Chapter Twelve
Red Threads
"Yes, it is a girl, yes, we named her Zelda and Goddesses, Ciela, I told you all of this in my letter!" Link cries, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Tetra simply gives him a bemused look from her seat beside him.
Ciela giggles shamelessly, "I know! But it's so different hearing from the new parents!" She tilts her head down to coo at the newest royal in her arms.
"I've never really gotten the whole 'let's fawn over the ridiculously small and wrinkled creature' thing." Linebeck looks at Zelda drooling in Ciela's arms, grimacing. Then he catches Tetra glaring at him from the opposite couch. "She's still a very beautiful small and wrinkled creature, however." He hastily inserts, raising his hands up in surrender.
"Linebeck, you know it's going to be exactly like this when we have own child," Ciela interjects, giving Linebeck a look before standing up to hand Zelda back to Tetra.
Linebeck scoffs. "Not with my genetics she won't."
"Okay, now you're just being a moron." Ciela says. "Wait, I take that back... You're always a moron."
"I take offense to that."
"Good."
"Anyway!" Link hastily interjects, before the conversation between the engaged couple escalated any further. "Ciela, you had mentioned that you two would be staying at Farqay awhile in your response of my letter. I'm curious on why."
"I'm curious as well. The island doesn't seem to have much to it." Tetra says.
Ciela glances to Linebeck, a smirk replacing the aggravated look. "Do you want to tell them? Or shall I?"
Linebeck waves a hand in the air. "Hell, I'll tell them." Linebeck looks at Link and Tetra. "Farqay may not seem like much but it does have the honor of where yours truly grew up." He gestures around. "This house was my home in the old days."
Link's mouth pops open while Tetra only seems mildly surprised. "This where you grew up?!" Link exclaims.
Linebeck rolls his eyes, snorting. "Don't make such a big deal about it, Kid."
"Says the dramatic captain who freaked when we discovered the nest of snakes in the sun-room." Ciela puts in, examining her empty mug. "And made his wife-to-be run to the ship, retrieve her sword and come back to hack their heads off.
"Hey those things were huge and most likely poisonous." Linebeck says, pointing a finger at Ciela.
Ciela simply rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ciela gives a look to Link and Tetra who were laughing at the banter. "Anyway, Linebeck and I, with the majority being done by me while I yell at him to get lazy ass up before I wallop him with a broom, have been cleaning the place."
Settling down already?" Tetra comments, raising an eyebrow.
Linebeck points a finger at the pirate captain. "Settling down is a long ways off."
"But when we finally decide to, it will be nice to have be somewhere where it's not so cramped." Ciela adds on.
"What? The S.S. Linebeck not good enough for you?' Linebeck snipes at Ciela.
"For the two of us, it's perfect." Ciela says, spreading her hands. "But when we start a family, I do not want my future child potentially falling off the deck and into the waters below."
"Okay, first off, any child of mine will know how to swim before they can walk." Linebeck states, glaring at Ciela. "And secondly-"
"How 'bout you guys show us around the house?" Tetra interrupts. "Because as amusing it is watching you two banter, I'm curious about this place."
Linebeck turns his aggravated look to Tetra. "Are you demanding that I show you around my home?"
"Yes."
Linebeck rolls his eyes, pushing himself off the couch. "What the hell, why not?"
Ciela follows suit. "But do be forewarned, only the first floor has been really cleaned. The second and third have barely been scratched."
"Please, I have seen worse." Link interjects. "Besides, it's not like you're going to have skeletons laying around."
Linebeck momentarily freezes, before shaking it off. He gives a noncommittal grunt however, before motioning for the three to follow. "Not much to show, but let's start."
When the five of them finally reached the third floor, Linebeck had barely spoken, only explaining what room was what. Ciela ended up doing the most talking, telling Link and Tetra how they planned go about cleaning the rooms.
Upon reaching the third floor, Link's eyes immediately narrows on one specific area, or specifically, the bullet hole bored into Linebeck's bedroom door.
"Linebeck... What the hell is a bullet hole doing in your house?" Link slowly asks.
Immediately, the hallway plunges into an icy silence. Linebeck visibly tenses, eyes growing stony. Ciela bites her lip in worriment over Linebeck's reaction while Link started looking stricken at Linebeck's reaction to the question.
After what seem like ages, Linebeck looks up to the ceiling, barely relaxing. "Guess you'll only find out sooner or later." He mummers, more to himself than to the other occupants in the room. He turns around to face Link and Tetra.
"I haven't set foot in this house, hell, even on the island, in over thirteen years. And the reason for that all deals with the man who put that bullet hole there." Linebeck says, emotions heavily guarded.
"And who might that man be?" Tetra evenly inquires, face equally set.
"My father." Linebeck states, eyes growing steely.
If even possible, the room seems to plunge into an even deeper silence. Link seems to be at a loss for words while Tetra softly curses, looking at Linebeck. Ciela remains looking to Linebeck, sensing that the last time he has told someone of his past must have been when he told her, eight years ago now.
If someone was looking from a distance, Linebeck gave off an air of looseness. However, with closer examination, you could see the way his shoulders drew up into himself, his body having locked up, and his eyes still remaining like steel. Much like how the captain had held himself before. Though, Ciela noted a new emotion lurked in Linebeck's eyes.
Pure, Raw, fury.
Ciela briefly wonders about the new emotion before internally kicking herself. "He was informed only two months ago that his sister had been killed by Jolon and found a month after Linebeck had left. Of course he would be angry."
Hearing Link begin speaking, Ciela gives herself an internal shake to break herself out of her thoughts.
"What had happened?" Link asks, putting himself into king mode so he wouldn't let his emotions deter Linebeck from telling them.
It seems to take forever for Linebeck to speak, but soon, he begins the tale he had told to Ciela so many years ago.
The farther Linebeck got into his history, the more Link's face became stony and Tetra's eyes began also filling with fury. When Linebeck reaches the part where he had come home to a murder scene, he briefly cut himself off. Here, Ciela took Linebeck's hand, gently rubbing her thumb over his hand, letting him know she was there. Linebeck took a breath and carried on until nearly reaching the end, excluding at the moment the newly learned knowledge of Linette's demise.
"If I had been here that night, and not with Max, Jolon probably would have simply shot all of us and be done with it." Linebeck finishes.
At these words, Ciela reflexly grips Linebeck's hand, realizing how close they had come to never knowing the moronic captain. Linebeck only squeezes in return, not looking to Ciela. Tetra lets out a stream of curses while Link looked like figure set in stone, eyes ablaze much like his wife's.
"So for the past thirteen years, you have been searching for your sister?" Link says. "How goes the search?"
Linebeck tenses up even more at Link's question. He pulls himself out of Ciela's grip and escapes down the steps with a muttered "Excuse me."
Link's stony facade cracks and he goes to follow Linebeck, only to be stopped by Ciela quickly grabbing his arm. Tetra shifts Zelda to a more comfortable position, before looking to Ciela. Distantly, they hear the back door open and shut.
"What has happened?" Tetra asks, sensing that something had changed.
Ciela leans against the wall, letting go of Link's arm. "The night we arrived, Linebeck had been informed that... " she pauses, brushing back loose strands of her hair, before continuing. "That Linette's body had been found only a month after Linebeck had left."
Link looked like he was about to be sick. "So all those years he has spent searching... was hopeless from the start?"
Ciela only mutely nods in response, eyes gazing down the stairwell.
"Well, that's fucked up." Tetra simply states, closing her eyes and shaking her head.
"And no one thought to let Linebeck know?" Link asked.
Ciela gives up a little half-hearted shrug. "It's kinda hard to tell someone that their twin sibling is dead in a letter. They didn't know where he was, and I don't think anyone expected him to be gone for over thirteen years."
Link reluctantly nods his agreement. "I know I wouldn't want to get news of Aryll having died in a letter." Link rests a fist against the wall opposite of Ciela. "I had wondered why Linebeck had seemed somber today." Then, he lets out a shout and punches the wall hard enough to cause nearby picture frames to rattle against the wall. Ciela jumps, not expecting this and Zelda begins fussing.
Tetra shoots her husband an aggravated glare. "Was that really necessary?" She walks down the steps, trying to soothe Zelda back to sleep. Link doesn't move a muscle, head bowed and fist hanging a few inches above his head.
Ciela takes a few slow steps towards Link. She places a hand on his shoulder, expression worried. She didn't expect her former partner to take the news this hard, to the point of scaring his daughter and not be immediately tripping over himself to apologize.
She starts to open her mouth to speak, but Link beats her to it, voice low and loaded with anguish.
"Around four months into my quest, I met this man at the Windfall Bar. I started talking to him, because I was eleven, and he looked like he needed help, and I was trying to save the world and help everyone I met along the way. It took some time, but I finally got him to open up. He went on about this really special treasure that he had lost to some man. Even my eleven year old self knew he was full of bullshit and talking about something more than some treasure, but matters more important presented themselves and I had to leave the man. But I was determined to find him again and pry out what he was really talking about. Then, of course, help solve his predicament.
"But I could never find him again. and before long, I was traveling with Tetra in search of a land for New Hyrule," Link gives a snort. "Who would have guessed I would have found him in a different world, but not recognize him?" Further dropping of his shoulders. "Looks like my offer of help will always go unfulfilled."
Ciela's eyes widen. "Linebeck..." She breathes, sensing that the captain and hero had met before the Phantom Quest. She draws back from Link, raising up one eyebrow. "How did you not recognize him?"
Link finally straightens, giving a shrug of his shoulders. "Bar was dimly lit and he didn't have his coat or vest on that he wore most of the quest, other than that, I never even gave a thought that they might have been the same person until Linebeck telling us about Linette and I realized the look in his eyes was the same in the man I had met."
Ciela remains silent for a few moments before finally stating. "Well, no wonder it took us so long to figure out which Anouki was the impostor with a memory like that."
Link blinks at Ciela a few moments before his mouth drops open. "Take that back!" He exclaims, trying to look angry. He fails and soon cracks up into laughter, Ciela joining in. At once, the mood in the hallway lightens considerably as the pair laughs.
As Ciela finally calms down a bit, she notices Link began cradling the hand that punched the wall. She narrows her eyes in suspicion before gently snatching the hand to examine it closer, ignoring Link's surprised sputtering. Her lips purse at the bleeding and bruised knuckles. Her annoyance is familiar from whenever she would find him injured after a battle and he wouldn't immediately let anyone know about it. Then Ciela would see it and have to go to Linebeck to make sure his wounds were properly cleaned and bandaged.
"Downstairs to the couch and stay there until after I have joined you, cleaned and bandaged your hand." She orders, pointing down the steps.
Link gives her an incredulous look. "Ciela, I can take care of my own scrapes, thank you very much! And besides, it'll be fine." He snatches back his hand and immediately proves himself wrong by giving a pain-filled wince.
Ciela simply gives Link a flat look, not buying his words. She gestures down the steps again. "I hear words coming out of your mouth, but all I want to hear is the sound of your boots hitting the steps."
Link childishly sticks his tongue out at her before finally doing what Ciela ordered him to. Ciela allows herself a self-satisfied smirk before following Link, feeling very good about the fact that she didn't have to run to Linebeck to make sure Link was properly taken care of.
Some time later, the former fairy is seated indian style before the young king, finishing up with dabbing at the raw skin with medical alcohol. Tetra is stretched out along the couch, Zelda sleeping on her chest. Ciela leans over to set the bottle with the first aid kit laid out on the floor. Just at the moment, the back door snaps shut, causing Ciela to drop the bottle and swear loudly as the liquid spilled everywhere, causing the strong smell of the alcohol to pervade the room.
Ciela glances over the sofa and glares at Linebeck. "Great job, moron!" She snaps, unfolding herself to gingerly step around the wet floor and make her way to the kitchen.
Linebeck grimaces at the smell. "So who got into the fight this time?" He asks, looking between Ciela, Link and Tetra.
Link raises up his hand, giving a sheepish smile. "I guess you could say that was me."
With a dirty rag in hand, Ciela returns to the living room area and kneels in front of the spill. "Link decided to fight the wall, and the wall won, to say the least." She puts, while mopping up the mess.
Linebeck quirks an eyebrow at Link. "Pray tell why, kid."
"I was, and still am, upset about the news with your sister, and also upset with myself with never recognizing you as the man I met in the Windfall Bar during my quest in the Great Sea." Link says.
Linebeck starts, blinking in surprise as he tries to process the information. He then narrows his eyes and raises up a finger. "Kid, I am certain that our first encounter with each other was in that damn temple. Because I know that we never met in the Windfall Bar."
"Well, I am certain that you were drunk and steadily getting drunker. To the point where you would have no memory of the night before." Link counters.
Linebeck opens his mouth, but Ciela cuts him off. "Well, what I'm certain is that I still need to bandage your hand." She plops herself back down in front of Link and takes back his hand, beginning to wrap gauze around it. "And what Link is saying sounds about right. If you were drunk, and only got drunker, you wouldn't have that great of remembrance of him."
Linebeck throws his hands up into the air. "Look, I know I spent one night at the Windfall Bar that yes, I don't have that great remembrance of. But the only thing I remember is some kid's voice telling me that he help me find some treasure-" Linebeck cuts himself off and looks to see three identically raised eyebrows at him. He slowly puts down his arms. "And now, a pair of eyes that had the gaze of a man, but on a boy's face."
Silence pervaded the room as quickly as the smell of alcohol had, as Linebeck makes his way to be sitting beside Ciela's backside.
"Well, seems like the red threads of fate like to really wrap themselves around us." Tetra simply comments, rubbing her thumb gently down Zelda's back.
"So it seems..." Ciela mummers. She finishes tying the bandage around Link's knuckles, before stating that he was free. She then leans backwards against Linebeck, who doesn't even remark on it.
"So, Kid, why exactly are you angry that you never recognized me?" Linebeck inquires, looking over Ciela's head.
Link looks down at his bandaged hands. "It's the fact that... I said I was going to help you with that 'treasure' and I never did."
"Link. Let's get one thing straight." Linebeck starts. "You were what? Eleven, when we met? I wasn't going to tell a kid that my father had killed my mother and kidnapped my sister. I may have been a dirty coward, asshole, and drunkard... But I wasn't going to be a guy who destroyed childhood innocence."
Link opened his mouth to protest but is cut off by Linebeck. "Don't even try to argue, Kid. You can't save everyone, alright? Especially the people who have been dead for thirteen years. You try to take the safety of everyone on your shoulders... you gonna fall and people will go down with you. Think about the fact that you're a king. One day, you and Tetra are going to make some pretty hefty decisions that people will get saved by... and some people are going to get hurt by. What you're gonna have to do, is choose whether or not you're gonna let that choice affect you in the long run."
Silence falls over the group after Linebeck finishes speaking, still looking at Link unblinking. The young king stares back as if he couldn't recognized the man before him. Tetra twisted her head to be also looking at the captain, looking at him in a new light. Ciela's eyes stared, unfocused, on the threading of the couch, trying to process the words Linebeck had spoken.
"When the hell did you become so profound?" Ciela exclaims, shooting up and twisting her upper body to be properly looking at Linebeck.
Linebeck's look switches to Ciela, becoming flat in the process. "I am always profound with my words. And now with my life experience, I get the added bonus of finding out a thirteen year search that led me all over two worlds was useless a month in. It made me have to look back and see if it was still worth it. That what I gained from it was better than what could have happened if I simply ended up staying a month, and being there when they all found out."
"And... is it?" Ciela slowly says, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Linebeck smirks. He lifts up a hand to gently cup Ciela's chin. "Of course, Sparkles. I got you, don't I? And as infuriating and headstrong as you can be... I wouldn't ever want to lose the chance to have met you."
Ciela raises one eyebrow. "So who are you and what have you done with Linebeck?"
"Bah, Sparkles!" Linebeck exclaims, grabbing a pillow and swinging it around to wallop her upper chest. Ciela grabs it and yanks it away, laughing. She then leans towards Linebeck, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. "I wouldn't either." She whispers.
"Good to know the love is alive and well between you two." Tetra dryly comments.
Ciela snorts, breaking off the kiss. Linebeck makes a face and simply draws Ciela closer to him. "Thanks for ruining that, Princess."
Ciela rolls her eyes and looks at Tetra and sleeping Zelda. "So, how is motherhood treating you?"
The afternoon quickly passes into evening as the group caught up with each other over the events that had occurred over the last time they saw each other.
Ciela carries the dishes from dinner and places them into the kitchen sink (she sends up a prayer to the goddesses that they had gotten the plumbing hooked up). As she begins washing them, she glances out the window while picking up one plate to scrub. Her stomach gives an unpleasant turn and Ciela grimaces, hoping that she just ate something weird and it wasn't because of any nasties in the forest.
Despite having her powers taken from her, Ciela still had residues of her magic. Mainly the ability of sensing evil beings, which resulted in the form of an upset stomach. Little monsters, like chuchus or keese didn't trip it, but big monsters would.
Ciela tries to ignore it by glancing out the window. However, she lets out a gasp and drops the plate in her hand. The plate shatters, alerting the others in the living room and bringing them running into the kitchen.
"Ciela! Is everything alright?" Link exclaims, eyes wide.
The ex-fairy ignores them however, choosing instead to snatch up the sword mentioned earlier (it hadn't been brought back to the ship) and throw open the back door, dashing out into the forest.
"Fantastic. She screams for no reason, then her next choice of action is to run out into the yard with a sword." Linebeck mutters. "Not like the locals already think she's a slightly crazy badass." None the less, he follows Ciela.
Ciela stands at the end of the yard, staring intently into the forest, her sword raised and steady in her hand. Her face is set in stony concern. Even as she first dashed out the door, she could hear footsteps already crashing away into the forest, figure obscured by the darkness.
"Alright, Sparkles. What the hell is going on?" Linebeck inquires, coming up behind her, giving her a weird look.
"I thought I saw something... or someone lurking outside, in the brush." Ciela mummers, not releasing her stance. "And my slight ability to sense evil nearby? It's started a few moments before I looked out the window."
Ciela relaxes her stance but not her face as the unpleasant feeling in her stomach fades to nothing, letting the tip of the sword sink towards the ground.
At this point, Link, Tetra and Zelda have joined the two.
"Is everything alright?" Link inquiries for a second time.
"I want to say yes, since whatever it was is gone..." Ciela says.
Linebeck crosses his arms. "However, whatever it was, Sparkle's sixth sense was set off because of it."
"So there's something scary and nasty on the island." Tetra states, gently bouncing her daughter.
"Whatever it is, Linebeck and I can handle it, along with the other residents of the island." Ciela replies. She turns back to the royals. "Now you three should be heading back to you kingdom for Zelda official introduction to the country as it's princess? We've kept you long enough."
"We do, but there is one more thing." Link turns to Linebeck. "Jolon is still out there, and from what you've told me of him, he could come back and attack you and Ciela. So after Zelda's ceremony, I'm putting out a bounty on Jolon's head."
"His sorry ass will be wanted in all corners of this ocean." Tetra interjects.
Linebeck looks at the royal family in surprise. "Kid... " He starts, then just cuts himself off and nods his agreement.
"If he does come back, though." Ciela thinks, internally, looking back out into the forest. "That bounty will become irrelevant."
"Because I'll kill him first."
...
Jolon swears as he stalks down the hallways of the ruined temple. The light from his torch flickers over the ruins, throwing his shadow over the rubble, causing it to become almost monstrous.
That bitch almost saw him! Plus, she then had enough gall to try and go after him. Jolon had no doubt that if she had really gotten a good look at him, she would have chased him to the ends of the seas.
He saw it in her eyes, in the small glance he got of them before having to escape into the forest. She knew that Jolon was out there. Maybe not him exactly... but someone. That fact had the potential to wreck everything Jolon had carefully planned if he didn't act fast and carefully.
Jolon opens the door to Linette's prison, the torch light washing over her. She sits on the stone bed, staring up at the night sky. At the door opening, she turns her head and squints against the light. She pushes herself off the bed, keeping her eyes trained onto Jolon.
"What do you want?" Linette snaps, crossing her arms.
Jolon ignores her, placing the torch in the one holder in the room. "It seems... that the finale of our time together will be drawing to a close. I'm thinking tomorrow night will bring the end of our long history together."
Linette starts. "What?" She exclaims, uncrossing her arms.
"Linebeck better treasure the day he has tomorrow with his fiancee, because it will be his last."
"You said that you would give them more time." Linette cried, advancing towards Jolon, hands curling into fists. "You promised that you would give him more time!-"
Jolon sharply backhands Linette, sending her sprawling onto the stone floor. Linette hisses in pain at the skin on her hands being peeled off by the stone.
"I promised no such thing." Jolon seethes. "But, it seems I have given Ciela less credit than she is due. She was nearly alerted to my presence this night."
"Maybe you're just getting slow, old man." Linette spits, eyes flashing with amusement. "Maybe there's more to Little Bro's girl than I thought..."
However, Jolon doesn't share her amusement. His mouth twists into an ugly snarl and Jolon swoops down upon Linette. He grabs her throat, lifting her up and slamming her in the wall. Linette struggles, one foot hitting the door, causing it to start closing again.
Star appear in Linette's eyes when her head cracks against the wall. She blinks them away and tries to remain defiantly glaring at Jolon. Her nails claw at his wrists, but to no avail, even while leaving red welts behind.
"Do you need another lesson in how to hold your tongue?" Jolon growls. He tightens his grip on her throat. "Do you?!"
Black begins creeping into Linette's vision, and she knows she would have to give in.
"No. no!" Linette rasps out, trying to shake her head no. She loosens her grip on Jolon's wrists, letting them drop to her sides in defeat.
Jolon smirks, and lets go of Linette, letting her collapse into a heap onto the floor. He begins to back away and turn to leave.
"Please... just go..." Linette whimpers in her head, rubbing at her throat. She watches Jolon's boots move, and then pause. Her blood runs cold as she sees what was now on display.
Jolon stares at the image of Linebeck sketched onto the stone for what feels like an eternity. He slowly turns back to Linette, the torch light giving his eyes a demonic flicker.
"What the hell is that?" Jolon says, face blank.
Linette swallows, trying to find words. They fail her and Linette ends up only swallowing down bile.
"You seen him, haven't you?" Jolon states. He begins advancing back towards Linette. "HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO HIM?!"
"No!" Linette exclaims back, trying to escape.
Jolon is much quicker however, and he yanks Linette up by her hair, causing her to scream in pain.
"I sw-swear!" Linette stammers out, trying to find her footing to relieve her pain. "I only saw him once. Goddesses, please!"
"The Goddesses can't save you, so why plead to them?" Jolon hisses into her ear. He grabs Linette's arm and twists it behind her, until a nasty crack is heard.
Outside the temple, Linette's screams echo in the dark forest.
An unknown time later, Linette blearily comes to, her body screaming in pain every time she so much as twitched. The stone floor beneath her feels sticky and the taste of iron invades her mouth. In the low light of the moon, Linette can see her right arm laying at an unnatural angle. She tries to twitch her fingers, but nothing occurs.
With a low moan, Linette forces her head to look at the doorway, trying to ignore the spasms of pain that dart along her body. She grits her teeth at the feeling of her face peeling up from the floor. Once she has turned her face, Linette sets back down her face, fighting against the blackness. The door is firmly shut, and the image of her brother-
The image of her brother had been smeared and scribbled over, rendering Linette's work to nothing. Next to the ruined work was a single sentence from Jolon.
If Linette could have cursed and screamed without bringing more pain, she would. However, the young woman could only croak out faint whispers of noise while weeping, her tears make tracks down along her bloody and grimy face. Linette continues to read the words until the blackness again over comes her and she succumes to unconsinces, Jolon's words being the last thing in her head.
"Tomorrow, it all ends."
...
*rises from the ground* I LIVVVVVVE...
Hey-yo everyone! It's been a while hasn't it? Almost a year since my last update, geeze. Sorry for that, life just took over in a tidal wave and my muse fled from me. So for the longest time, I had no motivation for this chapter. But! In due time, my muse for SARF returned and I have a three chapter update lined up for you all. This update will firmly take us into the climax (not written yet) so hopefully I will have SARF finished in good time.
So the chapter! No more fear ladies, and gentlemen, this is the last chapter of nothing really much happening. (as far as you guys know... hehehehe) Next time we're back in the present, the climax begins. I thought this chapter was going to be short... then it just flew away from and became thirteen pages. *sigh* So, Jolon is going to finally stop hiding in the shadows and the royal linage has been continued. :D
I'll see you all in the next chapter, where we meet with a certain redhead fortune teller.
~Roses