Chapter 24: An Introvert's Courage

"Wait, why is he challenging you now? He's only got five of us."

"Yeah, that's not usually how these things go."

"He's definitely angry this time, but it's that calm fury with reason."

"I can't work with that! Look, you'd better not mess this up. If you fail, then all we've got left is Fang when he's turned down rewards on multiple occasions."

"Heh, I'm not worried. Even a calm fury isn't going to conquer me."

"Watch yourself, pride is my realm. I'll crush that little ball of yours if you tread on my turf too much."

'I'd like to see you try. Later!"

"Maybe we should prepare Twin Fang better."

"You really think they're going to listen?"

"We've only got two chances now..."

I also have a chance at him.

A golden shimmer appeared on the back of his left hand. Link touched it reverently. "Help me to keep my mind clear; I must overcome this trial."

It flickered, then vanished back into hiding. He looked down at the basin, then outside of the safe area. Unlike the other trials, this one was hidden completely in fog. He wondered if the lamp or trirang could clear out the fog. But when he touched his hip, his sidebag was gone. So were both of his swords and the shield. Well, combat was usually nothing more than a distraction in these places. Link felt fairly sure that his gear would be returned once he got past the trial. But where to begin… there didn't seem to be any options other than to strike out and search, hoping that the soul flame could clear the fog.

A crack underfoot made him look down in time to see the entrance seal break down into nothing. The basin got swallowed up by the fog and there was a feeling that he'd been moved in some direction. Out here, the fog was warm and dim. There was nothing he could see past it, but then no reason to stay here. Link moved ahead, hoping to find something as a reference point.

Before long, the fog seeped into his mind. Fleeting bits of color shifted out of the corner of his eyes, but would be nothing but white if he looked for them. Link turned trying to catch one before he thought better of it. Where exactly was he? This was a feeling like he'd had the past two nights, except that he was alone and there wasn't anyone nearby to give him distracting thoughts.

No, there was a woman singing somewhere to his right. He could find her and ask where to go. No, wait a moment... in this realm of Prism's, that was probably a bad idea. And what she was singing stirred his imagination with heat. He stopped himself from going near her and went away, continuing to look for his goal.

Which was… he knew he was looking for some kind of special fire. Someone put a hand on his hip wanting a different kind of fire. It wasn't someone he knew, but they were close. He shouldn't… he should step away. It took him a moment to get his arm moving to brush whoever it was away and then he nearly pulled them closer. This wasn't right. He was supposed to be doing something, in this dazzling fog that filled his mind and body, wanting him to do other things entirely. No, this wasn't…

He ran for a few steps, then stopped out of a leaden feeling in his legs. Link looked around, searching for something…. Someone….

"Do I have to chain you up again to remind you that you're mine?" Ganon said, pulling him closer.

"Ga…?" he turned his head and saw his face. Those eyes possessed him and wanted him right now. "Ganon? You..."

"Good, you've finally accepted the truth," he said, his lips brushing against Link's cheek now. "You obey me and I'll take care of any desire you have. You like things better this way, don't you?"

Flickers of a nightmare came into Link's mind, of promises he had made to fearful eyes. The fog tried to blur them away again, letting him feel only the passionate grip around him. He remembered last night as well. If he just gave over control, that could be how things were for the rest of his life. And just this morning, he was sure but he thought he'd gotten a glimpse of his lover still there for a moment when he'd first opened his eyes. If he could always be there…

"That's not who I love," Link whispered. He tried to push away, feeling far too weak to get out of his grasp.

"Don't make me angry," he said. What little light the fog had diminished to almost nothing. "You're mine and mine alone. I can give you the world; I can give you everything you've ever wanted and more. You just need to never leave my side again."

His heart tensed into a knife through this surreal fog. "You're the one who always leaves," he said, angry tears nearly coming out. Link pushed back again, this time stumbling backwards when Ganon lost his grip.

And now he couldn't see his way for the darkness as well as the fog. He could hear Ganon still, still confident and enticing. "You aren't getting away from me now, not when you've shown me a whole different light. You love me and you will be mine forever. I will never die and you will always be at my side. Come."

His throat tensed. Link wanted to say that that Ganon wasn't his master. He had promises to keep, and, something to do here if he could just remember what that thing was. Or where he was. He also wanted to agree and give himself over to this fog.

While trying to back off, he tripped over himself. He tried to get back to his feet, but it was getting more difficult to move. Ganon was still there. "You can't get away from me now. I can find you at any time I want. Come, throw away your reluctance and give yourself to me. Otherwise, you're going to regret the pain this gets you."

Was that true? Link trembled, not sure what was going on anymore. He shouldn't be afraid, what was wrong with him? Then a dark hand grabbed his shoulder and made him flinch. "Don't be afraid, it's me," he said softly.

"Who?" Link asked, looking back. But he couldn't see much more of the person near him.

"I'm going to get upset if you don't obey me soon," Ganon said somewhere before Link. It sounded further away.

The one behind him kissed the back of his head. "What is it you really want? More than just right away, something deeper that made you resentful."

Although these whispers were softer than the other voice calling his name, there was an equally strong desire to pull him into a kiss and get completely lost in all this. But what did he really want? If simple pleasure was all it was, then he wouldn't have pushed away. There was an old dream he had of having a family again. Even of just having someone else he loved and knew would come back home before long. Link saw it for a moment, a brighter place of forests and home, hazy like the rest of this dream fog.

Then the darkness overcame him again. Movements and faint colors suggested someone else was there, trying to approach him. "You want what you lost forever," it said in a voice he couldn't get an identity out of. "You can't have such a thing."

Link cringed, crying now. The one with him put his arms around hm. "Are they really going to heal this pain they're inflicting on you?"

The other spoke on as if it hadn't heard. "Come with me, forget your sorrows for a while. Be mine and you could have a life of bliss where everyone adores you."

If he had a life like that, he might not feel lonely. Or would he? It wasn't like what he'd dreamed about. What was right, or what did being right matter? "I, I can't think clearly," Link said, his heart beating faster.

"You don't need to think about this. Do what you want." They invited him closer, allowing him to get back on his feet.

The one behind him let go of the embrace, but kept a hand on him. "Things aren't clear here and you can't think of what you came here to do. I can still lead you to the light you came for. But if they hear me, they're going to get rid of me. Shh, what do you want? To go into the darkness or find a light deeper within?"

Whatever was out in this dark fog could give him bliss. But it also gave him fear, anger, and anxiety. Moments like that flitted around his mind but couldn't be held. It was the same with the person here, someone who gave him sadness, worry, and uncertainty. However, there was also hope for a peaceful better life, something he couldn't have with those in the darkness. "I'd like to follow you," he said quietly to the person with him. "But I can't see much of you."

"It's okay, take my hand," he said. "I'll keep you safe."

Nodding, Link did so. The warmth and light of his dreams was there in that grasp even as they passed through the fog blindly. Other voices pursued them. "Where are you going?" "You're mine, come back." "I've got something for you, come back."

He ignored them and kept following his guide. Before long, something ahead brightened the fog immensely. The fog wasn't as thick here, at least around them. But he still couldn't see who led him here. "This one will hurt, but you said yourself that the one in charge here has put too many people in danger. It needs to be stopped."

That was right, although Link couldn't remember it clearly. "Sure." He took the white flame from where it floated.

A powerful feeling burned through him, making Link tremble again. Thoughts became terribly clear to him,. At some point, he had to overcome his shyness and start talking to people. But choosing to start with a handsome stranger who was actively charming him was reckless. He hadn't been used to feeling strong passions, but it was foolish to let himself be drawn into it so quickly. After learning it had been an act, he continued to believe the one who admitted to lying to him, following the clouded feelings of lust instead of an actual love.

Still close by, his guide said, "It's okay, you can learn from your mistakes. Like you overcame your other faults, you can come to understand what you feel and who you love."

"Yes, I want to," Link said. The pain from holding this soul flame faded, calming him down and letting him feel in control again. Now that he could see clearly for a few feet around him, he turned and tried to find the one who guided him here. "Gale? Where are you?"

"You won't find me in here," his voice whispered, still seeming nearby. "The dragon created this trial by opening up your heart and giving form to all the troubles it found there. I am who you think of when you say you love Gale, but I'm not Gale himself. Still, finding my voice was the only way you could pass this trial. Go on, the flame itself will lead you from here. I'm still with you even if you can't see me."

He looked into the flame and found that he knew the right way to go even if there was nothing to see around him. Letting the light guide him, he walked back and wondered if this was going to help. It was a formidable feeling. He really didn't know who his lover was, or who he would become. Then again, he was going to save a soul that no one else saw as worthy or possible to save. He might have to accept that their relationship was over after that, whether Gale went back to be the king of Sudai or just disappeared to start a fresh life somewhere. Whatever happened, he was going to accept that giving Gale a second chance was enough.

When he saw the safe zone again, there was a twang of grief that made him hesitate. Prism had offered to get him what he wanted. And it surely could, at least what he thought he wanted. His own plan only gave him hope that Gale would prove himself to be a good person and decide to accept him fully in spite of everything. To chose between an uncertain hope or this dark fog… no, it wasn't that hard. Link set the soul flame within the basin.

Like the others, the Prism Dragon went into a disbelieving rage at his success. "How did you do that?! You were mine, there was nothing here to guide you!"

Link felt that a great deal of weight was off his mind. He could be sure of himself in his plans. Not even looking at the furious little dragon, he replied, "A being born of lust like you couldn't see what was there to guide me."

"You're just bluffing," it grumbled. "I know the real nature of you humans, so full of weaknesses and contradictions that you undo yourselves."

"I suppose it wouldn't make sense to you, given that you're not human. I've passed your trial."

"Hmph, don't go rubbing it in. You must be cheating somehow." But even it couldn't defy the rules it was bound by; these dragons were magical constructs, just an imitation of life. "Fiiine, as the Prism Dragon born of lust, I submit my will to you. There, happy? You won't be, continuing on as good and clean as you try to be is only going to make you miserable. You would have been so much better off to agree to be my disciple and find true pleasure."

"I think I can find a better life for myself now," he replied as he was taken out of the testing realm. The road looked the same as before, as did the whirlpool in the distance. Did he want to try going for that tonight?

Laverre was a large city, so he opted to leave the road before he'd be in sight of guards at the entrance. Once he hit the brown sands of the beach, he headed in towards the docks. The most likely people to have seen Twin Fang up close were sailors. And with them unable to sail, they were most likely to be in a tavern near the docks.

He found a place called The Torn Sail that was right in front of a pier full of fishing boats. It looked more like a bar rather than a place he could rent a room for the night, so he'd need another place to stay after the trial. When he walked in, the patrons eyed him as an unwanted stranger in a place where everyone else was a regular. That was fine, since he could be considered trespassing on their grounds.

Looking every bit as rough and sea-worn as his customers, the barkeeper gave him a careful look-over. "What're you here for?"

"I'm looking for information about Twin Fang, the dragon out in the bay," Link said, holding up his right hand so he could see the Septdraco. "I'm going out to get rid of it, but I'd like to know the situation I'm heading into."

"That's a suicidal mission to go on," he said.

"No wait, I've heard of that thing," one of the sailors at the bar itself said. "That'd be the Septdraco, huh? And looks like you've reigned in the six other dragons."

Link nodded. "This one's the last, then I'm after the one who summoned them."

"Well how do you mean to get out into the bay after this one?" the bartender asked.

The whole bar was quiet; all were listening in if they weren't watching. Perhaps they thought him crazy for trying, or might give him a chance for controlling the other six dragons. Either way, he kept calm about this. "I have a horse that runs on water and a Zora diving suit. If I have to get into the water to fight it, I will. They have a seal marking matching this artifact; that's the important thing for me to know."

"Well you're still up against a rough task even if you've got the others," the bartender said. "Though I haven't seen it up close myself."

"A lot of folks in town would tell you that there's two dragons out there," a fisherman near Link said, shifting his chair to look up to him. "But a few of us were out by the mouth when it showed up and we all saw that it's definitely one dragon."

"It's got two heads and ridiculously long necks," another at the table said, putting down a hand of cards so that the faces didn't show. "The damn thing can put its heads on opposite sides of the whirlpool even, but when it goes and does that, its body is closer to the surface."

"And it's a shrimpy body, so it's ridiculous looking overall," the one by him said. "What isn't ridiculous is the amount of control it has over the waters out there. We don't dare sail off the docks at all because it can and has attacked us just seconds from taking off. You probably want to avoid tangling with it in the water if you can, but still be ready for that."

"Does it attack by water magic?" Link asked, since that would make sense of it attacking clear across the bay.

The fishermen there nodded. "Hits with the force of a storm wave even from calm waters."

"Actually, when it showed up, it didn't attack anybody physically," another said thoughtfully. "Only by magic even when we were scrambling to get away from it."

"I'd believe it doesn't have the strength to attack without magic, just nobody's tried getting close up with it commanding the water."

Then it might be helpless if it got beached. Twin Fang would likely do whatever it could to stay in the water. "All right. What about the seal? This kind of ring design should be clearly marked in white somewhere on its body."

The ones at the table there didn't seem sure of that. But another fisherman spoke up, one who had a pair of crutches by his seat. "Ring design? Yeah, I got a real eyeful of that first time I saw it. It's on the one of the necks near its belly. So you might have to get in the water unless you can flip it out on its back."

He nodded, feeling that was enough to give it a shot. "All right, thank you. I'll see about taking care of it now."

"Careful out there now," the bartender said. Some others still seemed unsure of if he was mad or pulling their legs. "You seem sure of yourself, but it doesn't pay to be overconfident."

"I know," Link said, then headed out.

The marking was on one of the necks, but he wasn't sure which one. It'd be near the body, though, so if he got down there, it wouldn't be far to move if he held on. Then again, this was going to be like battling the Zora Eater in the cave. He could easily get swept away by the currents, only this time he could end up out in the ocean. Some of his past incarnations had heavy iron boots to sink down into treacherous waters like these.

There were the armor forms of the other dragons. Sulfur might be too light; the Great Wyrm should be heavy enough, but it claimed to be defensive. In that form, he'd have to find something else to attack with underwater. Clockwork was heavy too and had plenty of options for attack. While Thorn had vines in dragon form, it'd said to take its barbed sword, not the vines. Prism claimed to be a noncombatant, which he could believe, and Rotting would likely be some kind of poison that would spread rapidly through water.

"Just need to sink enough to get to its marking," he said to himself as he got Balrog summoned back out. He first headed out of town for a more secluded part to change into the Zora suit. It'd be useful backup in case he ended up in the water before he meant to be. Although, it did make it more awkward to get on his horse due to the flippers. "Last one, here we go."

Hoping to see some of its attacks himself, Link headed off full speed across the water from where he was. There were two large lumps moving around the edges of the whirlpool that could be its heads. Not long after Balrog's hooves hit the water, larges waves rose up like hands to slam down on him from both sides. They were moving too fast for the initial attacks to hit, which lead to the waves rising faster and further ahead, steering him back towards shore. Spotting a break, Link pulled on the fiery mane to speed Balrog into a turn through the break.

The whirlpool was close, pulling the waters in unnatural ways. A slim orange-pink head with long waving feelers was close by; the other head was a quarter of the way around the whirlpool. The nearer head bared teeth that could be used as daggers by themselves. Even if the fishermen had only seen it attack magically, it had to be bad to get bitten with those jaws. Large watery tendrils rose up to drag him into the fierce currents.

Ignoring those, Link rode right for the head, then dismissed Balrog and dropped into the water. That should confuse the dragon enough to give him a moment to work with. The water grabbed hold of him and tried to take control, but he already had his hand on the blue ring to activate the Wyrm's armor. Thick plate armor soon covered him; it was too heavy for the current to toss him around. While the smooth skinny neck of Twin Fang was shifting in the water, it was close enough for Link to grab onto.

His weight in the armor was enough to drag the head underwater as well. Its hiss shook the waters as it tried to throw him off. Slowed by the metal, water, and thrashing neck, Link pulled his strength together to get hold with both hands and continued to slide down. Then the roar of the whirlpool softened. While it was curious, he continued on his task.

Twin Fang's ploy quickly revealed itself as water began to press tighter against him. The mask from the Zora armor was helping him keep breathing and the Great Wyrm's armor was keeping him protected for now. But as the neck continued on and on, his ears started to hurt and creaks came from the armor. 'Let me live through this,' he prayed silently, searching for the seal. 'I can prove my worth against this dragon; I just need to get down to its seal.' The whirlpool grew even fainter.

Finally, he spotted white on the orange scales. The armor would continue dragging him down, so he kept hold with his right hand and let go with his left to draw the Master Sword. If he had more mobility, he could grab hold with his legs too. As it was, he had to chance pulling himself in with his arm and stabbing through the seal the moment he could.

He landed on the floor with the seal marking and found himself still underwater. The grip of the water loosened, although it remained heavy around him. It made him feel ill, so he spent a few moments letting his body adjust to this place. As he looked around, he felt like he'd been transported into a dungeon this time. Stone arches and coral walls enclosed a large room; sunlight sparkled through the water and brightened all the colors here. It was actually quite pretty, making him wonder if there was a real place like this off the Laverre coast.

He also noticed the number of treasure chests and stray rupees scattered around the room. Had any of his past selves run into a room with so many chests inside? However, this was the realm for greed; there had to be some trick to all this. Link dismissed the Great Wyrm armor and found that he had his gear with him this time. He knew most of it would be useless underwater, but some things could be invaluable here.

As he checked his bag, he barely caught sight of one of the chests with seemingly open eyes shifting its lid. Link looked directly at it and it went still. There were no obvious eyes on it, but a pair of knobs were suspiciously placed on the lid. Keeping wary of that one, he went back to seeing what he could use. There were still some underwater bombs in his bag… the trirang was likely unusable. There was also his magical compass and key. So far, he hadn't tried locating a soul flame with the compass. Although, the one it would have been most useful for was Prism's realm and he'd been denied use of his gear there.

Speaking underwater wouldn't work for him, but the compass seemed to catch onto his intentions when he held it up. The needle spun around once, then settled on pointing him towards a locked door. There was probably a key in one of these chests, but it didn't matter when he had a key that could unlock anything. Out in the hall, he spotted golden jellyfish monsters, more rupees hidden away in nooks and crannies, and a number of old clay pots.

He was going to ignore all that and focus solely on directions from the compass, but then a loud watery crash came from another room. As he turned, a second disruption came from another room. The golden jellyfish darted away from the racket and the armor forms of both Clockwork and Thorn came into the hall. Link swam into another room as quickly as he could before the former sent a fiery beam down the hall, filling it with steam bubbles.

They must expect that he wouldn't have the trouble here that he had in Prism's realm. While he hadn't found the limits, there was the threat of this taking too much time and the dragon being able to overtake him that way. This would make things tough… except, there was a pattern to the dragons' behaviors. Link felt like he could take advantage of that if he could just get to a spot where there was some air.

As the room he had ducked into held no air pockets, he waited for a quiet moment, then darted out and into the opposing room before Clockwork and Thorn had time to attack. Luckily, this room had a surface overhead, leading into an alcove. He got up there and, as expected, there were more chests up waiting to be opened. At least one of them looked like the suspicious kind.

There was also the smaller form of the Great Wyrm lounging in the alcove. "Oh darn, do you always have to find me so quick?" it asked, then sighed. "Well if you're up here, I could tell you where the others are and what they're up to. It could help."

Removing the face mask, Link replied, "I think I know what you all are up to: you're trying to steal me from Twin Fang."

"Why would you say that?" the Great Wyrm asked.

But Link's idea worked. Twin Fang shrieked across the dungeon in rage, forcing the Great Wyrm out of its trial. And when he got back in the water, Clockwork and Thorn were gone too. They might be able to talk their peer into letting them return if they could overcome Fang's greed, so he pressed on in following the compass.

When the compass chimed, he found himself in a room with a dozen white flames. Link swam across the room, still watching his guide. Its arrow unerringly kept track of one in the center. When he took it, it was simply a pleasant warmth in his hand. He found himself thinking on the way back, that there were a lot of things he lacked and the goal he was after was said to be insane and greedy. But he was putting himself through all these challenges to earn what he was after. Greed was an excess; the others were too, in their own ways.

Once the soul flame rested in the basin, the coral dungeon turned into bubbles. Twin Fang brought both of its heads close by, keeping its body far off. "You are a horrible person for making a fool out of me like that."

Link still had his diving mouthpiece on, so he shook his head. They were out to control him as well. However, they had no chance of being anything but evil.

Twin Fang snorted with one head. "It should be a sin to be so selfless, I think. You bring yourself all kinds of pain and suffering for an intangible reward when all the people you're defending will live far better off than you because of your actions. Unfortunately, our creator didn't see things that way at first and we have no peer like that." The head that wasn't speaking gritted its teeth. "So then… you've passed my trial… and that of all the others… and..." it grumbled in trying to hold out, but the compulsion was greater. "And I, Twin Fang born of greed, submit my will to yours." It turned to orange light to return to the artifact, but it got in one last thing. "You had best use us to wreck Demise; that will be the only thing that makes this worth it."

That was a part of his plans. Link readied himself to return to the normal world and swim back out to short. He wasn't sure if he could get on Balrog from in the water. However, the waters around him transformed into the silent temple that had appeared a few times. The seven basins with the soul flames were sitting in an open plaza outside the grand white building. The light was strange here, but not like it had been in the trials. Instead, it was a dreamy sunlight which was warm and somehow compassionate.

Taking off his breathing mask now that he didn't need it, Link looked around the plaza. Was there something else he needed to do here? He looked at the temple again and felt like he should know this place. Some birds being singing nearby, in a green wilderness that was more pastoral than dangerous. Colorful little birds in a place of peace, pure waters… his mind flickered through times disconnected from his. This was the Sacred Realm.

Light footsteps came down the stairs from the temple. He turned and saw someone as familiar as this place. "Hello, Link," Zelda said happily, beaming with a warm smile. "It's nice to see that you made it here! Those were some rough challenges from the dragons."

"I'm glad I got through them," he said, not feeling as nervous as he usually felt on speaking to people new to him. "But, you're not the Zelda I know." For one thing, she had golden blond hair instead of silver white.

"Right, I'm not," she said, thinking through something seriously. That brought up some worry, causing her to bring her hands to her chest. "She got your letter, but she's still angry at you. She says she won't forgive you."

So even if people like the Mulberry citizens were willing to look past the accusations, she would still be a problem. "Ah, I thought that might happen."

"Are you willing to forgive her for that? And other problems she's caused you?"

Link nodded. "Yes, she's lost much that was important to her in all this, like many others have suffered. If I must, I'll leave Hyrule if she remains that upset over me. Though I'd rather avoid it; the kids back in Taven are expecting me to come back home."

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that!" Zelda came up and took his arm, leading him into the circle of flames. "You've chosen a path that wasn't foreseen, a dangerous one. But you've grown much in the past few months, into a better person."

"There's still more I could improve on," he said.

She chuckled at that, stepping back from him. "We all could. For now, I wanted to recognize what you've done in overcoming the trials of the Septdraco. Raise your left hand, please."

Nodding, he did as she asked. The Triforce of Courage shone bright there, right before a powerful feeling swept over him. He may have overcome the sins of these dragons now, but resisting temptations and weaknesses was a lifelong endeavor. Even so, he was willing to do so to keep working towards a happy life. With that feeling, the marking on his hand changed. Two of the triangles were filled in instead of one.

"The Triforce of Wisdom?" he asked, bringing his hand down to make sure he saw that right. Then he looked to Zelda. "It left her?"

She nodded. "It's disappointing. As I said, she is angry at you and even though you explained your reasons, she has not accepted them yet. She has made several decisions and statements that were ill-fitting to the bearer of Wisdom. Since her wisdom was slipping, that anger made the Triforce depart her and seek you out instead."

On one hand, that made things simpler for him. Still, "I hope she can learn from that."

"Yes, I hope so too."

The regulars at the Torn Sail watched, of course. There hadn't been much to see, first due to the slamming waves and then due to the young fellow dragging Twin Fang underwater somehow. But after a short time, the whirlpool slowed down into a mess of waves. A shaft of golden light appeared briefly where the whirlpool had been. The bay began settling down then, peaceful for the moment.

"Looks like he actually pulled it off," one of the fishermen said.

"Seems so," another said. "I don't see why we had to get dragged into this fight over Hyrule, but at least their hero took care of the dragon for us."

"They've been nothing but a headache; we were just fine on their own."

"If you've got time to be bellyaching, then you've got time to be out checking the boats for heading out tomorrow," the fisherman with crutches said. The others all nodded in respect for him. Looking out to where the whirlpool was, he added on, "Though, don't all those legends say that after their hero shows up and kills the villain, then Hyrule will enter a golden age of peace and prosperity afterwards? In that case maybe it'd be better for us to be considered part of Hyrule now that he has his last fight in front of him."

Some of the others laughed. "Well now, that might make all this mess worthwhile."

The one on crutches nodded. "In that case, somebody with a good boat ought to go out and see if they can't find him. Show him some of Laverre's hospitality and all."

While a number of them still had repairs to do, there were a few boats that were safe for taking out into the bay now that Twin Fang was gone. The waters did not rise up against them, settling into their natural flows. Link was quickly found, treading at the surface and tired enough that he would have had trouble getting to shore. As proof that the bay was safe again, his glove artifact now had seven colored rings all linked together.

On the fisher's pier, he declined being bought some drinks and simply asked where he could get a room for the night. Being a city that thrived on trade, there were a number of inns around. But all the fishermen agreed that the best place was the one with excellent cooks for innkeepers; they made a terrific breakfast for starting a day's work on.

The one with crutches offered to show him the way since he couldn't help as much with the repairs. The whole while, Link had his eyes on the ground ahead, seemingly deep in thought. "You seem awful serious now." While he nodded, he didn't say anything to that. "Got your mind on the next battle?"

"Yes," he said. "It should be the last; I'm counting on him."

The fisherman had thought that the legends that storytellers told were all inflated, that nobody could be like the ideal hero that all the kids idolized. Humans were just too flawed to be that great. But right then, and even back when Link had first showed up in the bar, he could see an inner strength and unflinching courage in the young man. He was human all the same, that much was clear in the weariness that slowed him down now. Seeing that a hero could be real made him see things in a new light. Such selflessness was achievable, and perhaps what was needed to make things a little better.