Chapter 4: Pep Talk

…

The Island Sonata shuddered as it dropped out of the Sky Line, forcing Link to wrap his arms around the banister to the steps leading up to the bridge. Then he climbed up and said to Line, "I'll take the helm. Set the braces."

"Aye, sir," Line replied with a nod. As he stepped away, he added, "Keep an eye out for the Sailwind; they dropped a little close to us."

As Link took the helm, he looked around until he saw the Sailwind, a three-masted schooner similar to the Island Sonata, higher up on the stern and slightly off to starboard. After surveying the air off to port, he double-checked that the engine throttle was up to full and steered to port to give the Sailwind more room. He saw the Grand Sails hovering about the bow as he turned, but it only flew one signal flag telling both schooners to dock. From there, Link knew that he had free reign over what the Island Sonata did, and he had to admit to the temptation of sailing about Castle Island for a few minutes before docking. But then he remembered Captain Alfonzo telling him that he was not technically a recognized skipper yet, and he thought it might not be a good idea. So he steered towards the island and kept a steady course as Line bustled about the weather deck in front of him.

Castle Island was the most massive of the known islands. The Grand Sails appeared massive compared to the Island Sonata, but the island could easily bear five hundred Grand Sails. The wharf area on the edge of the island that they approached docked over twenty ships on a regular day, which was not even half of the "shoreline" that the island sported when the floating docks were taken into account. Warehouses divided the wharf from the rest of the city, which consisted mostly of one- or two-story houses and shops dotting an incredible network of stone streets large enough for carriage travel. Mixed with the small buildings were patches of natural green, trees and grass areas that had been brought from different areas of Hyrule and planted in Castle Town for those who missed their homelands.

But perhaps the most remarkable part of Castle Town was the towering structure on the very heart of the island that was Hyrule Castle. A five-story wall surrounded the castle, each guard station aiming a fifteen-foot cannon aimed over the town with the idea of sinking airships in mind. The castle itself stood six times higher than the wall with a pair of smaller towers behind the central tower. From Link's perspective, the whole castle appeared to be made of large slabs of white stone polished into a glassy surface, casting a white shadow on the town. From here, he could see panes of stained glass, although he could not quite make out the shapes they depicted. He could feel his heart racing, almost as if he had been awakened to the fact that he would be crossing the threshold of that very castle in only a few moments.

He had to shake himself out of his stunned gaze and adjusted the Island Sonata's altitude so that he was level with the docks. The Grand Sails had not hoisted anymore signal flags, so Link steered the ship towards the closest dock and brought down the engine's throttle. Parking an airship was difficult, as one had to know exactly how long his vessel was. Link began to realize the amount of confidence Captain Alfonzo must have had in him as he found himself a little panicked by the sudden bustle of control pulls and minor corrections he had to make in order to dock. Docking a ship at Skyrider Port was a simple task of pulling the ship above an open space, cutting the engine, stowing the sails, and lowering altitude just enough for an airman to throw the rear mooring lines at the dock. But the wharf at Castle Island was trickier since the wind favored blowing away from the port, making the schooner sail plan of the Island Sonata somewhat awkward if the sails were still open. And indeed, Line had not been able to close the sails yet, instead standing on the port side with a mooring line in his arms. Link would have to steer the ship as close to the dock as he could without smashing into it so that Line could toss the rope to a docker waiting near one of the anchoring spurs. Line would have to throw a lot of rope, and the docker would need to be very swift tying the mooring or else the wind would push the Island Sonata out of reach.

As the ship came closer to the dock, Link was suddenly struck with an idea. He cut the engine and spun the helm hard to port. The booms on all three masts swung to starboard with surprising force, rocking the ship. Link knew that with the engine cut after the ship had already been slowed, the Island Sonata would fall into a drift with what was left of the push delivered by the engine, which would eventually disappear because of the braking ability of the single jib still open at the front of the ship. The bow spun towards the dock, and Line quickly hauled the mooring rope further towards the front. The docker chased Line and had to reach out for the mooring line to catch it. He ran to the nearest spur and wrapped the mooring around it as fast as he could. He knotted it, but the mooring took longer to tighten than expected. Line ran back towards the rear of the ship and threw another mooring to the same docker. He nearly missed the dock, but the docker grabbed it and got it around another spur. The wind started pushing the ship away, but the mooring lines held it in place.

Link spun the wheel back to center so the booms were parallel with the gaffs again. Then he grabbed a control lever and pulled it back to lock the helm in place. The ship tilted slightly, but the breeze was not strong enough to capsize the ship.

He was walking down the stairs as Line removed a section of the bulwark. "Nice idea, Link," Line told him, setting the piece next to the hole. "But next time, make sure you warn me."

Link grinned at him and scanned the ships in front of them. "I'll try," he answered when he found the Grand Sails further ahead of them. "I'm going to see if Captain Alfonzo needs me to make any preparations before going to the castle."

"Hey, Link," Line quickly called as Link prepared to step onto the gangplank being slid into the opening in the bulwark. He stopped and turned to Line, who had begun to untie the throat halyard of the main sail. "You have to tell me about her when you get back."

Link blinked at his friend for a moment. "Who?" he asked.

The rope Line was untying nearly slipped out of his hands when he unwound it. "Who do you think?" Line snapped at him, using his weight to keep the sail from collapsing too fast. "The princess!"

"Oh, right," Link replied as a couple of airmen from the Grand Sails crossed the gangplank.

The airman at the head of the line stopped short of stepping onto the deck and saluted Link. "Permission to come aboard, skipper," he said.

Link almost saluted with the wrong hand again and quickly corrected himself as he answered, "Permission granted, airman." He stood aside as the airmen boarded and bustled about, helping Line lower the sails. Link nodded to himself and stepped onto the gangplank.

He crossed the gangplank onto the dock and gave the docker a right-handed salute as he walked by. Link's feet fell into a leisurely stroll as he walked past the few ships docked between the Island Sonata and the Grand Sails. He took up an attentive stance next to the gangplank and saluted with his left hand when Captain Alfonzo stepped onto the gangplank.

For a moment, however, Link had to stare at the captain just to make sure it was him. Captain Alfonzo had always been known among the company skippers as the big guy wearing a blood-red longcoat and a whip where his tongue should be. But as he stepped down the gangplank, Link saw that the captain's usual outfit had changed significantly. He still wore the white trousers, but he had switched the longcoat for a faded, green tunic held tight against his waist by a leather belt with an anchor-shaped buckle. And it looked like he had washed his beard and brushed it.

The captain's meaty paw tapped his forehead as he addressed Link, "At ease, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir," Link replied, although his only movement was dropping his salute.

Captain Alfonzo's eyes combed over Link's messy, blond hair for a moment. He licked a couple of his fingers and pulled down on a stray lock sticking up from Link's head. "That's a little more presentable," he remarked. Then his hand tugged the shoulder of Link's blue tunic. "You'll have to take this off."

Link blinked at Captain Alfonzo. "Here? Now?" he asked.

"No need to be shy, Link," Alfonzo replied. "You have an undersuit on, right?"

Link nodded and leaned forward to pull the tunic off. He felt a little strange wearing only his trousers over his wool undersuit. Draping the tunic over one arm, he pushed down his hair.

Captain Alfonzo clapped a hand on Link's shoulder. "Let's go then," he said, pushing Link along as he started across the dock.

Link shivered a few times as they walked. With such high altitude, people often had to wear an additional layer or two as they walked in open air. And Link's small body did not have the same amount of natural protection as his captain had. He covered both arms with his tunic and shrugged his shoulders against the cold he felt.

When they reached a major road, Captain Alfonzo hailed a horse-drawn carriage. After dropping a handful of blue rupees into the driver's hand and giving a destination, he opened the door and ushered Link inside. Captain Alfonzo sat in the rear seat with his arms stretched across the back, his legs crossed to give him an air of comfort and relaxation which Link had only ever seen when the captain was in his cabin. Somehow, this made Link nervous, sitting straight up in the rear-facing front seat with his eyes on the boot Captain Alfonzo pushed against the wood panel under the seat. The carriage bounced and rocked as it moved, and, for a moment, only the sound of hooves clapping against the stone road dominated the inside of the carriage.

"Is there a scuff down there, Lieutenant?" Captain Alfonzo finally asked.

Link's glance snapped up to look at the captain. "Sir?" he asked in a confounded tone.

"You're staring at my boots," Alfonzo answered, looking down at the boot and twisting it to look for the focus of Link's eyes. "Makes me think that shiner boy missed something this morning."

Link shook his head, still looking confused. "No, sir."

Alfonzo gave the boot a deeper frown. "Oh." Silence followed for another moment, in which Link's glance fell on the dirty window of the carriage. So the captain crossed his arms and casually said, "If you don't tell me what's on your mind, I'm gonna beat it out of you."

Link stiffened as he looked back at the captain. "S-sorry, sir," he replied. "I… I just…"

"You've got the words, boy," Captain Alfonzo demanded in a loud tone, "use them."

Link jumped in response and spoke in an alarmed tone. "Y-yes, sir. I-I was just…" He sighed and calmed himself down. "I'm a little worried about… being promoted."

Captain Alfonzo's body jerked when a measure of amusement touched him. "That's not much of an issue," he replied. "But if you have a fear of success, I'm afraid that I'll have to tell you to grow up, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," Link nodded. "But I'm worried that I might not have the ability to command people."

"Why? You've successfully commanded people on the Grand Sails many times." Then, something occurred to the captain that made him turn and frown at the carriage door. "Although you did have that problem with the men stuffing you in a cannon…"

Link swallowed hard. "I-I had almost forgotten about that, sir…"

Captain Alfonzo shook his head. "Link. You know how to be a skipper. I've seen you for the past few years. You have the stuff to lead people."

"Captain, I got in a fight with Line," Link confessed.

"You did?" Alfonzo asked. "Who won?"

Link gave the captain a confused look, unsure if he had seriously asked the question. "Captain?"

"Who won the fight?" Captain Alfonzo repeated, arms still crossed and a blank expression.

Link reached around and scratched the back of his head. "I-I think I won, sir."

"What was the fight about?"

The young man sighed. "He offset the main and aft gaffs so that we could pull out of the Sky Line faster if we needed to. I told him he set the gaffs wrong if that was his intention, and he asked if he should correct it. I said not to worry about it and… might've off-handedly told him not to do it anymore. It made him mad, and I tried to explain why I told him that, but he wouldn't hear it."

"Did you tell him, or did you order him?" Captain Alfonzo asked, eyes closed as he listened.

"Well… I-I guess I ordered him," Link replied. "I guess. But it wa—"

"Good."

Link blinked in confusion at the captain. "Huh?"

"Being a former airman, Link, you should understand Line's place," Alfonzo explained. "You give orders, Line takes them. He's very good at following orders to the letter."

Link's eyes drifted down to his lap. "I guess. But he just sounded so angry."

"Maybe, but that's how some airmen react. Either in sincerity or through accident, any command given by a skipper is to be followed. That's how we run things, Link. He might not have liked to hear you tell him not to do it anymore, but he's to live with that order no matter what. Your words are law to your crew, just as mine have always been to you."

Link sighed and clasped his hands together. "Still, captain, I feel kind of bad for giving an order to Line."

"You have yet more orders to give, Link. Are you going to regret every order you give when your airmen are consigned to something they don't like?" Link did not answer, so Captain Alfonzo leaned forward and snapped in his blank stare. Link started out of it. Captain Alfonzo gave him a deep scowl. "That's the nature of the beast, Link. What good will it do you or your crew if you have to regret every time you upset one of them?"

"Do you have any commands you regret, Captain?" Link asked in return.

The captain huffed and fell against the seat back so hard that the driver felt himself lifted from the seat for a split-second. "More than I care to," he admitted with some hesitation. Then he continued in a louder voice, "I'm not telling you that making decisions for your crew gets any easier, boy! Someday, you might even have to order an airman to his death for the sake of the crew." Link released an audible gulp. Captain Alfonzo nodded in agreement, his voice calmer as he said, "It's a possibility none of us like. But if we can't get over making decisions that no one likes, there isn't a point sailing through the clouds, is there?"

"I guess not, sir," Link replied, eyes on the upholstery of the seat next to him.

Captain Alfonzo leaned forward again and planted a hand on Link's blond mane. "You have the potential for great things, Link," he said in a fatherly tone that caught Link by surprise. "I see it in the way you behave. Would I have so easily put in your commission if you would break under the pressure of leadership?"

Link shook his head. "No… I-I don't believe so, sir."

"Good," Alfonzo replied with a smile, playfully pushing his head to one side in order to draw out a smile from Link. He continued as he sat up straight again, "Because I don't. And I don't like to be proven wrong, either. If an airman accepts an order, drop the situation. If an airman doesn't accept, make it very clear that you intend for that order to be carried out. I've a feeling you'll have to deal with worse than Line, Link. You are the sole skipper. Let them know it."

Link nodded, feeling his spirit rise. "Okay."

But Alfonzo frowned at him. "Lieutenant Link, I just gave you an order."

Link panicked and quickly rose to his feet. Thankfully, he was short enough that his hair just barely brushed the top of the carriage. His left hand thumped against his forehead. "Aye, sir!"

Captain Alfonzo let out an incredible belly laugh as he returned the salute. "That's more like it!"