Chapter Eleven—Felicitovente
When morning dawned, Jack rolled over on the hard floor of his cell and stretched his arms over his head. He didn't mind the dirt that he was lying in when he knew that he would be free to leave it for the rest of the day. For the moment, however, he simply lay still. He twitched when he noticed that could hear movement not far away, and opened one eye to glance across at Tetra. Sure enough, she was already up and about. Jack wondered how long she had been awake.
Tetra crossed the cell. She turned around and crossed it again. She repeated this. Again.
Jack pushed himself up to a sitting position; seeing him move, she stopped in her pacing to look at him shortly, said nothing, and resumed tracing her path.
"Lovely day, hm?" Jack commented, absently gazing out the porthole.
"Gorgeous," Tetra replied flatly, without slowing.
Still looking outside, he went on, "I mean, any day is beautiful when there's a roof over your head, aye, and especially when you're on a ship as well, and when you don't have to worry about captaining through a storm, that's just heaven…but this is the type of day that would be beautiful even if I was outdoors and everything."
"Jack, I just don't have the patience for you right now, all right?" she told him in an abrupt tone which made him turn his attention to her. "I'm not going to bother pretending that I care what you just said, because I don't, and even if I had been listening, I doubt I would have understood it."
Jack didn't answer, because he sensed it wouldn't have mattered to her if he did. Instead, he pulled himself up to his feet and dusted himself off, then swung open his unlocked cell door.
"I'll bring you some breakfast," he told her.
She shot him a murderous glare.
"You're welcome," he replied with a friendly smile.
She looked away, and he was sure she was doing so to prevent him from seeing her smile. If she was content to wallow in her own irrational anger, who was he to try to pull her out of it?
"Love, you're going to drive yourself mad."
Tetra flung herself at the bars of her cell, and Jack took a step back from them. "I'm going to drive myself mad?" she hissed furiously. "Me? I don't think so. Someone's going to drive me mad, yeah, someone's already driving me mad, but it's not me!"
Jack merely grinned back, and shook his head as he dropped his eyes from her and onto the chicken leg he was eating, to tear another bite from it. Tetra felt her frustration rise to a crescendo and took a deep breath, but refused to let out the scream that quivered in her throat. Instead, she just released the bars she was clutching to slam her hands against them, gave a shrill cry through clenched teeth, and turned around to avoid the sight of Jack's infuriatingly calm visage. She had eaten the breakfast he brought her, she had even made casual conversation with him for a time, but now she was out of ways to distract herself—to tell the truth, she didn't much want to distract herself, lest she forget just how angry she was. Still, with nothing before her but an empty cell, she was left with the option of dwelling on the thoughts which simmered below the surface of her mind, and letting them boil over.
How could Link have done this to her?
She didn't know which of the shocking acts he had committed against her was the most offensive: proposing to her, or arresting her, or giving her orders. She decided that the fact that he would try to control her in any way, as her husband or her captor or her commanding officer, was what truly had earned him her hatred.
"Penny for your thoughts, love," Jack spoke up.
Tetra lifted her head slightly to glance over her shoulder just enough to see him. "You think you didn't just get them?"
Jack gave a short laugh. "I meant the rest of them."
She leaned her head back against the bars and slid down to slump on the floor of the cell before answering. "Keep your money, there's no more worth telling."
Jack shrugged. "In that case, love, I'm off."
"Off?" She sat up straight and twisted around. "What do you mean, off?"
"I mean I'm headed up to the deck," he clarified. "The men tell me land should be coming into sight today, and I'd like to see it."
It was amazing, Tetra thought, how quickly her heart could sink to the bottom of her stomach, transmuted into a ball of lead. "Oh," she said in a hollow voice. "I wonder what island it is."
"Probably Felicitovente, aye?"
Tetra shook her head. "That's not an island. Well, unless they changed the name of another one."
Again, Jack shrugged. "Don't know what to tell you, love. I'll ask the general, shall I?"
"Do what you want," she spat mulishly, "I don't care."
A pause. "Are you sure you don't want to come up and have a look?"
Tetra wanted to answer with words, but her throat had inexplicably closed; she shook her head quickly.
"Suit yourself, then."
She listened to the sound of Jack's boots walking with heavy confidence up to the deck, and only when it had completely faded did she move, crawling forward to the porthole to peer outside.
For now, the only thing she could see was the endless water, rolling along beside the ship, but she knew that land might be visible if she craned her neck to see what was ahead of them.
She never liked coming into port, really. But she had never dreaded it this much, either.
Without fail, the sight of Windfall verging on the horizon always cheered Felicitovente's soldiers. They became more eager to reach home once that home was in sight, and began to talk fondly of about the things that were waiting for them there.
But, as usual, Link was the exception. He stood by the bow, staring straight ahead at the water, so completely still that when Jack emerged from below, he had to ask, "Mate, have you not moved since last night?"
In answer, Link sighed. "No, no…I mean, yes, I have moved."
"Oh. Well, then, what's so special about this spot that you had to come back?
Link extended his arm to point at the ever approaching landmass. "See that?"
"Aye."
"That's Windfall. Capital of the Felicitovente Empire. That's where I live. That's our destination. That's where you and Ze—Tetra will be imprisoned. Tried. Punished."
"Executed?"
Link sucked in both his lips and chewed on them thoughtfully. "I don't know," he concluded evasively.
"That'd be a yes, then."
Dropping his head, Link gave another heavy sigh. "Probably. Damn it."
"You thought she'd crack before now and you wouldn't have to punish her," Jack guessed wisely.
"That was the hope," Link replied delicately, "but I thought it more likely that she would escape. Or… I don't know, I thought something would happen. Anything. I never imagined for a minute that she would sentence herself to death just to spite me."
"Then you don't know Tetra. She'd do anything just to spite you."
"You're not kidding…" He muttered, a crease in his brow. After a moment, he asked suddenly, "Why, though? Why did she decide to hate me? When did she and I start fighting about everything?"
"I imagine it was at some point between when you slept with her and when you arrested her," Jack suggested.
Link ignored him. "Before…" He cast a quick look around to see that none of his men were watching, then went on in a low voice, "When we were out saving Hyrule, we had the same priorities. Stuff like—" He paused, apparently straining to find the words to express himself. "Stuff life, she would have done anything to keep herself alive," he explained, "because she knew the world needed her. She stayed hidden sometimes, to stay out of trouble, even though I know she would rather have been fighting with me. Beside me, I mean. Not against me. What changed?"
"You?" Jack offered.
Link straightened up, bristling. "You don't know—"
"Or her," Jack went on promptly, "or maybe everyone else in the whole bloody world. Whatever it is, I'll tell you what I told her: You should've seen it coming. Ten years, you thought nothing would change? Come on, mate."
"I didn't think it wouldn't," Link replied in a dignified voice. It quickly became meek as he slouched and added, "I just hoped it wouldn't."
"Ah, yes," said Jack with a nod. "Although…perhaps I'm wrong…but didn't you want things to change?"
"Wh—" Understanding dawned on Link's confused expression. "Right. That. Well…"
His sentence ended before it had begun. Neither of them spoke.
Momentarily, Jack hung his head and shook it slowly. "And also," he spoke up, "I feel I should tell you that I'm rather tired of having to mediate your little spats. It's not really my area of expertise. I'm a pirate. So from now on, if you'd like to kill each other, please try to do so in more conventional ways than emotional." He clapped Link on the shoulder. "For my sake. Savvy?"
Link gave a weak laugh. "You got it, Jack."
'Come on, boys, we got cargo to unload.'
'Hurry it up.'
'Let's get this over with, my wife's waiting for me back home.'
'Where'd you put the—Oh, there it is.'
The eclectic bits of the usual conversations the sailors had drifted over Link's hearing as he supervised the unloading of the Red Lion. It was the early afternoon, and they had pulled into the dock at Windfall; the island was really a citadel more than anything else, with essentially no residential territory. Every square inch of its land was designed for the sole purpose of running the rest of the empire.
'Hello there, General Reyga, sir,' spoke up a nearby officer holding a clipboard; he had come to gather the statistics of the returning vessel.
'Hello, Sergeant,' Link returned lazily.
'You know the questions.'
Link nodded, took a deep breath and began his recitation of the answers to the paperwork he could have filled out in his sleep.
'Yes, yes, no, yes, no, fifteen, none, two, minor, none, forty-five…I think.' He considered. 'That's right, forty-five. Where was I?'
'Any disciplinary—'
'Oh, right, right.' He cleared his throat and recommenced. 'No, no, no, in a manner of speaking, and no, and…no.'
'"In a manner of speaking"?' the sergeant repeated, frowning at his sheet to see what question had received this answer. '"Any live cargo returned,"' he read aloud. Looking up at Link, he inquired, 'How can that be "in a manner of speaking"?'
Rather than give an answer of his own, Link nodded towards the ship. The last people to disembark were, each accompanied by a man on either side, Jack and Tetra.
'Behold,' Link sighed, 'Tetra, Queen of Pirates, and her captain, Jack Sparrow.'
The sergeant gaped. 'Sir—How—?'
'Excuse me,' Link said quickly, and he stepped away from the other man to hurry to the prisoners' side. He had a feeling his supervision would be needed.
A very stiff Commodore Faudry started down the ramp leading onto the deck just as Link was nearing the top, and commented as they passed each other, 'How did you take out the kitten's claws? Your little princess has calmed down.'
Link stopped in his tracks, and actually began to turn around with the intention of punching the commodore in the back of the head, but caught himself. Still, he had to take a deep breath and let it out carefully before he could continue.
As Faudry had said, Tetra was indeed much calmer; she was conducting herself with all the dignity she could muster while bound as a prisoner, which was quite a great deal. Link could understand why her escorts were keeping their distance, neither wanting to take the most responsibility by standing closest to her, and had a feeling they must have lost a bet to be stuck with this job.
'Come on,' he called to them, 'let's get going.'
Tetra's glare was frigid as she passed him, and only grew more furious when he fell into step beside her. She looked determinedly straight ahead rather than at him, but he still couldn't help muttering, "Do you even remember why you're mad at me?"
She snapped to face him, eyes flaming, and any possibility that she might have been giving him the silent treatment was utterly eradicated. "Do I remember?" she hissed, her voice audibly slipping out of her control. "I remember that you're an arrogant bastard who seems to think he owes more loyalty to his bigoted empire than to anyone or anything else, who thought I would sell myself out by marrying him, who arrested me when I refused to degrade myself like that…"
"Who took his anger at rejection out on a bystander like myself as well," Jack put in conversationally.
"Yes! And who then—"
"All right, I get it," Link interrupted before Tetra could start off again.
"No, I really don't think so," she countered sullenly.
"Believe me," he assured her, "I do."
She didn't answer for a moment, apparently thrown by his steadfast sincerity. Presently, however, she managed to sum up her most indignant and guilt-inducing tone to say, "Well, if that's true, then you're 'getting it' just a little bit too late."
"I know," he agreed, wishing she wasn't right to say so.
But she was. It was too late. And there was nothing either of them could do about it.
He took hold of one of his men by the shoulder and said, 'Look, I've got to help with the rest of the paperwork and everything for this trip, so two of you are in charge of these two now.' He nodded at two of the soldiers; to the others, he said, 'You two, get to work on the rest of the disembarking.'
'Yes, General.'
'Right away, sir.'
Turning back to the men who were left with Jack and Tetra, Link added pointedly, 'I don't think I need to tell you that they're high priority, right? Highest priority. Maximum security. And put them near each other, too.'
The man whom Link was standing next to blinked in surprise. 'Why's that, sir? Won't they be able to work together, to escape or something?'
'But they will have less reason to if they know that they're both being well-treated,' Link pointed out. 'They won't feel the need to break out and rescue each other.' He patted the man on the back. 'Get going.'
Tetra watched with narrowed eyes as Link walked away, wondering just what he meant by calling them highest priority and maximum security.
'Come on,' said the man behind her, nudging her along, 'let's go.'
Determined to make her presence an imposition upon everyone with whom she came in contact, Tetra's fixed the most feral scowl on her face that she could manage.
It lasted about thirty seconds.
As soon as they set foot in the actual town of Windfall, she could no longer maintain any sort of act; her genuine emotions were overpowering. Really, there was only one emotion which rolled over her soul in waves every time she looked somewhere new, and that was pure, distilled shock. This was not Windfall. She knew Windfall, and this was simply not it. This was a fortress, this was a government base, this was anything but a sweet, bustling town.
The vast majority of the island itself was taken up by a large structure that Tetra would have called a castle if not for the fact that it was far more modern in its architecture and layout. Its central building was elegantly decorative, and Tetra guessed it was where the bureaucratic aspects of Link's world took place; the outside consisted of high walls, watch towers and cannons, all things very obviously oriented towards defence and offence.
She craned her neck in all directions in an attempt to absorb everything. There were still a few houses and shops here and there, and there were still civilians walking the streets, but it was apparent that this island was devoted to the purpose of running Felicitovente smoothly. The only residents here, she was willing to bet, were the soldiers and government officials whose responsibility it was to do so.
"What's wrong, love?" asked Jack, noticing the panic on her face.
"This isn't—This isn't right," she whispered hoarsely. Twisting in an attempt to face the guard behind her, she demanded, 'What happened to Windfall?'
'What do you mean, what happened?'
'I mean…It used to be a town, and now it's…'
The guards were laughing, and she stopped speaking to gape at them in disgust.
'Oh, wow,' one observed, 'you really haven't been here in awhile, huh? No, it's not a little town any more. Now it's the capital.'
'Where are all the people? Everyone who used to live here?'
'Well, either they still live here, working for the emperor and the government, or else they've moved to colonize other islands. There are people everywhere across Felicitiovente now, not just in a few central cities on the main islands. Urban sprawl.'
Tetra wanted to shoot back that this was wrong, a crime against the people of the Great Sea…but, she thought unhappily, she really had no right. After all, she hadn't been here in about ten years, and besides that, the people didn't seem to be in a state of misery, so perhaps they were pleased with the changes.
Maybe she just didn't like the stares she was attracting. She had always been able to walk through the streets freely before, and no one had judged her. Now she felt horrified eyes follow her, wondering how she dared even to exist, let alone to do so within their carefully regulated world.
In a way, she was relieved when they turned off the road that ringed the main defensive wall and passed through a small wooden doorway next to a large, intimidating metal gate. Both door and gate were flanked by soldiers in full uniform, to whom the sailors saluted.
'A couple of criminals arrested on the voyage,' Jack's escort said. 'Pirates.'
All four of the guards curiously peered over at the newcomers, though their presence was of no official concern to the two men watching the main gate. Tetra knew she was the reason they were staring, assuming she was as infamous as Link had made her out to be.
'Right. We'll take them from here.'
And so they traded off, the two sailors heading back as one of the tower guards opened the door and jerked his head for the prisoners to enter.
Beyond this door, they found nothing much more than darkness. Evidently this was the lowest area of a watch tower that also served as a prison, essentially a hollow circular tower consisting of little other than a staircase spiralling up the stone wall and lit by intermittent torches. A look up showed Tetra that there were landings at regular intervals as well, where she suspected they would find cells.
"Lovely hospitality," observed Jack, taking in the sights as Tetra did.
She wanted to give an equally dry and sarcastic response, but their guard ordered, "Perat omeas vejods."
Tetra shot back, "Cru beteci!"
The guard glared, then demanded, "Dao, quis perile?"
"Perile, 'Esaneli fyrgolu,'" she retorted. "Krai, perat utas vejods…masi beteti?"
The guard glared, and wordlessly nudged her in the back to start her up the stairs. Although she did so, she was smirking with apparent satisfaction.
"What just happened?" Jack asked in a low voice.
"Oh, you can speak normally," she assured him. "He doesn't speak a word of English. See, watch this." She turned around and said viciously, "You're doing a really great job, you know, you really should be promoted."
"Yat sadro!" he ordered.
In a tone of sullen resignation, she muttered, "Sorry. You're right, you really are incompetent."
"Huc charna," he said in irritable satisfaction.
She gave Jack a furtive smile. "See? He's guessing based on the tone. So if you keep it kind of neutral, he won't have a clue what we're saying."
"That's useful," Jack admitted. After a moment, he added mildly, "If only we had anything to say."
Tetra gave an impatient sigh, which issued from between her teeth more like a hiss. He was right about that; there was nothing worthwhile to talk about, nothing more to discuss. And so she contented herself to muttering a variety of curses and insults under her breath as she climbed, most, if not all, in reference to Link. It became progressively more challenging after she had used all the obvious English and Hylian ones, and she began to get creative; judging by Jack's silence next to her, he found it rather entertaining.
Several minutes later, however, he interrupted a tirade on the many sins of Link's mother to comment, "Not so bad here, really."
Tetra, who hadn't been looking at what was around her, did so now. It was true that the stairs, landings and walls were cleaner here, possibly just because less people made the climb all the way up, but there were also more windows, and the cells they passed were no longer spaces that would have been more suited to the moniker of closet. In fact, as they went higher, everything gradually become noticeably and progressively higher quality. Tilting her head up, she saw that they still had as much distance to cover as they had already done.
'How far up are we going?' she asked.
'All the way up to the top,' the guard behind her answered. 'To the high priority cells.'
Tetra didn't let the man see her grin, and looked back down at the floor to hide it.
"What's so amusing, love?" asked Jack, who was more observant.
"Apparently Link's taking good care of us."
"Well, that's not much of a surprise, is it?"
Tetra gave him a sidelong look without really lifting her face. "Isn't it?"
"Not at all. Given that he's going to do everything in his power to set us free."
Now she snapped her head up, to look at him fully. "Excuse me? He's doing what?"
"Keep the tone neutral, love, aye?" Jack reminded her calmly.
Tetra forced her face to be flat. "I'm sorry," she said evenly, "of course what I meant to say was, 'Excuse me? He's doing what? And I'm being neutral, by the way.' Just answer the damn question."
"I said he's doing everything in his power to set us free—"
"Why in the name of all things holy would he—?"
"—which I believe is because I think he's aware that he owes you a favour. Doesn't he?"
"I believe he owes me a little bit more than—"
"And saving your life would be a good one."
Tetra didn't answer immediately, and Jack didn't think it likely that she would say anything until she had adequately considered both sides of the argument; that is, until she had found a way to twist the truth to support her own point of view.
He was therefore amazed when she spoke up rather softly and said the four little words he had never thought would leave her lips.
"You may be right."
After the Red Lion was unloaded and fully accounted for, Link was officially off-duty. That evening, however, he knew he would be back on when he attended a state dinner; there was always a state dinner to celebrate his successful return, even from the simplest of voyages.
He was very much a part of the elitist class that ran Felicitovente; as such, he lived in the castle on Windfall, the centre of the heavily armed and defended island, which housed all such important figures. Though his quarters were a luxurious suite with several rooms, and very much his own, they never quite felt like home. He postulated that this was because he spent so much more time at sea than on land. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a place to come back to: a place where he could throw his bag on the floor and throw himself into an armchair, kick off his shoes, mess up his hair, and dispense with his image. He liked his job, but no one liked formality. And he truly hated formal clothes.
Which was why he made a face into the fire at which he was staring. Dinner would be in an hour, and he needed to start getting dressed now. He would have to get there early for polite mingling and such. With an exaggerated grunt of effort, though there was no one there to hear it, he heaved himself to his feet and headed to his bedroom to pull some clothes out of his closet.
Link dressed with abnormal lethargy; it took him a full twenty minutes just to get his clothes on, and another ten to comb his hair appropriately. But it wasn't until he surveyed himself in the mirror, and the unbidden mental image came of the look on Tetra's face if she could see him with his normally shaggy blond hair slicked back, that he felt actively unhappy to be home.
'Well,' he muttered, smoothing non-existent creases in his jacket, 'let's get this over with, I guess.'
Somehow, knowing that Tetra wouldn't have liked the way he looked made it slightly difficult for him to go out in public that way. He paused by the door to his chambers, hand on the knob, wondering if he should fix himself up a bit—but what would he change? This was the way he was supposed to look; he had never thought of her opinion before, because this wasn't her domain. And he was determined not to think of her for the rest of the night.
Ten feet down the hall, this became easier to do.
'General Reyga!'
Link clasped his hands behind his back formally and gave a short bow to the approaching Emperor Yentiko; a fairly short man, stoutly built but surprisingly swift on his feet, he wore a cheerful smile below his thin, greying moustache.
'Your Imperial Majesty,' Link said to him courteously.
Upon reaching his general, the ruler jovially patted him on the back and said, 'Reyga, my man, I've never been so glad to see you.'
'Oh?' Link asked warily; he was always worried when he was greeted abnormally, even in a good way. 'Why's that, Majesty?'
'Well, it's a funny thing,' he explained, walking Link down the hall with one arm around his shoulders. 'A few days ago we got some visitors, from the same land you went off to, I believe. Explorers themselves, actually. Not really imperial soldiers in the same way you are, though I think they do have some connection to the government of their land. Anyway, they're more on the quest of exploring and mapping the ocean accurately… Fascinating people, really. Problem is, they don't speak a word of the common tongue. I mean, they've learned a thing or two since they got here, aika and salaika and so forth, but for the most part all they speak is English. We've got people who can translate, of course, but they're all just…commoners, you know? Sailors, mostly, the types who don't make much of an impressive first impression. There are no high ranking, upper class individuals that are fluent in the language. Except,' he finished, pointing a finger into Link's chest, 'you.'
Now Link understood, and relaxed. 'So…you'd like me to talk to them, basically, is that it? To make Felicitovente look good.'
'Exactly,' the emperor confirmed, apparently pleased that Link had grasped the situation so quickly. 'I think they'll like you, Reyga. And I think we'd all like to know a bit more about who they are. As it is, we haven't got much of a clue.'
'Well, I'd be glad to find out,' Link said obligingly.
'Excellent!' said the emperor happily, clapping his hands. 'Because they're going to be at dinner tonight.'
'Ah,' said Link, slightly startled. 'I see.'
'In the meantime, Reyga, why don't you fill me in on your voyage?' Yentiko changed the subject, honing in on the one thing Link had been hoping to avoid. 'Interesting events, I hear.'
'Oh…yes, rather,' Link agreed vaguely, knowing what his ruler wanted to discuss. 'You heard we took some prisoners, I'm sure?'
'I did,' the emperor confirmed, 'although I'm not sure whether or not to believe the rumours about who…?'
Link gave a short laugh that he hoped would come off as pleasant. 'Believe them. As we speak, Tetra and her captain are being held in maximum security cells.'
Yentiko gave a booming laugh of satisfaction that made Link's stomach twist uncomfortably. 'Well done, Reyga, my man! If you could be promoted, you would be for this…but…well, the only station above yours is mine, and I'm not about to give you my throne.' He chuckled. 'No offence, of course.'
Link smiled tightly. 'Of course. None taken.'
'The empire's going to love to hear of this,' the ruler went on, apparently speaking to himself. 'The trial is going to be the only thing anyone talks about for weeks. People are going to come from the furthest corners of our domain to see the hanging—I bet your little sister will come up from Outset to watch, Reyga,' he added, beaming at his general. 'She'll be so proud of her big brother.'
Link found himself feeling slightly sick. The idea of Aryll's face shining with pride as she watched Tetra meet her end in a hangman's noose was completely wrong; she loved the pirate girl. She had always looked up to her brother as well, and he had always made an effort to live up to her admiration, but it had never occurred to him to think of what she would say about all this…
'Yeah,' he choked, when he saw that Yentiko was looking at him with an expectant smile, 'she'd never believe it.'
'Few people would believe your story if they heard it,' the emperor told Link, patting him affectionately on the back. 'Just some kid from Outset, who rose to become the greatest warrior and sailor in all of Felicitovente… It's the kind of thing legends are made of.' He shook his head incredulously, a smile twitching on his face. 'People will be telling your story for generations, you mark my words. Children gathering around their grandparents for a story. Little boys wanting to be just like you when they grow up…'
Link smiled tersely, his mind buzzing with thoughts of a theoretical future, in which Link Reyga was remembered for the execution of Tetra, Queen of Pirates, and no one had ever heard of Hyrule, or the hero he himself had aspired to emulate on his birthday…
'You flatter me,' Link said, hoping the other man would just stop talking.
Yentiko chuckled. 'And so modest,' he added as they reached the dinner hall, and the formally dressed soldier who stood at the door.
'Your Imperial Majesty. Your Excellency,' the officer said, bowing to the emperor and general in turn, and opening the door before them.
The emperor nodded politely to the soldier, and waved Link ahead of him. 'I daresay your public will be eager to see you,' he said fondly.
'Yes,' Link agreed, managing without much conviction to fake a smile. 'I'm sure they will.'
