help badly. Lance tried his best to ignore Jonathan's haughty claims and false statements, but after a while it grew aggravating, especially since most of it involved how great he, Jonathan, was, and how plain Link happened to be.
"...and can you believe that he turned down Princess Zelda's offer of marriage? What normal man would do that?" scoffed the young soldier, shaking his head. "Something's not right about Link. He could be working for the dark spirits for all we know."
"Then why bother to save Hyrule?" An older, wiser soldier cut in, obviously disgusted with Jonathan's blatant bashing of what he (the older soldier) considered to be a great hero. "If he were so evil, as you speak of him to be, then he wouldn't have saved our country a'tall, and you certainly wouldn't be here." Miffed, Jonathan immediately quieted, but Lance knew that he would not remain silent for long.
"Don't look so glum, my boy," a gruff voice stated from Lance's right side. It was General Aston, who had fallen from the lead so that the young sailor might catch up with him. "A storm couldn't have killed Link off. That boy is harder to get rid of than weeds, mark my words. I bet he'll be waiting in Ontharn for us."
"Do you think?" Lance wasn't in the mood for false consolation. The general nodded.
"I believe it, lad. Link's a fighter. There's no way the goddesses would have taken him from us so rudely, and when we need him most."
Link arrived in Ontharn several hours after he had reached shore, dripping wet and hungry, but never had he seen such action or such wonder in a city before.
The capital of Selinta was enormously large, and spread out over a vast, grassy plain, although not so grassy after they had built their city on it. Tall buildings, nearly as tall as the great castle situated in the center of the city, loomed all around him.
And the people...
All sorts of races, from Hylian to Kreyan to Veian to Reptilian bustled from shop to shop, stand to stand, talking, shouting, and laughing, all at once. The cacophony was as nearly as large as the city, and Link had never been in such a metropolis before.
'And to think I thought Hyrule Market was busy,' he thought, stupefied at the sight of so many people. Link began walking slowly down the street, brushing past people, trying to look everywhere at once and take all the sights in. He was still wet and hungry, but these matters were forgotten as his awe took over his thought.
"Excuse me, sir! Sir! Excuse me..." Someone pushed his way through the crowd, trying to reach Link, who was oblivious to everything but his admiration of the city. "Excuse me, sir!" At last the person reached the Hero of Time and pulled on his sleeve. "Link!"
"Huh?" The teenager turned and faced the person. "...Excuse me?"
"Link, you're here! Where's the army?" The person was a middle-aged man, well built, wearing clothing embroidered with the Royal Crest of Selinta, and had the air of a general, although the friendly light in his eyes suggested otherwise. "Oh, I've been waiting to meet you so much...!"
"Who are you?" Link was more than baffled now; he was downright confused. The man drew himself up and nodded curtly.
"Oh, excuse me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mystu the Thirteenth. I met you at the Royal Celebration, when Hyrule Castle's reconstruction was complete." The man grasped Link's hand and shook it heartily. "I never introduced myself then, I was too star-struck. But it's an honor to finally meet you! I was just over there, about to go into a restaurant to grab a bite to eat, and I saw you walking by like you were hypnotized, and I knew I just had to grab you before you ran into something! So, are you hungry?"
"Am I ever!" Link replied, having a little trouble pulling his hand from Mystu's overly excited grip.
"Good! We'll go to the castle at once and let them know you're here. Er... where's the rest of the army?"
"Oh... I'll explain on the way..."
"So... you finally got here after all that," marveled Mystu as they approached the castle gates. "Well, you're not the Hero of Time for nothing... Heh, heh, heh..."
"Who goes there?" called out one of the Guards of the Gate.
"It's me, Mystu, and my good friend Link, the Hero of Time," he replied cheerfully. Link suppressed a sigh; some people loathed him, some people worshipped him. At the best of times it was hard to tell which was worse. The gates opened.
"Come in at once. King Edward will be delighted."
"...And you don't know when the army will arrive..." sighed the king, leaning back in his throne. Link stood upright and shook his head.
"No, sir. I'm sorry." King Edward dismissed the apology.
"Nonsense. It's not your fault at all. I can only pray that they'll get here soon... The Tophetian Army took another city last week. I only received the news this morning. Tyulia, it was. We can't afford to lose this war. Tyulia was our last stronghold to keep them at bay, and now that we've lost it, they'll head straight for Ashara." The King of Selinta rose to his feet and walked over to a large glass window and gazed out at the city. The Hero of Time watched silently, knowing the pressures of war and evil. He himself had felt it before. It wasn't much fun, being under stress and knowing one wrong move could mean losing everything. Edward sighed wistfully, then turned to face the young adult. "I suppose you're tired from your journey, Link."
"No, sir, just a little hungry." As if to enforce this point, his stomach growled angrily. A smile came over the king's face.
"And here I've been talking you to death. Mystu, please take Link to the kitchen and feed him a proper meal."
"Yes, sire," replied the court officer, taking Link's arm and leading him out of the throne room. "Oh, you'll like the food here. I know the chef personally, and I'll see to it that he makes you an extra delicious meal. How's that, eh?" Link hadn't heard a word of what Mystu the Thirteenth had said; he had pulled free of the older's grasp and was staring at an elaborate painting on the wall.
A beautiful, raven-haired teenager gazed lovingly at him from paint and poster. Long lashes framed twin pools of deep azure and a gentle smile graced her thin, supple lips. Her fragile body was clothed in an elegant dress of pure white, and a garland of roses bordered her lovely hair.
Link simply could not believe that any woman could be as beautiful as the one in the painting. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, and his whole body grew feverish as he stared longingly at the magnificent artwork. It seem that heroics, despite the legends, left little time for romance and other frivolous activities.
"Eh, Link...?" Mystu followed the Hero of Time's gaze and nodded understandingly. "Ah... I see... Many's the man that lost his heart to her, and none have claimed it yet. Maybe with your good looks and outstanding reputation, you'll snag her, eh?" The court officer nudged Link sharply in the ribcage. "You'll be meeting her tonight, at supper time, I'm sure. Right now she's doing her schooling lessons. And as for you, you needed to get some food in you, so follow me this way..."
"There 'tis, the capital of Selinta, Ontharn," General Aston announced, taking his place at the head of the march. "We must make for the castle immediately. It's good food and good sleep for us tonight, boys!" The Royal Hylian Army cheered enthusiastically and began to march at the quickstep to the castle gates.
This was a long chapter (nearly seven full pages), and I'm not sure how I feel about Lance angsting over Link (I still have no idea exactly how their relationship works). You yaoi fans, go ahead and have a field day, but the paths the characters take can surprise even the author of a story.
Also, I'm trying to stay true to how a guy reacts when he sees a "hot chick," and since I'm not a guy, I don't think I quite captured Link's reaction. Before you condemn me for turning Link into some kind of manslut, please remember that he is a guy, and even the most faithful or honorable guys like thinking about and looking at pretty girls, especially when it involves making 'the beast with two backs.' *cough, cough*