Night: Well, hello. I have no excuse for the delay, I'm sorry. Anyway, Link's adventure takes a turn for the dark as he arrives at forsaken fortress part way through this chapter. The beginning illustrates the trip to the Fortress, with Link being introduced to the majority of the pirate crew and forming somewhat a friendly bond with Niko. For those of you who like a warning to this sort of thing, there will be plenty of moderate swearing in this chapter. Also, more than Aryll, Maggie and Mila have been kidnapped, for the sake of reality. Only three? Unimpressive, Ganondorf. Unimpressive indeed.
Note: a line divider separates author notes from the chapter and denotes larger lapses in time, say more than two hours. A set of dashes denotes a shorter passage of time, less than two hours, we say, or a change in viewpoint or person. If you find yourself confused, just go back a bit and get your bearings.
ONWARD, GOOD FELLOWS!
Chapter Two: Part of the Crew
For a few short minutes, Link had wandered around on the upper deck watching everyone work. It had been interesting. Though the crew was made up mostly of burly men, they were as different in appearance and personality as you could get. He had already met Gonzo, the gruff but bighearted man who took care of the steering, and found he didn't mind him, but the man was nothing short of dull-witted, and Link had grown tired of his company quickly. Next, he had run into a somewhat short, but still built fellow with outrageous sideburns; Zuko.
Zuko was what you might call shy and had a low, gravelly voice, and Link had learned he had two brothers on the ship, Mako and Niko. Zuko was the middle child. He had admired the telescope Link had with him, telling him it was well made before resuming his lookout duty and leaving Link to his own devices once more.
Walking further, he had quickly run into Zuko's elder brother Mako, who sported a thick pair of glasses and was reading a book in some foreign language. His nervous and condescending disposition had, at first, rubbed him the wrong way, but despite his superior attitude, he had welcomed Link warmly to the ship and expressed his apologies for the loss of his sister.
The last crew member Link met above decks was a tall, muscular man with a dark beard who called himself Senza. Link had found him rearranging some crates near the bow and greeted him politely. Senza looked up from his work to give him a once over.
"Suppose you're the new swabbie then." He muttered.
"Yeah, I guess. I don't really know what it means, though."
Senza straightened up and looked at him. "Means that you're the newest member of the crew, kid. You'll get the hardest work. It's a pretty raw deal, but I wouldn't worry. You'll have Niko to help you. He's clumsy, but he's useful enough."
Link nodded. "Okay…"
"Actually," remarked Senza, "If you don't wanna be bored for the next day or so, you should head on down below and see the boy. He'll get you started with some simple chores and show you the ropes."
With that, Senza went right back to his work and ignored him.
Link decided to follow the man's advice; there didn't seem to be anything much to occupy him with and it would be nearly two days travel before they finally reached the Forsaken Fortress where Aryll was being held prisoner. Shrugging his pack into a more comfortable position, Link strolled below decks to find out what was in store for him.
Entering the cargo hold, Link found himself standing on top of a wide platform overlooking what seemed to his small being mountains of barrels and crates. There was a strong smell on the air, something like spices, bitter herbs and gunpowder. It was such a heavy aroma that he found himself heaving in order to breathe. He was so taken in by the exotic scent that he didn't even notice he had company until he was whacked on the back of the head.
"Oi, wake up there, shrimplet!"
Link groaned and rubbed the now smarting area, turning to find the same gangly teenager that had greeted Tetra only an hour before they had left. He was clad in a striped tank top, and his platinum blonde hair was obscured by a stocking cap. His black eyes looked dull on the surface, but Link had a feeling there was more to him.
"Jeez, kid," said the older boy, "You walked in and just froze."
Link was lost for words, unsure of himself in the company of the (seemingly) amiable teen, so he settled for a simple "Sorry."
"Hey, don't worry about it. You're Link, right? My name's Niko."
"Uh…okay. Um, listen. Mister Senza said you would have some chores to keep me occupied for awhile?"
A light seemed to go off in Niko's head and he grinned. "Oh, yeah! I guess I do, sort of. You'll really just be helping me with stuff I'd usually do on my own; laundry, cooking, that sort of stuff."
"Oh, uh…okay, I guess."
The remainder of the afternoon was spent doing inventory on food supplies in the hold and organizing them to make them more easily accessible. Niko, Link found, was full of complaints but worked diligently nonetheless. Link found himself full of questions and inadvertently enthusiastic, wondering why this was referred to in that way or why that needed to be put on top of that, and Niko, insufferably happy at having a junior to boss around, happily answered every inquiry however he was able.
Finally evening came, and Link received a short cooking lesson from Niko while they prepared a simple but hearty vegetable soup for themselves and the crew. After all was said and done and the sun had long set, most of the crew, Tetra included, headed down for the night, with only Zuko and Gonzo remaining awake to take the first steering and lookout shifts. Link sank gratefully onto his thin cot, removing his boots, hat and vest. Niko bid him a rather incoherent 'sweet dreams' as he collapsed onto his bed.
That night, Link dreamt of blue skies and clear waters as far as the eye could see.
The next day went much like the first. Link was roused at sunrise by a disgruntled Niko and the two prepared a simple breakfast of eggs and sausage before going on to clean for most of the morning. When noon finally came, Link found himself more worn out than he could remember being before, and yet very satisfied with himself. He sank happily onto a crate in the hold, realizing suddenly that they would reach the Fortress late that night. He was struck with a thought then; he would have to fight his way through a stronghold that was more than likely full to the brim with all manner of monsters. He barely knew how to handle his gun, and he couldn't throw a punch to save his life. He noted, with a slight amount of wariness, Niko, who was sitting beside him and stretching his sinewy frame out.
"Hey, Niko?"
Niko turned and looked at him blankly. "Yeah, swabbie? What's up?"
Link hesitated but a moment before making his request. "What do you know about fighting? I mean, we're getting to this Forsaken Fortress place tonight, and I barely managed to get through the forest in my hometown alive yesterday. I mean…I can use my gun, a little, but not that well, and I might need more than just that. I've never been in a fight until just recently. So…I was wondering if you could teach me a little."
Niko's response was instantaneous. "I'd be happy to, kid, but I'm sorry to say I'm not much more than a street brawler myself. Still, I'll teach you what I can. Go on and stand up."
Link did as he was told and stood facing Niko on the hardwood floor. "Now, listen close." Started the gangly teen, "I can't teach you anything about that gun of yours. You actually have a lot more know-how than me in that regard. But don't get you shorts in a knot, because I know a thing or two about throwing thugs like myself around like sacks of flour."
Link nodded, though he was a bit surprised that Niko had never handled a gun before.
"Okay, first things first. A common newbie mistake in a fight is putting too much shoulder into a punch, so be careful about that." He held his hands out in front of him. "Let's see how strong you can hit."
Link was, quite naturally, nervous about just hitting his crewmate, but Niko was looking at him expectantly. He decided he would have to trust him. Concentrating on his target, Link drew back and launched a balled fist forward into Niko's waiting hands.
"Not too bad for a first shot, but make sure you put all your power into it; you can't afford to hold back, no matter who your opponent is. Alright next."
For the next couple of hours, Link found himself going through simple drills, punching and kicking at his superior and taking pointers and encouragement in stride until he was dog tired and could barely stand anymore. When finally he gave up and sat on the floor with a sigh, Niko laughed and crouched in front of him.
"Hey, you're not too bad, you know." He started, "With some practice you could beat a sucker like me to a pulp. Anyway, you should go and sleep until we get there. Come on."
It was pitch dark in the crew room when Link found himself awoken by a rough shake from Zuko. "We're here now." He said shortly, and stomped out. Link sat up and tossed off his blankets. He immediately regretted it. Though it had been warm like a spring day when Link had gone to sleep early that afternoon, it was cold now, the chill in the air making the young boy shudder and rub his arms. He remembered that Grandma had packed him a change of clothes and went quickly to dig them from his backpack. He stumbled across the room to switch on the light, and then to the table where his bag sat. He opened it and found a pair of jeans and a brown sweater. He changed into them as quickly as he could, and added his vest and hat as a second thought. He grabbed his boots and gun on the way out the door and proceeded to the top deck.
On the clock, it read three a.m.
It was even darker outside than inside, Link thought. There was not a moon in the sky, and clouds obscured even the brightest of stars. He was called immediately by the rough bark of Tetra's voice. "Oi, you rube! Over here!"
Link twitched a bit, not happy that he'd been condescended in such a way, but he walked over to the highest point on the ship to stand next to Tetra. Tetra was surveying the massive work of stone before them. "That," she said, "Is where your baby sister is being held. The Forsaken Fortress."
"…Dear Arenita." Swore Link.
Tetra scoffed. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I know this place pretty well. You see, a while back, there was a gang of petty thugs we competed with that used this place as a sort of headquarters. But they were harmless small timers. The place looks like one big death trap now, though."
Link nodded his breath quickening. Spotlights were everywhere among the many turrets of the stronghold, making it look near impossible to even set foot inside without being immediately spotted. Tetra must have thought the same, because she groaned heavily.
"Ugh, this is no good. You'll be plugged the moment you get anywhere near that place."
Link paused. "…Plugged?"
"Shot full of holes."
"How encouraging."
Tetra rolled her eyes. "Yeah. So, you can see the problem well enough….Ah! Hey, look up near the top there."
Link followed the wild waving of Tetra's arm as well as he could and nearly shouted when he saw the same Tyranroc that had abducted Aryll dozing lightly in a massive nest on one of the towers. Tetra shook her head angrily and redirected his gaze a little further down. "No, not there. Look! See all those gulls? You told me your kid sister has a thing for 'em! I'll bet you a green to a red that's where they've got her!"
Looking a bit more closely as a spotlight flashed over the area, Link was able to see what Tetra was talking about. Nearly an entire flock of seagulls was swarming around a large window. He gasped. Tetra was right; if Aryll was in that fortress that was the place they had locked her up. And yet, the dilemma of how to smuggle Link into the fort remained.
"Din dammit…" muttered Tetra, "This will never work…what should we do…?"
For a long moment, there was only the sound of a cold north wind and Tetra's frustrated sighs and groans, until suddenly, Link could almost see the light go off in the young captain's head.
This was just about the most undesirable situation Link could think of.
--- -- ---
"Um, Tetra?" he said nervously, "When you said you had a great way to get me into the fortress, I was thinking something like a rowboat. This is…kind of not a rowboat. This is kind of an oil drum I'm inside of. On a catapult."
"And?" asked Tetra, quirking a brow.
Link hesitated a moment, wondering how she could be so calm. He assumed it was because she wasn't the one in the barrel. "And, uh, no offense, but I don't think that being launched at a wall inside of an oil drum is very conducive to helping me save Aryll."
Tetra looked at Link calmly, the picture of serenity. "Hey, don't worry." She said, "This may seem dangerous, but believe it or not we do this all the time. Besides, our aim is great. You have nothing to worry about."
"I'm not convinced. Sorry."
"Well, you'll have to suck it up, Link. This is all we've got. Everyone ready?"
A chorus of ayes followed. Link shook his head rapidly. "No, I'm not ready!" he shouted, becoming desperate. "Seriously, Tetra, please!"
The captain wasn't listening. She held her arm up in the air, the sleeve of her deep blue jacket sliding down to her elbow. "Three!" she called.
Link's eyes widened and he held back a scream.
"Two!"
He tried to steel himself and gritted his teeth.
"One!"
He resigned himself to fate and scrunched his eyes shut.
"Fire away!"
Link could only hear the sound of his pumping heart and his screaming for several long moments before the oil drum smacked into the wall with a hollow clang. Pain exploded in his head and before he could even process that he had fallen from the barrel, he hit the water. It was pure reflex that led him to swim for the small wooden dock a few feet away, and when he finally managed to haul himself up on top of it, he swore loudly.
"Shit! Great aim my ass, those stupid pirates." He muttered, taking off his vest and wringing it out as well as he could. He was soaked. He was surprised his hat hadn't fallen off of his head during his rather eventful flight. He felt at his loosened belt and reached to tighten it, but something felt wrong.
It was too light.
Link was frantic now. He checked his holster. It wasn't there. The CS45 Orca had given him was gone! He said a string of very nasty words and stomped the ground with a soggy boot. Now, not only was he at the lowest level of the fort, he had lost his only means of protection! After another good minute of violent expletives, Link resigned himself to starting on his way. He was here now, no stopping that.
He'd gone scarcely six steps when a violent vibration shook his leg. He shouted and dug in his pocket. His hand brushed on something smooth tied on a rope, and he yanked it out. It was a semi-transparent stone as blue as his eyes, and it lifted itself in the air, floating just an inch above his open palm. He nearly screamed when Tetra's laughing voice echoed from it, as if reverberating from a very spacious room.
"Ahahaha! You should have seen your face! Talk about priceless!"
Link scowled.
"Ahem. But anyway, enough of that…………Ah damnit, Link, I'm sorry! I guess our aim was a bit off. And it looks like you lost your gun too. Nayru, this is a bad situation…"
Link grunted.
"……Hey, listen, kid. There's still a chance here. I think…"
"Hey, wait just a darn minute, Tetra! What the hell is this thing?"
"Oh, my apologies!" Link scowled again at the dripping sarcasm. "Anyway, this thing is a gossip stone. I can see you through mine, and you can obviously hear me through yours, so we can communicate with them. When you feel it vibrate, you damn better pull it out!"
Link sighed. "Don't you think a cell phone would have been a better idea?"
"Ha! Phone? Unreliable pieces of crap, those things. You have to deal with poor reception, bills, and batteries. This thing can't be traced, has no range, and a lot of other pros. Anyway, you're just borrowing this thing, all right? I want it back as soon as your sister is safe."
"Yeah, sure."
"Anyway, just find a way to keep yourself hidden. There's a door up ahead, so try for that. It'll likely be safer once you're inside."
Link nodded and put the stone away, eager to end the conversation as quickly as possible. He continued on and came to a set of stairs. The searchlights were flooding the barren space between him and the door. There was a wooden barrel not too far away, and the lid was missing.
"Oh, gods, I can't believe I'm about to try this."
--- -- ---
Link muttered another unsavory curse. He had made it to the door, somehow, but now he was stuck in a jail cell after an unhappy encounter with a pair of moblin guards not too far in. Tetra had quickly rung him and told him to look for an opening, but Link was doubtful; no matter how ill kept the fortress was, it was solid rock. There was no way he would find –oh.
Link praised Tetra's amazing intuition as he pushed a large vase aside to find a large hole in the wall, just big enough for him to crawl through.
With some careful maneuvering, he was able to squeeze through the passage and wriggle out on the other side, effectively escaping his prison. He was off again quickly, somewhat encouraged by the small victory. He did balk, however, when he entered the next room and the only thing bridging the gap between the two platforms making it up was a light bulb on the end of a long bundle of wires.
"Well, it's just one crapshoot after another today, isn't it?" he remarked, gazing around his current location. He was surprised to find an old fashioned looking little chest sitting neatly on top of a nearby barrel. Deciding it could do no harm to find what was inside; Link let his curiosity take him to it. There was not lock, nor a latch, and it was opened with a simple flick of his wrist. He peered inside and found a small map portraying the stronghold's general layout in a simple, easy to understand fashion.
"Well, it's better than nothing." He muttered, "Now…guess that light is my only option."
Link allowed himself no time for hesitation before jumping at the cluster of wire and hoping fervently that it would hold his weight. He grabbed on tightly and felt a jerk when he began to fall and start moving forward. As soon as he felt safely within distance of the far ledge, he let go and felt himself sail through the air, arms flailing. He managed to land on his feet, albeit sloppily, and he found two doors led out from this room. He instinctively went for the one on the left.
After a bit of sneaking through some outdoor colonnades, Link found himself rather near a ladder and one of the searchlights. His pocket shook violently, and he removed the gossip stone and gazed at its levitating form in his hand.
"Hey, Link! There's a monster manning the light up there!"
"Oh. That's bad, right?"
"Right." Remarked Tetra, "Anyway, since you don't have a weapon, play it safe. Monsters are stupid, and with a little tricky running you can probably manage to push it off the edge and into the water."
"Okay. I'll try that, thanks."
"Whatever."
With nothing left to say, Link stowed the crystal and climbed up the ladder. Tetra had been right, of course. There was a bokoblin running the light there, humming to itself in its nasty, guttural way. Link took in his surroundings. The bokoblin didn't seem to have a gun or anything of the like, but there was some sort of cudgel stowed in its belt. Around on the other side of the tower, Link could see a table with a toolbox on top of it. Deciding it was as good a place as any to start, he padded quietly over to it. It was locked, much to his chagrin. He wondered if the bokoblin was even smart enough to use anything in there for a moment before he just grabbed the entire container and lugged it along with him. He was as quiet as he could be the entire way, and the bokoblin didn't hear him until he was nearly upon it.
With a roar, it whirled and tore its cudgel from its belt, swinging wildly at Link in a clumsy, awkward way. Link brought the toolbox in front of his face to block the heavy swing, and felt the wooden club bounce uselessly off. Without another thought (thinking would only lead him to panic) he swung the metal container upwards and felt it connect soundly with the goblin's jaw. It recoiled and leered at him angrily before launching itself forward in a tackle.
Link hit the ground hard, the bokoblin on top, raising its cudgel in preparation for crushing his skull. Fear took over for a moment, but Link lost himself completely in the will to survive.
He swung his right elbow forward and winced when it cracked into the beast's skull. It hurt, but it did the job. The bokoblin collapsed, unconscious. Link heaved its body off and dragged it to the edge of the tower, throwing it off and into the sea where it would drown. He picked its cudgel up off of the stone floor on his way to the searchlight, and turned the light off.
"That's one down." He sighed. Two more to go.
It was nearly three hours later that Link finally finished disabling the last searchlight. He sighed and collapsed on the ground for a long moment to catch his breath. He'd plowed through nearly all of the fortress's lower levels at this point, dodging around heavyset moblins and kicking away pesky rats, walking across thin rafters, swinging on bundles of wire. He sighed. His clothes were dry now. Still, he could already feel the beginnings of a nasty cold in the form of a pounding headache.
After a good ten minutes of just sitting, Link hauled himself to his feet and continued on through a set of somewhat familiar corridors before coming to a large room overlooking an old sailing vessel. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the pair of moblins patrolling around the end of the room near the very door he needed to get through in order to make it to Aryll's current location. He sighed when he noticed the open barrel nearby.
Damn it all, I'm really starting to hate barrels. He thought as he ducked inside and started forward at a sluggish walk. He used a small knothole for sight and immediately ceased moving when one of the moblins passed by. As soon as it turned and went the other direction, Link threw the barrel away and rushed desperately for the huge door. The tall railing on the stairs leading up to it hid him well, and he made it safely there. With a lot of strenuous pushing, it creaked open and he slipped silently through.
Leaving the room, Link found himself on an upward sloping path. He followed it around a curve until he hit the base of a stairway. He paused for a moment and listened. Up above a high ledge at the end of the stairs, he could hear the obnoxious snorting of a moblin as it went on its rounds. The light of its torch passed nearby on the landing and Link dropped low to the ground, pulse pounding in his ears. He was so close to Aryll; he couldn't afford to get caught again now.
Once the lantern's light had furthered itself enough, Link continued forward at an uncomfortable crawl, bating his breath and remaining as quiet as he possibly could. Once past the top step, the moblin was nearby again. He hugged the ledge below it, waiting for what seemed like hours while the beast sniffed about, looking for any scent that might seem out of place. Finally, satisfied that nothing seemed to be wrong, the moblin guard went on its way. Link rose himself to a crouch and loped up the next set of stairs.
He nearly groaned when he saw the barrel at the top.
Sighing quietly, he lifted the wooden container over his head and crawled forward. This one was in perfect condition, with nary a knothole or crack to peer through, so Link was stuck listening for the sound of nearby footsteps. He almost didn't hear them until it was too late. It was only the moblin's grunt of surprise that saved him. He quickly crouched down inside the barrel and held his breath. He almost wished he could temporarily stop his heart so the moblin might not hear it pounding.
He felt his hiding place nudge to one side as the moblin inspected it and sniffed it. Then, suddenly, it was pushed swiftly to the side, and the moblin's footsteps receded. Link let out the breath he'd been holding slowly and moved forward quickly. Once he'd made it a good ten feet without pause, he risked lifting the barrel away and standing in open air. A long staircase was set up ahead, leading up towards the tower where Aryll and whoever else had been kidnapped were being held. He drifted around the corner, but couldn't stop himself from turning back for a moment and sticking out his tongue.
"Nyah! Stupid pig." He muttered, and was on his way.
He was heaving and sweating by the time he finally made the top of the stairs, and the fact that a ten foot gap rested between him and the next length of path did not help in the slightest. He felt, rather strongly, that whoever built this fortress was a flaming idiot and needed to be shot; alas, he did not have his gun with him. And so he opted to instead look for some means of bridging the gap. After a bit of squinting in the dark, he managed to spot a thin outcropping of stone against the wall that, with some careful balancing, he could sidle across without much trouble.
He felt tempted to turn back for a moment, but the thought of leaving Aryll to wait in whatever greasy, undesirable conditions she was in outweighed his desire to avoid a broken leg.
Thus, he sidled.
Though the gap was not too terribly wide, the ledge was only just wide enough for Link to stand upon tip toe while moving across, so progress was slow. Several times, he felt his precarious position become compromised slightly, and every time he was reminded that panicking could cost him his life. After what seemed like an eternity of inching along on the wall, Link finally felt solid, expansive ground beneath his feet once more and crumpled against the wall. Once the rapid beating of his heart slowed to a somewhat-near-normal pace again, he stood and continued.
Not two yards ahead, a gap twice as large as the previous loomed. This time, old crags of pavement jutted out nearly four feet each from the wall, spaced nearly a yard apart from each other. This, Link mused, was not nearly as bad as sidling along a six inch ledge forty feet above ground. Though the height was still the same, Link had jumped across stepping stones like a little frog dozens of times back home. This was not much different…sort of. Without much thought to how high above ground he was, Link concentrated on memories of playing leapfrog with Aryll and Tatl, and bounded for the first outcropping.
He landed well, falling to his knees to keep balance. The process was repeated nearly four more times before he made it across to the final stretch. Confidence overwhelmed him now. Only a hundred feet or so away, Aryll would be waiting in the next room. Joy bubbled up in his chest with such effervescence that Link couldn't help but shout with elation as soon as he was near the door.
Unfortunately, the bokoblin stationed just in front of it was alerted by the yell and burst into action.
Link had not seen the bokoblin before, its mottled green skin (different from the ash gray of lesser bokoblins) helping it to blend in against the mossy surface of the door. But now that it was roaring and rushing toward him with what seemed to be an aluminum bat, Link was very aware that he had made a mistake.
"Crap!" he seethed, and jumped to the side. The bat crashed into the ground, leaving a crack in the stone. Link shuddered as he ran for the door.
"That could have been my head! You're a crazy bastard, aren't you?!"
The bokoblin snarled and rushed for him again. He leapt out of the way and landed uncomfortably on his back. "Shoot, what's under me?" he groaned, and sat up, only to find his gun was the very thing that had made his fall so uncomfortable!
"Hallelujah!" he cried, and gripped the weapon tightly in his hand. Its presence was oddly comforting as he started dodging the bokoblin again, searching for an opening to shoot.
Much to his chagrin, the bokoblin he was fighting now was smarter than all of the others he had faced before. It searched with calculation and tact for chances to strike, but the way it swung was as ferocious as a moblin. Link had let off four missed shots now, and he was getting discouraged. Coupled with the blow to the chest he'd received just prior to his third shot, the boy was growing more and more impatient.
Finally, he froze in place, and the bokoblin froze with him, confused. "Dumbass," he said, "Don't stop moving."
A sickening squelch rang over the large veranda as a pair of bullets tore through the goblin's chest and sent it to the ground, burning and screaming. Link skirted around the dying beast on his way to the door. And that's the last, I hope. He muttered to himself as he pushed open the heavy wooden door.
Light streamed into his eyes, and Link had to squint and cover them for a good, long moment while they adjusted to the much brighter setting from what he had previously been running around in. Once he could see properly, he found himself in what seemed to be a good old fashioned dungeon with poor living conditions and no guards. There were two large cells that seemed to be communal holding areas, and one of them was filled with nearly fifteen girls ranging from five to thirteen, all with the long, sharply pointed ears of the Hylian race. All of them were also staring at him in surprise. One of them cried out.
"Big brother!"
It was Aryll, near the front between the protective arms of a girl in designer clothes with freckles and a redhead in thrift store attire. Link gasped.
"Little sis! Hey, I came for you! See?" he crowed, running with reckless abandon for the cell. He was tired, sick, achy and covered in mud, but he couldn't have been happier.
Aryll laughed happily. "I knew you'd come save me! Because you're my big brother! I told everyone, but only Maggie and Mila-"
Aryll's voice cut off as Link reached the center of the room, jogging over the top of a large drainage grate. Link paused in his trot as well, staring around carefully at the surroundings. Things seemed to be shaking, and there was a sudden breeze…and the flapping of immeasurable wings.
By the time Link saw the Tyranroc, it was too late to run for the cell. Aryll and the other girls all screamed for him to run and hide, but the roc already had Link clasped in its beak, and was flying from the room through a massive skylight. Link could hear Aryll wailing for the 'stupid bird' to bring him back and leave him alone, but her cries grew distant as he felt himself carried higher and higher in the fortress, the Tyranroc's helmed beak digging painfully into his back and stomach. Finally, when they had ascended another hundred feet or more, Link saw the remains of an old fashioned merchant ship pinned on the uppermost spire, like a morbid sort of dwelling place. It was evident this was where he was being taken, as the bird paused when it came on level with the entrance to the makeshift home.
Link allowed himself to gasp in horror when a shadowy figure approached from the door. He was just like the storybook villain, Gheul, the one who kidnapped princesses and murdered kings and plundered villages all before breakfast, single handedly. He was probably seven feet tall, two hundred pounds, every bit of it solid muscle. His hair was a fiery red, his skin dark as night, his eyes all-seeing. His ears were round and he was clad in a long coat with embroideries of fierce dragons and skull-faced serpents.
Link felt he might be sick.
"Fairytale villain…" he whispered shakily. The man smirked, said something in a dusty sounding language, and flicked his head to the side. Link was sent flying as the Tyranroc followed the motion and released its grip on him.
He felt his stomach drop, and then he knew nothing.
---- -- ----
Floating in the water, an unconscious body drifted with the tide. Nights were long on the sea, and no one would find him, one would think, and that is precisely what drove the figure cloaked in moonlight to save him. Water lapped against faded red paint and something bent over to scoop the little boy into the interior of a small boat. The night wore on as it cruised slowly eastward.
---- -- ----
Night: And there we have it! Next chapter is somewhat filler and expository, and if you'd like I'll include one of the Windfall sidequests to add some substance. The first section of Dragon Roost will also be included, so things are set to be long next time. As always, any feedback you have for me is greatly appreciated, negative or not. I'll do my best to be more prompt with the next update. See you!