Chapter 56: Dubbl, Dubbl, THIEF! and Trouble

…

Link did not know when he lost consciousness, never mind why. Between the heat, the dehydration, the starvation, and the fact that he had expended the last of his energy bleeding open a creature that could only make a small snack out of him, he probably should have been dead.

Instead, he opened his eyes to a field of orange. The surface he lay on felt like the most comfortable thing he had slept on in weeks. He did not want to move, although he was not too sure he could move. His whole body seemed to be giving off a dull throb timed to his heartbeats. His ears burned, and moving even the smallest muscle on his face invited a mild sting. He sighed at the orange in front of him.

"Good mohning, Captain."

Link's eyes became wide at the sound of a woman speaking in a Hovela accent. Just to confirm his fear, the Gelto woman he had left behind stood above him. Although her face had a compassionate smile, Link could not suppress the idea that his life was about to get more difficult.

She giggled and pulled away. "Deah Captain, don't tell me you've developed a feah of me," she joked. "It makes me wondeh if I might become one on an expanding list of gihls you will nevah be involved with."

"D—" Link tried to say before he started coughing uncontrollably. It hurt to cough, feeling pain in his chest and throat with each instance. He put a hand around his throat, but it was not until the Gelto put her hand on his chest that he brought the coughing under control.

"You've just taken on the hida'tawalw dhugra and suhvived a day undeh the deseht sun," she told him. "You probably don't want to talk at the moment." She gently lifted his head and touched a clay cup to his lips. "Heah, drink this. You need wateh. Just sip." Link did as she said, feeling the water sooth his throat as it went down. "I imagine you'h wondering how you retuhned heah." Link finally turned his head to her and nodded. "Did you eveh see the flaahs?" Link's brow wrinkled, trying to figure out that last word. "You might've seen them. Bright lights in the sky." Link nodded. "Those ah the scouts that follow the great dhugra, the creatuah you call the 'Malgyohg'."

Link took the next cup she offered and drank it himself. Then he asked in a scratchy voice, "They… they brought me back?"

She smiled. "The irony is they did not even know who you weh. To them, you weh just some crazy Hylian who suhvived an encounteh with the maddest beast the Divine behthed to the deseht."

Link sighed, triggering a cough. "Yeah, well… I think I'll avoid it from now on."

"You hahdly need to avoid it; you killed the creatuah."

Link's face became blank. "Oh."

"By the time they found you, the lesseh Malgyohgs had eaten most of its entrails. The scouts may be a little angry with you; you've put them out of theih jobs."

Link turned his head back to the ceiling. "Sorry."

"I'm only joking," she assured him. He felt the bed shift as she took a seat near his legs. "So how did you do it?" She held up his journal. "You've fohgotten to write it down."

Link coughed out a laugh. "I didn't have a pen."

"Moah wateh?"

"Please," he answered, offering the cup.

She stood up and stepped out of his sight. "A fool challenges a Malgyohg. A madman challenges a Malgyohg hohde." He heard water pouring. "A death seekah challenges the greatest Malgyohg."

Link gave his head a slight shake. "No. Wasn't anything like that."

"Abandoned by youh friends and alone in the deseht?"

He put a hand on his head, now aware of the splitting headache setting in. "I told Cale to keep going. If that giant Malgyorg reached the train, there wouldn't be any point in going with them."

She sat back on the bed and gave him the cup. "So you expected to sacrifice youhself," she reasoned.

Link took a drink before shaking his head. "Actually, I didn't know what I was expecting. I guess I didn't think it through."

She gave him a half-smile. "You appeah to suhvive on an extravagant amount of luck."

He managed a clear chuckle this time. "What, you didn't read that from my journal?"

"Mmm. Pehhaps."

Link finished the cup and let it rest on his chest. "So now what? I'm a prisoner again?"

"That remains to be seen, actually. If you'll excuse me, I promised to tell ouh queen that you've awoken." She stood up and began walking away. Then she had an afterthought and turned back to him after crossing half of the room. "Oh. Don't try to run away this time. Theah ah guahds outside."

Link chuckled to himself at the thought. Never mind that he could barely move his body as it was, he was in no mood to try escaping. He shifted a bit, and that was when he realized that the Gelto had left his journal behind. He tried to push himself up, but he found that his arms just did not have the strength. So he thought he would try nudging toward the head of the bed with his foot. Unfortunately, he found that she had left it just out of reach.

He settled his head back down on the pillow and let his thoughts wander as he stared at the ceiling. His first thoughts were of his new situation. Without the strength to move around like he did before, he could not escape the Gelto again. If the guards were any indication, they were prepared in case some kind of mysterious incident troubled the settlement again. Although, even with Cale's concerns over Gelto captivity ringing in his ears, he found that maybe it would not be so bad. After all, aside from the assault on the mining settlement and the punch Link took to the groin, the Gelto had been quite nice to him, especially this one.

He found his thoughts wandering back to the comment she made before, about his trouble with romance. How many women had she mentioned? Three? Link counted them on his fingers. The first, he figured, was Princess Zelda. And it reminded him of his failure to save her and the Horizon's Eye. Even if they ever met again, he could not be sure that she would not reject him because of that failure. He probably had that impression from his dreams, knowing (or at least believing) that she had indirectly witnessed the Island Sonata's sinking on its way to help the Horizon's Eye. The second was… Valley. The cheerful academic who already had an impressive amount of men in her past. She had already made her stance with Link clear, although her attitude towards him made him wonder. But he ultimately decided that she would never fall for him, especially since he was trying to return to the sky and she was afraid of heights. The third was…

Meilont. By far the kindest and most compassionate person he had met while, at the same time, being the strongest and most independent girl he had ever known. Of the three, he had only had prospects of living out the rest of his life with her. Although they had been fantasies because he had surrendered to the idea of never returning to the sky, he had genuinely wanted to stay with her in Whittleton. He remembered the last time he had seen her. That face, those eyes… what had she said? Only minutes before, she and Irleen had been making fun of him. Had she had romantic feelings towards him like the Gelto had suggested?

How long ago had that been, anyway? A month? It seemed like longer. Between the ventures back and forth between the realms, Link had seen so many different sights, different ways of life. He had never seen that kind of diversity before. In the sky, everyone had their own places in life, never deviating from the expected. Then… Link realized that this new world he had found had started on Forelight Island. The Sorians had been so radically different from the life he knew, and he had just kept finding other people who had never known what life was like for Link. Maybe that was why he kept finding so much trouble.

All to help Irleen. She was probably panicking by now, annoying anyone nearby with her constant jabber in her native language because Link still had her translating gem. He felt he had really screwed up. Link was a Hylian. He could adapt to life on the surface. Irleen was a Sorian trapped in a fairy's body. What did she know about the surface? She had almost been eaten once or twice. She needed him.

And he had seriously sc—

"Link!"

The high-pitched voice was jarring. What surprised him more was a green light bolting out of nowhere and latching to his face. "Wah!" he shouted, raising a hand to smack it.

The sobbing made him pause. "Link, I was so worried!" she hollered in his face, sounding somewhere between angry and relieved. "I thought you'd been killed! Or eaten! Or… or…"

"Irleen…" he trailed off, unsure if she was real.

"'Ow 'bou' tha'! 'E's really alive!"

"Goddesses above, Link! I thought we'd nevah see you again!"

Irleen detached from Link's face. Finding renewed power, he propped himself up and glanced to one side. "Cale! Luggard!" he cried out upon seeing his friends.

Luggard, being the closest, delivered a slap to Link's arm. "Wha's tha'?" he asked in a loud voice. "Ya think ya wasn' gonna see us 'gain?"

Link blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Well… it was kinda close… But I'm glad to see that Cale and Sello made it."

"Yeah, surprised me," Luggard told him. "Though' I was seein' things a' firs'. Then 'e told me ya was goin' after tha' big Malgyorg, 'n I though' 'yeah, tha's no surprise'."

"We weh amazed that you'd suhvived," Cale added as Lidago came to a stop behind them. "The Gelto have been talking about you since we arrived. It took us this long to realize it was you the whole time."

"Yeah, but… what are you guys doing here?" Link asked. "I thought you'd try going back to the Forest Realm."

"This was Roland's idea," Luggard said. "When the Gelto scattered, 'e asked if we could take 'im to the Gelto's se'lemen' 'ere so 'e could ask wha' they was thinkin'."

"Yes," Cale said, "it tuhns out that the mining settlements ahn't the only ones who rely on the Spirit Tracks. The Gelto use them foh transpohtation to the Forest Realm as well. When the trains stopped, they weh concehned that theih population had been cut off from all the men in the Forest Realm. So they revehted to some… traditional methods, I suppose, and tried to kidnap men from the mining settlements in the Fiah Realm. Not that they weh very successful; you, me, and Sello weh the only men they could catch."

"Not that the catch seems all that good," Irleen said. "Cale, fine. Sello, dud and definitely a drunk. But you? You seem to do some pretty stupid things. I mean, come on! You went after a giant Malgyorg!"

Link shrugged, failing to suppress the smile on his face. "Not one of my best plans, okay?"

Luggard half-turned and looked up at Lidago. "Wha' ya think?" he asked.

Lidago's thick lips quivered. Without warning, he shoved between Luggard and Cale and wrapped his arms around Link. "Doooooh," the Goron moaned as he hugged Link.

"Hk… Lidago…" Link groaned as he felt body parts popping in strange places. "Lidago… I-I can't breathe."

"Doh?" Lidago's hold relaxed, and Link dropped onto the bed. He looked down at Link with a happy face and watery eyes. "Goron."

"I'm glad to see you, too," Link laughed as he patted Lidago's arm. Then he glanced around Lidago. "So, everyone's all right, then?"

Luggard pointed to a cut on his cheek. "More or less. Cuts 'n bruises. Two guys… missin' fingers. We go' 'em loaded in Ol' Seventeen. Clean as a bar figh', really."

"I imagine that killing anyone would have been against theih intentions," Cale remarked to him.

Link nodded. "So, where do we stand now?"

"You stand wheah the queen tells you." Luggard, Lidago, and Cale turned around at the sound of the Hovela-speaking Gelto. "And right now, she says 'Move aside'."

"Don' wan' any trouble," Luggard mumbled as they stepped out of the way.

The Gelto Link had become acquainted with walked beside another Gelto that Link recognized. Purple garments with blue, transparent clothing and a golden diadem. It was the bossy Gelto. And if the wide eyes and raised eyebrows were any indication, she recognized him as well.

"Wabnik?" she asked him in confusion. "Wabotaykwya'ak 'anw hida'tawalw dhugra max?"

"Ay'a, 'Inakwint," the other Gelto said.

The queen indicated Link with a hand. "Hacinw!" she declared to the servant. "Zacliyxw 'imayn sicnid min, zamudhj zatniyl 'anw ta'lif ca, zagaykwl zasayal 'anw hida'tawalw dhugra… thuzahxwiyl 'idus… ha'alw zhax layxomak nwaki max!?"

"Ay'a, 'Inakwint," the other Gelto said, unable to suppress a smile. "Liynk zhi layxomak."

"Liynk?" the queen asked.

"Nwaki 'ak Xili'anay dhalbin."

The queen frowned at her servant. "Nadbikwilak, Dholit."

Her servant giggled. "Tigi bikwilak, 'Inakwint."

The queen gave an exasperated sigh. "Hacinw… Xili'anan. Kwal Xili'anan? 'Al zhi Gilto, nway nayx nadtoxaylya'ak zahaxwanw."

"Nadda na', 'Inakwint."

The queen then turned to Link. "Amda Liynk. Wabin gayix taf wabin hacinw naday, waba yi'atsya'ak 'anw hida'tawalw dhugra. Kwint Ladhib thutarudhak."

The servant, grinning madly from ear to ear, addressed Link, "Saah Link. Through youh courage and youh…" She wrinkled her nose as she thought. "Uh… detehmination… you have defeated the greateh Malgyohg. You have humbled Queen Ladhib."

A moment passed before Link realized that he was expected to respond. "Oh, uh…" Link droned. "Th-thanks, I guess."

"Zhi nagthya'ak ''Imtowu' to," the servant said to the queen.

"Zhi towanwak 'inoy?" the queen asked, casting the servant an irritated look. "'Inu kwutsak."

"Zhi midhujak zalxiym, 'Inakwint. Zhi addu ya'lu kili'ak."

The queen huffed before returning her attention to Link. "'Inu towanwak Amda Liynk. Gilto Kwint ib taf 'al 'imayn bawir ta'ab, 'inu nayx soynwodak wabin gallidh nayf nayx thulaxum." She bowed one knee and spread her arms out.

"She thanks you, Link," the servant said. "As queen of the Gelto, and if it is in heh powehs, she will see that any request you have will be done."

"That sounds nice," Irleen commented, circling Link's head. "We'll take one airship to go."

"Irleen…" Link moaned.

"What? That's what I want."

"Yes, of couhse," the servant said. "You did express a desiah to retuhn to youh previous life."

The queen stood up and looked at the servant. "Dholit?"

"Zhi xoykwalitak, 'Inakwint," the servant replied. She turned to Link. "Unfohtunately, I do not believe that to be within heh influence, Link. It has been lifetimes since we used ships. We would know nothing of aihships if not foh ouh contact with Hylians."

But Link snapped his fingers when he realized something. "Maybe not airships," he told her. "But sailing. Who made that vessel we stole?"

"The skiff? That would be one of ouh craftehs, Dubbl. Why?"

Link stretched a hand towards his friends, causing Luggard to snap to attention as he tried to hide the fact that he was observing Queen Ladhib's posterior. "Cale," Link said. "Were any of the Architects Gelto?"

"I'm afraid I can't be suah, Link," Cale answered. "I spent so much time trying to locate Agoro, I hadn't the time to find othehs. Though, given ouh cihcumstances, I suppose it's possible."

"Wait a minute," the servant said, sounding offended. "You can have anything the Gelto have, yet you desiah one of ouh craftehs?"

"Wha—I-I just want to talk to her," Link defended. "See if she'd help us with building an airship."

"Well, of couhse she would!" she told him. "You killed a humongous Malgyohg! How daah you go afteh anotheh woman, Link!"

"Huh?" Irleen uttered.

"Wha?" Link responded, a blank look on his face.

But Queen Ladhib, unable to understand the conversation, wheeled on the servant and delivered a smack to the back of her head. The servant became stiff, and the rest of the room's occupants remained silent.

Then the servant blinked at her queen. "'Imtowu, 'Inakwint," she said. "'Inu yaxwtya'ak nwaki."

"'Inmoytok, Dholit," the queen responded. "Zhi xaylokwak dhol max?"

"Zhi sanagithak Dubbl thib."

At this, the queen cast him a confused look. Then she gave her head a single nod. "Xilitak. 'Al waba yixaylikw kwuhat, 'inan nayx saylotak."

"She says that if you have more requests, we will help," the servant said.

She turned to follow Queen Ladhib, but the queen held up a hand. "Dholit, cobalan taf dhaykwozan wabin fulux," she said, her tone a little irate.

"Ay'a, 'Inakwint," the servant replied in an exhausted tone.

As the queen left, Cale took a step toward the bed. He stood in Luggard's way, so Luggard had to lean backwards to watch the queen from behind Ligado. "I hope we haven't caused any trouble," he told the servant.

"Sounds like the only one causing trouble is Link," Irleen said, circling his head. "What woman is she talking about?"

"Nevah mind," the servant said. She crossed her arms and turned her face away. "I don't want to talk about it."

Luggard moaned and turned his attention back to the group. "So wha' now? Can we go?"

"Were you even paying attention to the conversation?" Irleen asked. "Just wait. We're trying to find another Architect."

"Why?" Luggard jerked a thumb at Ligado. "We go' 'im."

"We need someone to come up with a sail plan," Link said. "I can't do it; I can't account for all the rigging that needs to be done."

"You mean all the rigging that you showed me how to do?" Irleen asked.

"It's a lot more than just manipulating ropes, Irleen. I can put up rigging, but I've never had to construct rigging."

"How hard can that be?"

Link started holding up fingers as he named, "Sketching, designing, sizing, forging, matching plans, drilling, moun—do I need to go on?"

Irleen gave a sigh. "Okay, I get your point."

"Ya imagine wha' these guys could do for a train?" Luggard asked Cale. "I could 'ave a train tha' flies!"

"Let Sello modify your engine anymore, and you'll probably get close," Irleen joked.

Link noticed a water pitcher on a table next to the head of the bed and decided to reach for it. When the blanket slid off, he quickly withdrew. "Wha—" He lifted the blanket and discovered that he was naked. "Wha… who took my clothes!?"

"Oh, that was me," the Gelto said in a cheerful tone.

"That wa—What? Why!?"

Her grin became larger as Luggard started laughing. "It's hahd to bathe a man when he's clothed."

"Ha-wa—" Link pulled the covers over his head. "Where are my clothes!?"

"Don' worry, Link," Luggard said. "I go' ya covered." Link poked his head out and watched Luggard dangle Link's pointed cap over the end of the bed. "'Ere's yar 'at!"

Link threw the covers back over his head. "It's not funny! Gimme back my clothes!" he shouted.

"They'h oveh on that chaih," the Gelto told them through a break in her own laughter. A few minutes later, Link felt the clothes plop on the bed next to him. He pulled them under the covers and started dressing himself.

"No' a dull momen' 'roun' 'ere," Luggard said. Link felt him throw the hat at his head. "Where do we pay?"

"You ah annoying," the Gelto accused.

"Makes things more interestin'."

"Oy, Dholit," a new voice called out. "'Inyiynwo'otak."

"Ah, Dubbl," the servant said.

Link had just finished buckling his pants when he heard one of the present Gelto taken in a sharp, surprised breath. He took the covers off his head to see why. Standing next to their Gelto attendant was another Gelto. Upon hearing Link remove the covers, she turned to face him with a shocked expression. Link also found himself gaping. The Gelto was about the same age as Luggard with black hair braided and draped over one shoulder. She wore a simple green shirt and slacks, a more Hylian fashion style than the rest of the Gelto. He recognized her as the Gelto who had caught them stealing a skiff.

She looked between Link and Cale for a moment. Then she pointed at Cale and shouted, "Calikw!"

"Sha-wha-what!?" Cale replied.

Then she pointed at Link. "Thief!"

Luggard also pointed at Link and shouted, "Thief!"

"Shut up!" Irleen snapped at him.

The Gelto strode forward, grabbed handfuls of Link's body suit, and started shaking him. "You took! You took! You took! Youtookyoutookyou took!"

"Somebody hel-el-el-el-elp!" Link cried.

"Dubbl, waliyxomotak dhol max!?" the servant declared.

"Zhayf haxwlya'ak 'imayn salkif!"

"Dubbl, nwoyrotan!" the servant shouted as she grabbed the other Gelto around the waist. "Dubbl!"

Link grabbed her wrists and wrenched himself loose. "I'm sorry!" he shouted.

The servant flashed him a surprised look. She wheeled around and threw the other girl to the floor.

Then she let out a primal scream and leapt on top of the other Gelto, ranting incomprehensibly. "Dhol! Dhol!" the new Gelto screamed in surprise as the servant wrestled with her. The servant still continued to scream as she pinned the other's flailing arms to the floor. She used a knee so that one of her hands were free, and she grabbed the other by her braid. "Ah!"

"Excuse me, saah," the servant said as she began to drag the new Gelto.

"Dholit!" the other Gelto screamed. "Dholit, na'! Na'! Nadlayxoman! Na'!"

All five of the room's other occupants watched as the servant dragged the other Gelto screaming out the exit. They spent a few minutes exchanging uncomfortable looks.

"Did… we jus' see a catfigh' 'n no' cheer it on?" Luggard asked, pointing to the space where the two had been wrestling.

…

The two Gelto returned a few minutes later. The crafter Gelto introduced herself as Dubbl and apologized to Link for attacking him. Her change in attitude left the Hylians and Irleen confused; she had become eerily submissive. This gave Link the opportunity to calmly explain his and Irleen's situation and ask her for help.

By the end of Link's explanation, she seemed to snap herself out of a daze. "Incledible," she said, leaning forward in her seat. "You… fell flom the sky, and you want to go back?"

"And we need your help," Irleen said. "You won't be alone; we already have… uh…" She turned to Link. "How many Architects do we have?"

"Uh, well…" Link started before trailing off into a silent stammer. "I-I can't say, actually."

"Well… to call them 'Ahchitects' is a bit of an… inherited position," Cale said, rocking nervously on his feet. "But-but we do have a wide range of areas covehed. Lidago agreed to help design an appropriate hull."

"You like pot?" Lidago, standing behind Link, asked.

"Ah… no, no please," Dubbl replied.

"We also have an inventor who's putting together a preliminary design," Link continued. "And… well, we have Sello to help us build an engine, but…"

"But he's a drunk," Irleen finished. She feigned dropping out of the air a few times for emphasis. "You know, the third thief."

Link groaned and looked up at her. "Would you stop calling us 'thieves'?"

"That's what I heard," she defended with a joking tone.

"I… not make ai'ship befo'e," Dubbl said.

"Well, as he said, Dubbl," the servant, who had been standing behind Dubbl's couch, said as she leaned over. "You won't be alone."

"And, if necessary, we have a library at youh disposal," Cale added.

"I don't lead Hylian," Dubbl said.

"That's the fun paht," the servant said. Her next comment could not be heard by the others, but Dubbl's eyes became wide, and her back stiffened as if she had a chill.

Link tried to ignore it as he spoke again. "Look, we don't expect you to drop everything, but we can use your help if you don't mind. We-we might even be able to pay, if that's what you would like."

"Pay?" the servant asked. "Oh, how like a Hylian, Link."

Link gave her a confused scowl, unsure if she was teasing him or not. "Is there… something wrong with that?"

"What kind of warrioh pays foh help?" she asked. "A selfless slayeh of the greatest of Malgyohgs? No, the Gelto ah in youh debt. Dubbl should do it without question."

"Well, we don't want to fohce heh," Cale said.

She responded with a loud exclamation of mockery which caused Dubbl to jump. "Oh, how little you know of the Gelto," she said. "It's… almost funny."

"Ya find tha' funny, ya go' a weird sense o' 'umor," Luggard said as he poured himself a cup of water at the side of the bed.

"She light," Dubbl said. "It my duty." She gave Link a hard look. "I will help."

"Are you sure?" Link asked. "Like I said, if you don't want to, it's your choice."

But Dubbl shook her head. "I will help." She stood up. "I have to gathe' my things."

Link watched her leave the tent. Then he turned his attention to the servant. "I wasn't trying to force her."

"That isn't how we do things in Gelto society, Captain," she replied. "I give you points foh integrity, but Dubbl should have known heh fate the moment she was asked foh by the one who slayed the greateh Malgyohg."

"What I don't get is the change in attitude," Irleen said. "A while ago, she was ready to kill Link."

"Yes, well," the servant said, flexing her fingers as she examined them. "These fingehs have been known to tame the wildest of Gelto warriohs. I have a very special talent."

Luggard suddenly spat out the contents of his cup and started coughing. Cale, Link, and Irleen took a moment longer to realize what he was reacting to. They gave the servant wide-eyed stares which she seemed to delight in, raising her eyebrows suggestively.