Death at Depth Chapter 2, a legend of zelda fanfic

"You're not here because I need you," Chief Daiba barked. "And you're not here because your Queen or your country need you!"

Link and the other recruits were lined up, standing at attention, while their instructor marched up and down the line. From what Link understood, this part of the training was more of a filter than instruction. Being a diver in the Royal Navy was a prestigious position, coveted by sailors across the fleet. Divers were paid more, wore different uniforms, and carried themselves with the pride only elite forces carry. There were fifty-two recruits this year, including Link. According to Chief Daiba, less than 10 would graduate.

"You're here because the ocean is your mistress, and you want to get hard and wet inside her!"

Chief Daiba said it with the same straightforwardness he said everything else, but the class found the last part exceedingly humorous. Boys on both sides of Link forget their military bearing and allowed themselves to laugh. Link managed to limit himself to a grin, but someone down the line whooped and hollered jovially.

"Shut up!" Chief Daiba yelled, turning to glare at the sailor recruits.

Everyone straightened immediately, some clearing their throats to help neutralize their faces. Daiba stepped closer to the line, by appearance he was furious these kids had the audacity to laugh at his joke. He zeroed in on a random recruit three bodies to Link's right. Through his peripherals, Link could see the boy squirm uncomfortably under the Chief's gaze.

"What's your name, wag?" Daiba asked.

"B-b-b-bartholo-o-omew," the boy stuttered and squeaked.

"B-b-b-bartholomew?" Daiba asked, mocking the boy's nervousness. "What, did your mother have a seizure when she wrote your birth certificate? Or was she too stupid to spell Bartholomew with only one 'B'?"

Bartholomew opened his mouth to answer but Chief Daiba cut him off. "Shut up. I'm bored with you already."

Bartholomew sighed quietly in relief while Daiba went back to pacing in front of the recruits. He stopped again, this time in front of Link. Link couldn't miss the smell of last night's liquor on the man's breath.

"What's your name?" he asked, eyeing Link suspiciously.

While some of the recruits were young skinny lads from small fishing villages or the streets of Castle Town, most were hard-bodied and strong. None were quite as burly as Chief Daiba, but what Link lacked in girth, he made up for in height. Standing at attention and staring straight ahead, his gaze passed right over Daiba's balding head.

"Link, Chief," Link stated sharply and appropriately.

He could feel Daiba's dark eyes studying him up and down. Link chanced a glance at the man, wondering what Daiba saw.

When Link imagined a brawling, tough, weathered sailor, he inadvertently imagined Daiba. The man was Hyrulian, born and raised, and had spent the entirety of his adult life in the Royal Navy. His round face was covered in wrinkles and crow's feet and his nose was short and crooked. He had a scar that went from the bottom of his lip to his collarbone, pink against his otherwise tan skin. Short grey and black hair sprouted everywhere on the man except the very top of his head. His chest was barreled, his shoulders large, and his knuckles were hard and cracked. Link looked forward to serving alongside him some day.

"You're the cavalry kid, aren't you?" Daiba asked when his gaze shifted back to looking up at Link. Link's own eyes had returned straight ahead and over Daiba.

"Former Light Cavalry with the Twilight Squadron, Chief," Link answered evenly.

Daiba hummed approvingly. "That's special reconnaissance, right? Why'd you switch to the Navy?"

"The war is over, Chief. I'm here to stay busy." Link had rehearsed the answer in his head a dozen times before signing up. While it wasn't exactly the truth, he knew it would make him sound motivated.

"Good answer," Daiba said with a grunt. He turned and went back to prowling the ranks for weak looking recruits.

After he'd finished intimidating a handful of other recruits, Daiba returned to his position in front of everyone.

"Today's supposed to be our first day of training. That being said, I don't think any of you have earned the right to step into my water," Daiba said with his hands on his hips.

Their class was lined up about 200 meters away from Lake Hylia's edge. The Royal Navy's presence here was nonexistent, aside from the Diver school. Hyrule's treaty with the Freshwater Zora made special allowances for divers.

"So instead, you're each going to grab two buckets," he pointed toward a pile of buckets, hoses, and random knick-knacks, "Run down to the lake, fill your buckets, and carry them back to me." He held up a cautionary finger and parted his lips in a dangerous smile. "And I swear on my mother, if you get up here and your bucket isn't at least half full, you'll do the next exercise carrying buckets of my piss."

A recruit raised their hand. Daiba indicated for them to ask their question.

"What if we come back and the bucket is half empty instead?"

Daiba furrowed his brow, momentarily confused by the question. Someone down the line snickered, while Link tried to subtly turn his head and find the smartass.

When Daiba caught the joke, he scowled and shook his finger. "You get to carry three buckets, jester."

"Yes, Chief," the class clown replied as if the punishment were inconsequential.

Daiba paused to give everyone in the class a once over, then held his hands to the side. "What are you all waiting for? MOVE!"

In a frenzy everyone separated from the line and ran to the pile of buckets. Link took off at a sprint and managed to reach the pile second. Instantly he realized something was amiss. There were certainly enough buckets for everyone, but not all of the buckets were actually buckets. There were maybe three dozen wooden buckets with thin iron handles and another dozen without. Some of the buckets weren't made of wood though. There were more than a dozen bucket-shaped cauldrons made of heavy cast-iron, some made of steel, and even one made of carved stone. All of them had the potential to hold 25 pounds of water.

Racing to the pile and choosing your bucket quickly was part of the exercise, Link realized. He grabbed two wooden buckets with handles and sprinted toward the water as the recruits behind him reached the pile. While running he glanced over to the side and saw that some kids hadn't rushed to the pile, and were lackadaisically waiting their turn to pick a bucket.

They're going to regret that, Link thought.

Link made it to the lake's edge at about the same time as two other people. He wasted no time in filling his buckets with the cold fresh water.

"You think he'll really pee in someone's bucket?" one of the other recruits asked. He was in good shape and only slightly out of breath.

"I don't plan to find out," the other one replied.

Once his buckets were filled, Link started his trek up the beach, back toward Chief Daiba. There was a slight incline the entire way, and Link had to flex his shoulders to keep the buckets from bouncing off his legs and spilling, but the exercise wasn't terrible. He didn't doubt that Daiba would pee in someone's bucket. His indoctrination into the Light Cavalry Unit had included training that bordered on torture. One time he'd literally been forced to eat horse shit. He wouldn't be surprised if Daiba's diver course included similar discomforts.

When Link reached Chief Daiba, there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and the beginnings of a blister on his hands. With a raised eyebrow Daiba peeked into Link's buckets.

"Good," he said with a nod of approval. "Leave one here with me and get back in line with the other one."

"Yes, Chief." Link did as he was instructed, and used it as an opportunity to catch his breath.

He and four other recruits were waiting in line while the other 48 made their way to or from the lake. It was clear the ones stuck with the cauldrons were struggling with the weight. Even from a distance Link could see far too much water splashing out, as the cast-iron bucket bounced against a recruit's legs. The recruits who had buckets without handles had to carry them over their shoulders, and were stuck going a much slower pace than the others so as to avoid spilling.

"DON'T DROP MY BUCKETS!" Daiba screamed as a recruit did just that.

Frantically the boy picked his buckets back up and ran back down to the lake to refill them.

Link had little trouble identifying the class clown. The boy, an average height but well-built teenager with blonde hair and young facial features, had been quick enough to grab three wooden buckets with handles. He carried one in each hand, and one in his teeth. Link wondered how he was able to bear so much weight with his teeth holding the metal of the bucket's handle.

Just before the clown reached Daiba, he paused. Awkwardly he maneuvered the bucket in his left hand so he was grabbing it by the side. Carefully, he poured some of the water into the bucket in his mouth. Then he did the same thing with the bucket in his right hand. He grimaced at the strain on his teeth, but hobbled over to Daiba with all three buckets in tow.

Link wasn't sure if Daiba was amused or angry when he inspected all three buckets. Two were definitely half full, and the last one must have been at most half empty. Daiba told the kid to leave two there and fall in line with one.

Jester, as Link decided to refer to him, winked at the recruits already in line then fell in with them.

Link didn't like him. If someone had pulled that same stunt with Captain Heydron, he would have tied them to his horse and told them to "keep up" while he sprinted away on his charger. Link didn't consider himself overly serious, but he didn't make light of military procedure either.

The moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived when one of the recruits carrying a cast-iron bucket reported to Daiba with too little water. With a malicious grin on his face, Daiba lowered his trousers and urinated into the bucket in plain view of the entire class.

"That should put you at half-full," he said with a snort, fixing his breeches.

The recruit, an average height and average built brunette, blushed embarrassedly and moved to get away from Daiba. He was exceptionally careful while carrying the cauldron and didn't spill a drop. When a couple others showed up with their buckets too empty, Daiba simply sent them back to the lake again for more. He made a crack about needing to hydrate better next time but nobody dared to laugh.

When everyone had finally lined up with their bucket, Daiba addressed them.

"Alright you stinky wags, here's what's going to happen. You are going to hold your buckets directly over your heads, arms fully extended." He demonstrated by lifting one of the wooden buckets he'd collected directly over his own head. "You are going to keep it there until I say 'down'. When I say 'down', you are going to simultaneously squat, and bring the bucket to your chest." Again he demonstrated by bringing the bucket to his chest and squatting so that it almost looked like he was riding an invisible horse. "As soon as you reach the 'down' position, you will automatically stand back up and raise the bucket over your head, arms fully extended." He demonstrated again.

"Any questions?" he asked, setting his own bucket down.

Jester raised his hand. "How many are we doing, Chief?"

"As many as it takes," Daiba answered.

"For what?"

"For me to get tired of watching you lot." Chief turned back to the class. "If I check your bucket at any point and see that you're less than half full because you're a clutz who spills my precious water, I'll give you a second bucket. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Chief!" the class responded in unison.

Chief Daiba nodded. "Good. Raise your buckets up."

Link grabbed the sides of his bucket and carefully hoisted it over his head with the rest of the class.

"Down," Daiba commanded.

Link brought the bucket to his chest and squatted, then immediately stood back up and pressed the bucket over his head.

"Down."

Link carried out the motion again.

"Down."

Link moved again.

"Farore's almighty tits!" Daiba swore suddenly. "Bartholomew are you giving up on me already? We've only done three!"

"It's not fair, Chief," Bartholomew whimpered. "My bucket is heavier than everyone else's."

Link, with his own bucket still held over his head, glanced over to see which bucket Bartholomew was struggling with. Probably the last one to the pile, the thin recruit was struggling to keep the stone bucket over his head.

"You think life is fair?" Chief asked. "You think the bottom of the ocean gives a damn about fairness? Hell no! You can do everything right and still lose. And in this case," Chief pointed at the stone bucket, "You didn't even do everything right. Now get that bucket over your head or get THE HELL OUT OF MY CLASS!"

With a squeak and a grunt, Bartholomew was able to get the bucket up and over his head, arms shaking terribly.

"Down."

Bartholomew dropped his bucket. Without saying a word, Chief walked over to him and kicked him square in the chest, sending the kid flying backwards.

"Your chances of being a diver vanished when that bucket hit the ground. Go report to Lady Mona and get out of my sight."

Link couldn't see Bartholomew, but he heard him sniffling as he picked himself up. Daiba returned to his position in front of the class and looked around.

"Down," he said after meeting eyes with everyone.

"Down."

Link knew he was in good shape, and he'd been quick enough to grab one of the lightest buckets, but as Chief Daiba said 'down' for the fiftieth then sixtieth time, he was beginning to feel a burn in his shoulders and legs. The recruits who weren't as strong as he was, or the ones who had been forced to grab cast-iron buckets, were really struggling. Sometimes they couldn't return the buckets over their head before Chief said 'down' again. As long as they didn't drop the bucket on the ground, Chief would let them get away with it once or twice. If they hadn't pressed it over their head by his third command though, he was in their faces and screaming.

"Down."

He'll stop at one hundred, I'm sure of it, Link said to himself. His shoulders burned fiercely and his legs were beginning to ache. He was determined to make every squat and press in time, without spilling a drop, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could go.

"Down."

Dammit! He's not stopping at one hundred.

Sometimes Chief chanted the word, and sometimes he sang it in his best off-key sailor voice. The worst moments were when he didn't say 'down' at all, and just let them stand there with the buckets over their heads for almost a minute.

"Down."

Links arms were beginning to shake. He shifted the bucket in his grip and cringed when he accidentally spilled some water. Daiba saw the splash and cantered over before his next command of 'down'. When Link went into his squat, they both peered into the bucket in anticipation. To Link's relief, he'd started with his bucket almost entirely full. He was well above half full.

Daiba gave a 'hrmmm' then went back to chanting his command. The interruption made Link lose count of their exercise but he guessed they were somewhere around 130 squats and bucket presses.

"Down."

"Down. Aha! We have a winner!" Delighted, Chief went over to the buckets the recruits had delivered him and picked up two full ones with handles. He carried them over to a recruit five bodies to Link's left and set them on the ground.

"Since you want to spill the water out of your bucket, I've decided to let you have two of mine," Daiba said with a sneer. He snatched the practically empty bucket from the recruit's hands and indicated for him to grab the other two. "Use the handles to hold them over your head then hold them at your shoulders when you squat. Down!"

The kid grunted as he brought both buckets over his head.

"Down."

As his arms shook more and more violently, and his squat became less and less smooth, Link spilled more water from his bucket. Fearfully he checked its level during each squat and figured it was safe, but wondered how much longer he could keep up.

"Down."

"Dow-"

Another bucket crashed to the floor. Turning red from rage, Chief hurled an empty bucket at the recruit.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Link couldn't see him but he heard the kid turn and run.

Daiba shook his head. "Now where were we? Oh right! Down!"

xXx

Link was moving. That was the first thing he was aware of. That, and an incredible pain in his right leg.

I'm not dead, Link thought, eyes still closed and laying perfectly still. Which means somebody resuscitated me. He tried to ignore the pain in his leg and instead worked on focusing on his surroundings. He didn't need to remind himself that he was special reconnaissance before he was in the Royal Navy. Being aware of your surroundings was an essential skill.

Link determined he was in the hull of a ship. The movement he'd felt was the rocking of ship on the open ocean. He also discovered that his hands were bound behind his back, and that he was laying down on the floor. Besides the creaking of the ship's wooden frame and hull, there was the distinct sound of someone snoring nearby.

Careful to keep his face relaxed, Link cracked his eyes open. He found himself lying face-down in a pile of haphazardly piled straw. With nobody in sight, Link dared to open his eyes wider. He was in the belly of a ship, in the same place they kept their cargo. Whichever ship it was, he could tell right away he wasn't aboard the Red Lion.

Slowly, Link turned his head and shifted, careful to avoid stressing his right leg, and looked for the snorer. A man Link had never seen before was leaning back in a chair, head resting on the bulkhead, snoring happily. Judging by the chair and the fact the man wore a cutlass on his waist, Link assumed this was his sentry.

Without taking his eyes off the stranger, Link turned over so that he was sitting on his butt. Silently and with great effort, Link brought his hands under his butt and legs. He struggled temporarily to get his bound hands around his injured leg, but eventually had them readily in front of him. To his delight, the knot was tied loose and poorly. He made quick work of it with his teeth and had himself freed in no time.

Eyes still glued to his sentry, Link scooted over to a nearby post and used it to pull himself to his feet, timing his climb with the roll of the ship. Once upright, he tested some weight on his right leg. He hissed quietly at the pain, but found that he would be able to stand. Intrigued, he noticed that his leg had been bandaged underneath his pants.

Pants? He wondered. He hadn't been wearing pants underneath his blue suit.

Pushing his questions aside for later, Link focused on his first problem, the sentry.

I could kill him, Link thought. It bothered him a little how quickly that became his first option. He'd killed while he was part of the Light Cavalry Unit. He'd killed more than he cared to recall. Even with the cutlass at his side, Link had no doubt he could strangle and murder the man with nothing but the rope that had bound his hands.

If he did, he could arm himself with that cutlass and wouldn't have to worry about someone sneaking up behind him while he continued to explore this ship he was on.

On the other hand, whoever his captives were, they'd taken the time to resuscitate him, bandage him, and change his clothes. Murdering one of their crew members might not be the best way to show them his appreciation.

Link leaned closer to inspect the sleeping man, wondering if it was the same man who'd harpooned him. This man was ugly too, but a different kind of ugly. Link pulled back and scrunched his nose. The man stank too. His clothes were grimy and stained, and there was a visible layer of filth covering his skin. Whoever he was, he wasn't a sailor in the Royal Navy.

I'll just sneak past him, Link finally decided.

With a graceless but silent hobble, Link made his way around the snoring man toward the unbarred portal beside him. With one last glance to ensure the man was lost in his dreams, Link pushed the door open and crept through. He bolted the door behind him and turned to examine the room he'd just entered. A pair of giant blue eyes stared back at him fearfully.

Link immediately brought his finger to his lips and hushed the little girl he'd stumbled upon.

"Shhhh, it's okay," he pleaded as well as said. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Shhhh."

The girl, a young blonde girl with sun-kissed skin, giant blue eyes, and wearing a long sleeve grey cotton blouse and pants, looked from Link, to the door, and back to Link.

"Did you kill Niko?" she asked in a mousey voice.

Link glanced back at the door he'd just exited.

"No," Link answered, turning back to the girl. "When I woke up he was snoring, so I left without waking him up."

The little girl seemed relieved by that and Link silently thanked the Goddesses he'd decided not to kill the man.

"Where am I?" Link asked, crouching on his good leg to get eye-level with the girl.

The girl smiled mischievously.

"You're aboard the Wind Waker, the famous pirate ship!" Her eyes lit up while she said it.

Link felt dread welling up inside him. He wondered if he shouldn't turn back and get the saber from Niko. If this was a pirate ship, he was in serious trouble.

"The Wind Waker?" Link asked absentmindedly. He needed to stall this girl so he could figure out what to do with her. "Never heard of it. Who is the captain?"

The girl wiggled her but in excitement. "Captain Tetra!" she said. "The most fearsome pirate in all the seas!"

"Shhhhh," Link hissed. "And where is he now?"

The girl, innocent to her core, furrowed her brow to think. "Well, it's almost noon so the captain is probably in the Captain's Quarters eating lunch."

Link nodded his head. "Can you get me there?" Link asked. "I'd like to meet the Captain before I meet any of the crew members."

The girl narrowed her eyes, suddenly not trusting the man she was talking to. "Why don't you want to meet the crew?"

"Cause pirates like to rough-house right? As you can see, I'm in no condition for rough-housing," Link hoped this girl was as stupid as she was innocent. He held his breath for five seconds while the girl considered his answer.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," she finally chirped. "Come on, I know a secret way."

Partially crouched over, the girl moved past Link and moved to a different door than the one Link had left. He considered going back for the cutlass one more time but the girl turned back and gestured for him to hurry up. He'd have to find a weapon in the Captain's Quarters.

The Wind Waker was surprisingly small. The little girl and Link passed through only one more compartment before they were one the lower deck. From there, they scurried along the walls to a smaller secluded staircase. The intentionally secluded staircase let to an intentionally hidden door. Once they arrived at the door, the girl turned to Link.

"I can't go in with you," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Link said, surprised that fortune would smile on him again. He could live with committing necessary violence, but he'd rather not do it in front of a little girl. "That's fine. Is it through the doors?"

The girl nodded then maneuvered around Link. At such close proximity, he got the feeling that she was a little older than he'd initially assumed.

"Thank you," he said, offering his most genuine smile.

The girl gave him a big, toothy smile, revealing straight white teeth, before zipping away around the corner.

Link turned back to the door and took a deep breath. It had been quite some time since he'd been in a real fight. Besides a couple petty fist fights during his time at Lake Hylia, he hadn't fought for his life since the Twilight Squadron. And that was exactly what he was about to do. If he could catch the Captain unawares and overpower him, he might be able to negotiate his way off this ship and with his blue suit.

He took one more deep breath, reached into that part of himself that was capable of murder, then crept through the door. He entered a small in-between space, probably designed for the Captain to ambush any pursuers if he had to flee from his quarters.

Silent as a shadow, Link went to the only door. This had to lead to the Captain's Quarters, he reasoned. He cursed himself once more for not taking Niko's cutlass, then crept in.

The Captain's Quarters was fabulously decorated. Velvets and silks were draped over mahogany and deku oak chests, dressers, and furniture. Just to the right of where Link entered there was a giant mirror with scarves and robes hanging on the sides of it. Frankly, Link found the style very effeminate.

His eyes passed over the useless decorations and searched for any sign of the Captain and a suitable weapon. The Captain was missing, but there was an unattended short sword sitting on an ottoman. Link sprinted for the weapon.

"Pick it up," said a voice as cold as ice.

Link froze, a full three strides away from the weapon.

"I dare you," the voice taunted.

Slowly, his palms out innocently, Link turned to the speaker who had somehow materialized in front of the main entrance door. Link reared his head back in surprise. The innocent little girl who'd led him to the secret door, was standing there with a saber pointed at his chest. She'd ditched the grey long sleeves blouse and was wearing a rich blue silk shirt with a red sash around her waist. She didn't look innocent or young anymore, she looked powerful. Her eyes were icy blue and dangerous, and her smile was arrogant. She held the sword lightly in her hand, as if it were an extension of herself.

"It wouldn't do me any good anyway," Link said, slowly straightening his posture and bringing his hands up and level with his ears. "I'm a diver, not fighter. I've no talent with a sword."

"Shame," she said with a genuine look of disappointment. "It would have been nice to get some sparring in before I threw you overboard."

Link glanced down at his leg, then back at the girl. "I don't think your Captain would approve of that."

She arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"He took the time to resuscitate me and patch me up. I can't imagine he did all that just to throw me overboard."

The girl smirked and started walking around Link, keeping her saber pointed at him all the while. She made her way to the ottoman and picked up the short sword, stowing it in her sash, then continued circling to the giant desk where the Captain would sit.

"Some astute observations," she said, walking behind the desk. "But you're wrong about one thing."

"Which little girls I choose to trust?" Link asked sarcastically.

The girl chuckled. "Two things then." She plopped herself down in the velvet upholstered chair behind the Captain's desk. "Captain Tetra isn't a he. He's a she."

Author's Note: We all knew 'he' was a 'she' and that 'she' wasn't a random little girl on the ship. Had to get it out of the way now.

Link's training has some truth to it. Hope you enjoy.