The Legend of Zelda: Sky Lines

by Light Onthemayo

One hundred and fifty years after the disaster with the Spirit Tracks, Hyrule has risen to the skies. The people have made a living through the use of airships and the "Sky Lines", trails of intense wind used to aid these airships in their travels. On the eve of a fantastic adventure, a young man named Link has just been given command of his own airship...

72. Where Legends Twist

Chapter 72: Where Legends Twist

…

"I asked you a question. Who are you?"

Link gave his head a small shake, now understanding that the princess actually did not seem to know who he was. It was actually a little insulting, especially since he was supposed to be the cause of her attitude change. Trying his best to be polite, he replied, "You… don't remember me? I-I'm Link."

She glanced down at Link's clothes again. "Are you an apprentice or something?" she asked. "I thought only squires wore those clothes."

"N-no," Link replied, surprised that she did not know why he was wearing his tunic. "You gave me this tunic, Your Highness. Remember?"

She frowned and cast her eyes to one side. It was a difficult look, and Link could not quite interpret it. Then she raised an eyebrow and addressed him, "I give out so many tunics that I sometimes forget names and faces. You said your name was Link?"

He nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

"What is your station then?" she asked. "If you are not a squire, for what reason could you possibly be wearing that tunic?"

His conversation with the princess was only aiding in furthering his confusion. Of all people, he expected the princess to know better than him what the tunic symbolized. Still, he watched his tone as he replied, "I'm a ship commander, Your Highness. I work for the Skyrider Company."

The princess glared at him. "Then you are out-of-uniform, Captain."

Link blinked. "I-I am?"

"And ill-informed. The Skyrider Company was conscripted to form my Royal Navy. Your traditions were to be discontinued."

"Oh. I-I'm sorry, Your Highness. I-I've been a… a little out-of-touch for the past month."

She nodded. "Yes, it would appear so, Captain."

That was the second time she had said it. "Captain". Link recalled that she preferred to call him "Skipper" or "Link" in casual conversation, maybe only using his title if others happened to be nearby. And the way she said it now, it made her sound a little contemptuous of him. How could that be if she did not even know him?

So he decided to try a change of topic. "I-I was… I wanted to speak to—"

"What's your vessel?" she asked.

"My-my vessel?" Here, Link paused for a second while he thought of an answer. While he was technically in command of the Island Symphony now, he felt that giving the name of his old vessel might help her recognize him. So he answered, "The Island Sonata."

She frowned. "The Island Sonata? That does not sound like one of the conscripted vessels. Yet you maintain that you work for the Skyriders?"

That settled it; something was wrong with her. She did not recognize him, nor did she respond to the name Island Sonata in any way. Granted, they only knew each other for a short time before leaving Forelight Island, he expected that something about him would cause her to acknowledge who he was. Was she doing it on purpose? Or did she really not remember?

He decided that he would push the matter a little more. Even if she did not recognize him, he knew someone who should not be so forgettable. "Your Highness," he said. "What happened to Airman Line?"

There! For a moment, Link thought he could see the glint of a memory in her expression. He knew Line would have left an impression; between him and Line, people were always likely to recognize Line's face a second time. Often it was not for very good reasons since Line had a habit of being such a pest.

Still, it was only a flash, and the princess seemed intent on maintaining the rouse by replying, "Airman who? Line? I find that I do not recognize this individual."

"He was a member of my crew," Link said. "We escorted you into the Undying Storm so that you could meet the Sorians."

The princess's left eye winced, and Link thought he saw anger spread over her face for a brief moment. What was she reacting to? "You… have me mistaken for someone else, Captain," she answered in a calm, collected tone to match the front she had put on. "You must have me mistaken. How long ago would this… voyage… have taken place?"

"A little over a month, Your Highness."

"Then you are indeed mistaken. A month ago, I was horribly ill and unable to make any such voyage, especially to such a dangerous location as the Storm of Purgatory."

Storm of Purgatory? Link knew that was the Sorian name for the Undying Storm. But how did the princess know it? And why would she answer with that name instead of the name that the Hylians had been using for decades? He did not dismiss the idea that Captain Koroul might have spoken to her about the storm, but it was weird to call it something she had only heard maybe once or twice.

Horribly ill… Link recalled that it was the excuse that Lore was using while she attended to matters in Zelda's place. Governor Lore had seen no reason to keep up the rouse when she was alone with him. So why was the princess?

She sighed and told him, "If we have been on a voyage before, then you are aware that I am forever busy with matters of state, Captain. I wish to return to those matters. You are to return to your company and familiarize yourself with the regulations of my new Royal Navy. You are in my personal service now." With those words seething disdain given, she turned and prepared to walk away.

But Link could not let her go. Not yet. There was still one matter between them, one more problem that Link needed cleared up. So he took a step forward and said, "Your Highness."

She sighed and glanced over her shoulder, stopping in mid-step. "What is it, Captain?" she groaned.

"How did you get away from the Smiling Gunner?" he asked. Then he realized that the princess might not recognize the name of Cunimincus' ship, but it was already too late now that the question was out of his mouth.

She spun to him, and Link found, much to his surprise, a look of horror on her face. Her fair skin had become almost milky white, and she appeared as if she suddenly saw him as a complete monster. She took a step back. "W-what…" she tried to say through a voice suddenly choked out of its hostility. "What… did you just say?"

Link did not know what else to say. He had not expected such a reaction from her. "The Smiling Gunner," he repeated. "How did you get away from it?"

He did not think it was possible for people to suddenly lose complete color from their faces, but the princess's skin was slowly beginning to look like a fresh, white bedsheet. "H-how… how do you know that name?" she asked in a hushed voice. "Who… just who the hell are you?"

The break in diction stunned Link; he did not believe the princess was able to append sentences with "hell". It was one of the lesser profanities used by anyone except a member of the royal household. At least, he believed so.

With this and her sudden show of fear at the mention of the Smiling Gunner, Link felt like he had made a mistake. He took a step back. "I… I, uh…" he uttered.

The princess put on a determined look. And the depth of Link's mistake was realized when she hollered.

"Kniiiights! Knights, to my side! I demand knights!"

Link's breath caught in his throat at the sound of clanking armor. It must have been those knights he had passed by earlier. He was not sure what to do. Should he surrender and try to clear up—

"Link!"

Link's eyes went wide at the sound of the princess's voice. It was particularly jarring because it did not come from the princess. While she continued to holler for her knights as she backed away so that her eyes remained on Link, a different rendition of the princess's voice rang loud in his ears as if she was standing right beside him. He looked around, but the only new thing to meet his sight was the pair of knights rounding the corner, swords drawn. So where—

"Link! Run!"

The voice was like the report of a pistol being fired over his head. With the hallway behind him blocked by the knights, Link's only escape was in the princess's direction. By the time the "princess" and the knights realized that Link had squeezed past her, Link had to stop at a junction further up the hallway before he decided which way to run. Then he dashed in one direction and came to another junction. He chose whichever hallways were the most empty because the princess and the knights were hollering loud enough that even after Link had left them, they were still quite audible. He had to find a stairway down to the first floor and hop aboard another junk leaving the castle. Unfortunately, by the time he found stairs to the first floor, he was far across the castle and in very unfamiliar territory. The alarm had spread to the first floor as well, and Link had to duck and dodge through a labyrinth of hallways just to keep his small lead on the armored knights roaming the grounds.

Link came to a junction of five different hallways, and the only hallway which was not occupied by a knight conveniently looking the opposite way was the hallway from which he had just emerged. Legs burning and breath heavy, he paused for a moment while trying to decide what to do. He was wearing down fast, something which had not happened to him on this scale before.

He was about to choose a hallway, deciding to try sliding past the smallest of these knights, when something grabbed him from behind, jerking him by the neck of his tunic. His response was a confused yelp as he was dragged into the doorway of a dark room. A hand clamped over his mouth, and he felt something large and metal press against his back.

"Sheer luck I happen ta know who ya are, Link."

Link recognized the voice and glanced up at the knight holding him as the man raised his visor. "Gi—Mister Gilliam?" Link asked through his hand.

"C'mon," Gilliam told him, dragging him further into the room. "I'm guessin' you're the one that caused the alarm."

"I-I can explain," Link said just before having to catch himself.

Gilliam grabbed Link's forearm and pulled him along. "Just a sec," he told Link. With only the dim light of a single bulb near the end of this hallway, Gilliam located a gap in the mortar just barely thin enough to prevent his fingers from fitting inside. He released Link and drew his sword. When he fit the blade into the gap, there was a loud click, and Link thought the wall right in front of him shifted. Gilliam then stepped in front of Link and pushed the wall aside with almost no sound at all save for scraping against the dirt on the floor inside. "Watch it; there's stairs in there," Gilliam told him as he carefully pushed Link in by the shoulder. Link found a handrail and followed it down a few steps. Both of them were immersed in darkness when Gilliam closed the door above. "There is a switch at the bottom."

"Where?" Link asked as he descended. Something under his foot clicked, and he flinched at an orange light suddenly flickering to life nearby. A string of weak bulbs provided very little clarity as it showed Link a stone-and-mortar hallway looking much rougher than the castle walls above. The walls looked crooked, inconsistent, and careless, as if there had been a rush to build this area of the castle above all others. "Oh," Link said, his tone a little idle. "Found it."

Gilliam descended and pushed Link along the hallway. "Al know you're here?" he asked, urging Link into a jog with one hand on his shoulder.

"Al?"

"Captain Alfonzo."

"Oh. Uh… no, probably not. I'm… not sure if he even knows I'm alive."

"Sounds like ya got a story. Make it short."

"Okay, uuuh… I lost my ship."

"How?"

"Shot down."

Gilliam stopped and grabbed Link's tunic by the back of the neck again. Link let out a choking sound until Gilliam had finished pulling him backwards. "Okay, that's too short," Gilliam told him. "Whacha mean 'shot down'? Did ya get in a fight or somethin'?"

Link hesitated as he tried to put his experience into words. "Well, it wasn't much of a fight. The Island Sonata lost its ballast, and I rode it all the way down to the surface."

"And survived!?"

"Yeah. I've been on the surface for a whole month. I only recently returned in another airship."

Gilliam studied Link's face for a moment. "So ya get back up here, and the first thing ya do is sneak into the castle?"

"Uh… yeah…" Link answered, looking down at the floor. "Well, actually, it was the second thing I did. The first was going to Governor Lore."

"Lore? What's she gotta do with this?"

Link took in a deep breath. "You remember that day Captain Alfonzo brought me here? So the Royal Family would recognize me as a captain?"

"Yeah," Gilliam replied with a nod. "I ain't seen Al prouder. You're gonna need ta make this faster."

"When I left, I took Princess Zelda with me."

Gilliam's face blanked at the statement. Then he said/asked, "What."

Link sighed. "It was an arrangement the governor and the princess made. She was supposed to be locked in her room a month back because she was sick, right?"

Gilliam frowned at him. "Yeah… but no one outside the castle was supposed ta know."

"Did you ever meet, uh… did you ever meet Rireen?"

"The half-bird girl? Once or twice. Ain't seen her around for a while, but most of the staff knows about her."

"Princess Zelda smuggled Rireen and herself onto the Island Sonata and asked me to take her to Forelight Island in the middle of the Undying Storm. She was trying to get Rireen home, with others of her kind."

"And did ya?"

"Yeah. I was supposed to bring the princess back, but she decided to come back ahead of me on a Sorian airship. Sh—"

"Wait, a what?"

"A Sorian airship. Rireen's people are called 'Sorians'. Anyway, I found out the ship she took was under attack, and I tried to go help her. Then… the ship that was attacking that ship attacked and sunk me."

"So… what, someone else brought her back?"

Link shook his head. "I-I don't think the Princess Zelda here is the real princess. Or… or something…"

"Or something?"

"I don't know what's going on."

Gilliam glanced back down the hallway before pushing Link along again. "When we thought… when we thought the princess was well, no one objected ta her returnin' ta her duties. I don't know most of the details personally, but some of the staff gossiped about how she seemed ta spend the first few days testin' her powers. Little things, like demandin' furniture be relocated and removin' staff that somehow offended her. Then she reassigned the guard; I've been on security patrol inside the castle for the past couple weeks. That was about the same time she decided ta draft the Skyriders' captains inna her own service, what she calls her 'navy'. First she armed all Skyrider ships, then she had carpenters set up those towers outside. She's had them all supplied through the castle, though I can't figure out why."

"Did Captain Alfonzo agree with this?" Link asked.

"Can't say," Gilliam replied with a shake of his head. "I ain't seen him since he brought you here. But I imagine Al had a few choice words for this whole thing, and those probably weren't very pretty."

"Governor Lore told me that Princess Zelda has a completely different attitude since she returned."

"Yeah, that's pretty true," Gilliam said as he nudged Link down one direction at a fork in the hallway. "Temperamental, cold, kinda distant… Did I mention the temper? It's like tryin' ta walk on eggs without breakin' 'em; damn near impossible. Some of the regular staff claims that they've been lashed. No one's ever been lashed in this castle before."

"Well, whether she's the real princess or not," Link said, "I think I know why she's acting like this."

"Do tell."

"It's the ship that attacked both of us. I think she was taken prisoner. My ship was sunk, but the ship she was on didn't find its way to the ground until about two weeks later. I found the wreckage of the other ship, and I know Hylians were onboard. If anything, I know my crew was on it."

"Where's your crew now?"

"I don't know. That was part of the reason I came to see the princess; I thought she might know what happened to them. But when I asked her about them… she said she didn't know who they were or even who I was."

"You don't buy it, huh?"

"It's the way she answered. She might not have known me, but she knows about my crew and the ship that captured her. Actually, she sounded like she was afraid when I mentioned the ship by name."

Gilliam put a hand on Link's shoulder to pull him to a stop again. "Okay, somethin's definitely wrong with all this," he told Link. "But unless you got proof, we can't touch the princess. Link." He squat so that he could look Link in the eye. "This is serious. The only people who can put a stop ta this are King Lauris and Queen Arla."

"Princess Zelda's parents?"

Gilliam nodded. "They were last seen in the south; they were trying to prevent part of the kingdom from breaking off contact with the Royal Family. You have ta find 'em and bring 'em back here. Much as we adore the princess… ya know, except lately… the first one's we're loyal to are the king and queen. If ya bring 'em back, then they can yank the princess's power, and we can get ta the bottom of this whole mess."

Link nodded. "Okay. Okay, I think I can do that."

"One more thing. I don't wanna do it, but I gotta report your escape. I also have ta tell the princess who you are, how you escaped, and that you're associated with Captain Alfonzo."

Link stared at him for a moment. "Wha… why can't you just come with me?"

"Well, for one, ya got me inside, so I can probably get ya back in once ya find the king and queen. Two, if someone notices me gone, I'm a traitor, even if this whole situation wasn't happenin'." He stood and pointed down the hallway. "This'll take ya to a wine cellar under an abandoned tavern north of the castle, so you'll have ta go around ta get back ta the port. Get there fast as ya can, because they'll be on ya the moment they find me. Just get the hell outta the port."

Link nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Mister Gilliam."

Gilliam smacked his shoulder. "Just call me 'Gil'. I gotta get back, so get goin'."

"Right." Link then turned and sped down the hallway, much to Gilliam's amazement. Then he shrugged, realizing that he now had an excuse as to how Link got away from him.

…

True to Gilliam's word, Link found an abandoned tavern at the end of the hallway. After emerging onto the street behind the castle, he sped down a bunch of alleys instead of taking the main roads. And he found out just how disorganized and crooked alleys on Castle Island could be. He had to stop a number of times to get his bearings from his compass. It must have taken him half an hour to get back to the port, after which he gave up stealth for a fast run back to the Island Symphony.

Gold stood at the bottom of the gangplank, leaning against a mooring post. He stood up straight as Link slowed to a jog. "Oy, Cap'n," he greeted with a hand raised. "Been wondering where yeh were. Leynne's looking f—"

"Is everyone onboard?" Link interrupted, stopping right in front of him.

"Huh?"

"Is everyone onboard? Link repeated.

Gold was thrown by the urgency in Link's voice. "Uh, yeah, should be, Cap'n."

Link pointed a finger at him. "On the helm now. We're leaving."

"O-on the helm, aye, Cap'n," Gold replied. Then he turned and jogged up the gangplank.

Link followed him up. "As soon as we're moving, turn us to starboard and get us in a Sky Line!" Link shouted at Gold as Gold parted for the bow.

"Aye aye!" Gold replied over his shoulder.

Link turned back to the port and spotted a pair of dockers loitering near the ship's stern. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Island Symphony to port, ahoy! Clear the moorings!"

"Clearing the moorings, Captain!" was the reply from one while they both hustled to pull back the gangplank.

Link then glanced across the deck and found Dubbl and Dholit walking toward him. "Dholit, go below and bring the other two Gelto up on deck; it's an emergency. Dubbl, haul in the mooring ropes and prepare to open all sails."

"Yes, saah," Dholit said before immediately dashing for the port stairs.

"Ay'a, Kyabtin," Dubbl said. Then she turned and hollered, "Biluf! Layna! Hayxwolan 'anw sanuth! 'Oyzhokan!"

Link glanced back at the castle. He could see that one of the barques had relieved itself of its moorings and started pulling away from the docking towers. So he turned up toward the poop deck and cupped his hands around his mouth again. "Cale! Cale!"

Cale emerged from the back of the deck. "Yeah?" he hollered.

"Keep watch on the ships around us!" Link hollered. "If you see one coming toward us, let someone know!"

Cale glanced along the port for a moment. Then he answered, "Okay!"

"Link." Link only had to glance down to find Leynne standing in the door to his cabin. "We might have a problem."

"One problem at a time," Link said. "We need to leave."

Link made to turn, but Leynne grabbed him by the shoulder. "No," Leynne said, holding a large scroll up for Link. "I think theh's something you should look at."

Catching Leynne's own sense of urgency, Link took the scroll and unrolled it to find that it was a map of the kingdom. For a moment, Link was stymied, unsure of what Leynne was trying to convey with so little words. Then Link lowered the map and strode to the starboard side with Leynne in tow. He stopped short when his new fear was confirmed.

The Sky Lines to the north of Castle Island, the same Sky Lines that he had told Gold to dive for as soon as the ship was moving, were missing.

Link was simply speechless. He glanced at the map again as if to confirm it. The map only showed three Sky Lines: the Dawn Line which cut through the Undying Storm and encircled the northern half of the kingdom and the pair of Sky Lines, the Northwest and Central Lines, which cut across the area encircled by the Dawn Line before disappearing off the edges of the map. And in this map of the entire kingdom, those three were the only Sky Lines in existence.

"They're gone…" Link said. "They're… they're…"

"They've been gone foh a while," Leynne said to him. "That's what the cahtographeh told me."

Link scowled and pushed the map back into Leynne's arms. "We'll improvise then."

"Kyabtin!" Dubbl called from across the deck. Link and Leynne turned to find her waving at them. Both crossed the deck, and she pointed out at the docks. "Zey will not release us!"

Link glanced out to find that a trio of knights had shown up at the docks and had ordered the dockers to replace the gangplank. One stood ready while a second, armed with a crossbow, had a bolt trained on the side of the ship so that he could target the first person to touch the mooring lines.

The third one shouted, "Captain Link! Halt your departure and prepared to be boarded."

Link paled. "We have to get out of here," he said to the air in front of him.

"Layna," Dubbl suddenly snapped, "mayxwocan 'anw sanuth! Biluf, nwayrotan zhaylan gaylasiyn!"

"Ay'a!" both responded.

Then, to Link's surprise, Layna ran forward to the shroud holding the port main mast in place and jumped onto the shroud. After a quick appraisal, her arm swung, and Link looked back over the side.

"GYAH!" The knight holding the crossbow dropped his weapon and ripped his helmet off his head. To Link's horror, blood was seeping from a wound in his neck that he was desperately trying to place pressure on.

The knight that had delivered the ultimatum was on his companion at once and placed his bare hands on the man's neck. "Someone get a surgeon! Hurry!" he shouted at a docker just watching the action.

Link's sight then spun to stern just in time to see Biluf swing around the backside of the shroud on the port mizzen-mast and imparted enough kick into the front of the gangway that the dockers dropped it and fell on their butts. The gangway was far enough out that it fell over the side and through the gap between the Island Symphony's hull and the dock. Then she dropped back down and secured the door in the bulwark.

Link turned again just in time to see Layna swing her arm again. For a moment, he feared that she was targeting the knights. Then, he watched both moorings spontaneously snap at their mooring posts. Link saw that some kind of bladed disk had embedded itself into the closer of the two posts. He looked back at Layna as she dropped back to the deck, her face completely unreadable. He began to wonder what her position among the Gelto was.

"Layna!" Dubbl snapped at her. "'Inu nad'atnya'ak wabnik zabaytkw zhal!"

"'Inu nadyimiydhjya'ak falix, Giltiyn Dubbl," Layna replied in what sounded like a cold, detached tone. "'Ak Xili'anay sanway nayx yisaylwibak."

Link glanced at Dubbl to find that her eyes were open wide. "Xwali," she uttered under her breath. "Zhidi sanimyayl."

"Waba nadmatikak max?" Biluf asked as she approached from behind.

"Link!" Dholit hollered as she approached from the bow with Twali and Lwamm close behind.

Link shook his head to snap himself back into reality. He would have to address Layna's curiously murderous techniques later. "Everyone on the capstan," he ordered. "Prepare to open the sails, but wait for my order." He did not wait for a response; the sails were moving as Gold prepared to take them in the wrong direction. He dashed for the bow and up the stairs. "Gold, wait!" he shouted.

"Cap'n?" Gold asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Increase the ballast and take us to port," Link ordered. "Switch to the engine; we're sailing over the island."

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Gold replied, turning and pushing on the ballast control. Then he pushed the propeller lever forward and started fighting it. "C'mon, yeh stupid piece o'…" The lever locked into place, and he next pushed on the throttle. "So, 'bout this sudden need tae leave…"

"Yeah, the Royal Knights of Hyrule are after me," Link said. "I'll explain it later, but we need to get into that Sky Line while we're still capable of flying."

"Price on yer 'ead, Cap'n?" he asked.

"Not yet."

"Aaah, so we're becomin' pirates now, huh?"

Link glared at his grinning helmsman. "Hardly." He glanced out at the deck to find that Leynne and the Gelto were standing by the capstan. "Full ahead; we gotta get past those ships over the castle."

"Full 'ead, aye." Gold pushed the throttle as far as it would go and then turned the ship toward the island.

Link could feel the breeze over the bow and removed his hat. "Now we get to see how well Sello's engine works," he said as he tucked the hat into his belt. Gold steered the ship almost due south, which would take them past the castle's east side. "Add some more ballast," Link ordered.

"Aye aye," Gold said as he turned and nudged the ballast control. "What's the plan?"

"At this point? Run."

Boom! Without warning, smoke issued from one of the cutters as the Island Symphony rose in response to the ballast change. Link hurried to the starboard bow and looked down to see gun crews on all of the ships docked around the castle. He did not know how they found out so fast, but the princess's navy, the airmen who were supposed to be his coworkers, were gearing up to chase. Deck crews were hustling to pull up sails while cannoneers were loading the deck guns. One cutter, with its moorings already gone, was trying to ascend. Link was concerned, but he knew that the cutter would not be able to aim until it started some forward movement.

And almost within the same minute that the Island Symphony's bow was in a definite kill-range for those guns, the stern was just pulling out. In the next minute, the airship was across the southern edge.

Link crossed the forecastle and called down to the weather deck, "Open the sails!"

"Right!" Leynne called back.

"Disengage the engine," Link told Gold. "We're riding the wind out."

"Aye aye!" Gold replied.

Link watch the sails open. And, in the distance between the masts, he saw the navy vessels rise to match altitudes with them. One of the barquentines turned to show the Island Symphony its port side, and a row of smoke along its weather deck indicated that it had just opened fire. Link braced himself on the railing, but the Island Symphony maintained her course without the slightest hint of being struck. This caused Link to breathe a sigh of relief. Sello's engine had performed quite well, indeed, having driven the ship out of firing range.

And now that Link could see the signal flags on the barquentine, he saw one flag which made him worry even more. Red at the hoist, black at the fly, underneath the ship's banner. A signal that the ship was currently engaging another vessel.

Only ships with active orders to attack would fly that flag. The fake princess intended to have him blown out of the skies again.

"Cap'n, we're too 'igh tae enter the Sky Line," Gold told him. "Should I drop the ballast?"

Link looked forward. "Not yet," he told Gold. "Wait until you can hear the Sky Line. Then drop, turn, and rise into it. If we lower the ballast now, we're gonna be vulnerable to cannon fire."

"C-cannon fire!?" Gold shouted. "'O the 'ell's shootin' at us!?"

"The people we're running from!" Link said, pointing backwards.

Gold glanced backwards. Then he gave Link a surprised look. "Cap'n, just 'o'd yeh piss off!?"

Link glanced down as the deck crew scrambled to the rear of the ship. "Get us in that Sky Line, and I'll explain it later," he said before descending. He dashed across the deck and slowed to a jog just as the crew was manning the pair of capstans at the back. "What are you guys doing!?" he demanded.

"Secondary spahs," Leynne replied as he accepted a shaped board of wood, the same kind the crew had used to turn the forward capstan, from Dubbl. "We'h running, right?"

Link nodded. "Yeah."

Leynne pointed out to the port side, near the stern. "Those spahs out theh ahn't just foh show; we can use them foh moh speed. Go watch."

Link watched Leynne place his board into the port capstan before jogging to the edge of the ship and looking down at the outboard spars. He watched in amazement as the main spar started pulling forward while the two smaller spars above and below it spread outward from it. The sails between the spars hoisted themselves during the process.

But then the process halted with the sails still slack. For a moment, Link thought that was as far as the sails opened. Then he glanced backward to find Leynne, Dubbl, and Twali struggling against the port capstan while Lwamm, Layna, and Biluf were still turning the starboard capstan.

He rushed back and asked, "What's going on?"

"The damn thing won't tuhn," Leynne grunted as he pushed his shoulder against the board. "It's jammed."

Link heard the sails above him shift and looked up to see the mizzen sails turn to port. The angle at which they were turned told Link that Gold was not trying to turn into the Sky Line; he was trying to correct the ship's course. "Guys, you need to get the portside spars open," Link urged. "Gold won't be able to turn into the Sky Line like this."

"Something isn't meshing right," Leynne told him, letting up on his board. "The mechanics undeh the deck must be jammed. We can't open it."

"We can do!" Dubbl replied. "Push ha'de'!"

"It's pointless!" Leynne shouted. "You'll just jam it moh. We have to close the otheh side."

"It will open!" Dubbl argued.

Leynne stepped out from behind the capstan's handle. "Dholit, tell them to close that otheh side; it isn't going to wohk."

"Waba nayx nadnaygothak nwaki!" Dubbl shouted at Dholit. Then she turned back to Leynne and said, "The Gilto, my people. You not o'de'!"

"This isn't the time to debate superiority, you idiot!" Leynne shouted. "We'h undeh attack!"

"I light!" Dubbl said. "Zey will open. You will help!"

"Dholit, tell them to close that one!"

"Nadlayxoman!" Dubbl shouted. Link could only guess that Dubbl was countermanding Leynne in Geltoan, particularly since Dholit looked confused.

Leynne must have thought the same because he told Dubbl, "Will you shut up!"

Dubbl's response was swift. Without warning, she pulled her board out of the capstan, stepped up to Leynne as he turned to holler another order at Dholit, and struck the taller man on the back of the head. Leynne collapsed to the deck with a bark of pain, and he covered his head with his arms in anticipation. Link was stunned at this show of violence, and he ran to check on Leynne.

"Dholit, saylotan 'inon!" Dubbl shouted. Dholit replied by taking up Leynne's abandoned spot. Dubbl wound her arm at Dholit and Twali. Then all three changed positions and started pushing again.

Link rolled Leynne over. "Leynne!" he shouted. "Leynne, are you all right?"

"I've been betteh…" Leynne groaned back.

Link held up a hand. "How many fingers do you see?"

"Ugh… three."

Link changed the fingers he raised. "And now?"

"Fouh."

Link then gave a relieved sigh. "Looks like she didn't hit you too hard."

"Pehhaps," Leynne groaned as he sat up, "but I'm still put off by having been hit with a length of wood."

Link glanced up just in time to see the port capstan jerk loose. Dubbl then signed at Dholit and Twali, and all three of them started turning in the opposite direction. They made more progress, and then they stopped a moment later. Link left Leynne's side and dashed over to the port bulwark to find that the spars had opened to full, showing a pair of triangular sails set vertical to a main spar positioned perpendicular to the ship. He glanced back to find that Gold had returned the mizzen sails back to their original positions.

Then he heard the wind whistling nearby and returned to the group. "Everyone down below!" he ordered. "Don't come up until I come to get you!" He spun and shouted up at the poop deck. "Cale, get below the deck! Now!" Yet again, he did not wait for a response. He dashed back to the bridge as he felt the ship turn. "Gold?" Link asked.

"What the 'ell's goin' on back there?" Gold asked. "Somethin' wrong with the sails?"

"Just a small problem opening the outboard sails," Link said.

"Goin' in," Gold said. He turned and pushed the ballast control. Link grabbed the nearby railing to save himself against the ship bucking under the harsh winds of the Sky Line. Link looked back across the deck before moving to the starboard side. The pursuing vessels had already fallen behind enough that they were just specks in the distance. He was also relieved to see that the Island Symphony was still in one piece.

"We clear, Cap'n?" Gold asked.

"For now," Link answered. He breathed a sigh, but it was more for hesitation's sake than relief. The day had turned out worse for the crew than Link had imagined could be possible. The Skyriders were looking for him. The Sky Lines were nearly gone. And a fake Princess Zelda was controlling the kingdom. As if that had not been enough, now Link had to settle a dispute in his crew. His eyes wandered the weather deck below for a moment before he looked back at Gold. "I need you to stay on the helm a little longer," he said, his voice tired and grim. "I'll have Leynne relieve you in a few moments."

Gold glanced over at him and read the look on Link's face before Link descended. He scratched his head and looked out to port, making sure Link did not see the knowing look on his face. "Aye," he whispered to himself.