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...

90. A Long Evening

Chapter 90: A Long Evening

…

~~Day 70 (Command, Day 33)

~~I'm amazed how much has happened in the past two days. Both Layna and I have been injured, her more horribly than me. We've returned the northern Sky Lines. And we've discovered the remains of the people whom the Lizalfos had eaten ever since they took over Might Island's technoworks. This last development makes me afraid of what we might find on the next island. I can't be too sure, but, after looking at an old map, it seems pretty clear that we could be looking at Bold Island next. Cunimincus and his murderous crew are the only ones who know what's waiting for us out there. And, unfortunately, that's just on top of trying to keep the Skyriders away from us. So I hope that we find the king and queen soon.

~~We're on our way to West Iron Island now. At least I hope we are. We're using an uncharted Sky Line. We've been heading east for a good part of the afternoon, though, so I'm a little hopeful.

Kon kon kon.

Link looked up at the sound of someone knocking on his door. "Who is it?" he called.

"It's me~, My Captain," Dholit's muffled voice replied through the door. "Theah's an island to the nohth of us. Leynne wanted me to get you."

Link closed his journal and stood up. "Tell Leynne to drop out of the Sky Line and hold position."

"Aye aye, My Captain."

Link had expected to get some sleep before they reached an island. But it seemed like he had forgotten the kind of travel time one regularly sees when using a Sky Line. He retrieved his shirt from his bed and slipped it on as he walked to the door.

The ship jerked as he opened the door, forcing him to freeze in place before he fell on his face. He looked up to see the Sky Line floating upward away from the ship. It was quite late in the afternoon, causing the sky to begin turning purple in the direction they were traveling. Shadows fell across the main deck, but the setting sun kept the sails bright and white. Both shifts were on-deck. He strode across the deck, giving the Gelto a passing nod as he walked by.

Stepping onto the forecastle, he found that Gold and Lilly were already up and waiting. Lilly was a bit of a surprise for Link since he had yet to actually assign her any sort of duty. Gold was looking to port, hands in his pockets as if the activity was too boring for his taste.

Leynne spotted Link out of the corner of his eye and told him, "I don't know that we should drop too low."

Link glanced at him before looking out across the open sky. One other Sky Lines blocked the Island Symphony's view of West Iron Island, but he could still make out its brown silhouette through the shimmering particles before him. It might also mean that anyone on the island might also be able to see the ship, so he told Leynne, "Go ahead and maneuver us so we can ascend."

"Undehstood," Leynne said as he turned the wheel to starboard.

Link looked up at the Sky Line above them. Then he realized something and glanced at the Sky Line between them and the island. "Hey, Leynne?"

"Yes?"

He pointed up. "While we were sailing, was there another Sky Line parallel to this one?"

"I don't believe so," Leynne said. "Theh wehn't any of note as we traveled. This one heh is the only one along a similah path. Why?"

"It's just… It's a little weird," Link said. "Most Sky Lines, at least within the kingdom, always have a parallel Sky Line going the opposite direction. But this appears to be a first."

"Maybe it just takes time fer the other one tae show up?" Gold suggested.

Link just shrugged. "It's probably something Irleen might know about; I'll have to ask her."

"So how do ya wanna ask questions, Captain?" Lilly asked as she leaned on the bulwark on Link's left.

"That's right," Leynne said, turning to manipulate the ballast control. "Nohth said that he sent a ship in this direction; it could very well be heh. And that's only assuming that the Moon's Shadow itself isn't heh."

"That's a prob'm?" Gold asked.

"Nohth and his men have seen ouh faces," Leynne explained. "Which means Cale can't go eitheh."

"I wasn't gonna ask him," Link said. "But I do need to go. It's easier to talk airman-to-docker."

"It's risky," Leynne warned.

"Any airman with eyesight could tell what ship this is," Link rebutted. "Which makes even docking difficult. We could certainly use that cutter under the poop deck by now."

"I'm just a ballast tank away from it," Leynne said. "Unfohtunately, it's ratheh hahd to cast ihn without access to a fohge."

Link let out a sigh. He appreciated Leynne keeping the ire out of his statement. He knew well enough that, even with supplies to keep the ship traveling for a month, there were still things that they could use. A functional launch would definitely help matters; it would mean that the Island Symphony would not have to approach an island which could be harboring a hostile airship.

"Not that I would want to chance trying to bleed Loft Steam out of the Symphony's ballast system," Leynne added after a moment. "One uncontrolled leak, and we'h looking at quite the fall."

"Yeah, if that don't make yeh nervous sailin' up 'ere," Gold commented with a chuckle. He looked at Leynne. "Yeh sure know 'ow tae make a sailor comfy there, Chief."

"It's a fundamental truth while we'h up heh," Leynne pointed out.

"So, if the captain hazza go…" Lilly spoke up. "Well, what else? Do ya need someone else with ya?"

"I'm not sure if I should bring someone else," Link admitted. "The Gelto might stand out too much. And if North is here, his airmen might recognize Leynne or Cale, or even you."

"Well, yeh've got 'bout as much chance gettin' seen, Cap'n," Gold pointed out.

"I know," Link said. "But, at least with less of us, there's less chance we might get recognized."

"As youh second-in-command," Leynne said as he stopped the ship's ascent, "I'd ratheh have even someone known to Nohth go with you. Keeping in mind, of couhse, that theh's no Layna to coveh you if you'h recognized. Oh… Misteh Gold, would you consideh going along? Theh's a chance Nohth's men don't know youh face."

"Mmm?" Gold replied, his thoughts interrupted by Leynne's question. "Oh. Yeah, I could. I was thinkin' though… Well, we could bring someone along tae be a distraction. Y'know, someone tae attract attention in case the 'eat shows up."

"I wouldn't think a distraction is that necessary," Leynne said. "Afteh all, I imagine all you plan to do is go to a neahby bah and chat, right, Link?"

"Yeah, basically," Link answered with a nod. "I mean… I suppose it would look less suspicious if one of us was drunk. You know, someone that Gold and I could drag back to the ship just so it looks like we're just… help… ing…"

Link's and Leynne's eyes met just as both of them came to the same conclusion before Link could finish describing a scenario which would make their nightly venture look a little more natural. Having little exposure to the candidate which they had in mind, Gold and Lilly could only watch their two superiors grin like madmen.

…

"When da cheese iz in ma gravy, I shake it like da Keezes!"

That statement alone caused a boisterous uproar of laughter from the crowd, making this probably the most pleasant experience Link had ever had in a bar. The centerpiece of entertainment was Sello, freed of his seemingly all-day duty of monitoring the Island Symphony's engine (a duty which the engine room crew had taken on with confidence now that they had had a month to observe how Sello handled it between bottles) and almost limitless in his newfound power to get people to buy him drinks just to see what he would say or do next. He had already swallowed ten small, live fish, which was quite strange in itself; Link had not really known airmen to readily carry the fish for such a challenge. He had also managed to quiet the bar patrons down enough to tell them… some absurd story which only seemed to make sense to those of the patrons who were about as intoxicated as him. And there was no mistake that the other patrons could only ever be about as intoxicated as Sello; as Sello was now and having come into the bar already inebriated, Link was quite certain that Sello was clueless as to why he was actually at a bar in the first place.

As Link had expected, Sello's nonsensical ranting and willingness to take on challenges of incredible stupidity had allowed him to join a pair of dockers in a corner of the bar, where the light of the overhead chandelier could barely reach. Link just wore his regular clothes, fearing that attempting to hide who he was under robes would only attract attention. As such, he wore his sword on his hip and his flare gun behind his back, trying to appear more as a fighter-for-hire. A pair of dockers wearing green uniforms sat across from him, middle-aged men whom Link had found after about an hour of searching. Gold was nowhere nearby, instead opting to stay close to Sello in case something happened. Link found this logic sound, knowing well how easy it was to start a fight in a bar full of drunk airmen and knowing that if anything did happen, Link would need some help grabbing Sello and running out the door.

Link's first question, after introducing himself to the dockers as the child-captain that the Skyriders were searching for (which was turning out to be quite a useful introduction, considering that the fake princess's more hands-on approach to governing shipping around the kingdom had effectively pissed off every member of port staff north of Autumn Island), had naturally been concerning the king and queen. Both men seemed to be thinking about it, allowing Link a moment to sip his milk and watch Sello perform a backstroke across the bar. It was a little noisier than expected since, in the process, Sello's head was knocking empty bottles and glasses to the floor.

One of the dockers snapped his fingers once he had a memory, the sound just barely loud enough for Link to hear over the wild laughter on the far side. "Y'know, I feel it was about two weeks after the Sky Lines disappeared," the docker said in a loud voice to talk over the crowd behind them. "But… eh, that was over a month ago…"

"That's fine," Link said. "Anything you can tell me."

"What?" the other docker asked.

Link raised his voice and told them, "That's fine! Anything you can tell me!"

"Oh."

The dockers then took their chairs and moved to either side of Link so that they could be heard. The first docker, the man sitting to Link's left, leaned on the table. "It's been maybe… a month and a half ago?" he told Link in an average voice. Link nodded, believing that to be about the time the king and queen would have appeared on the island after departing from Might Island; he remembered Leynne saying that the journey to West Iron Island would have been about the same as when they traveled the air between Sagacity and Might Islands. "I feel they was comin' from the east, so…"

"Unless they went backka Might Island," the other docker said, "they probably would gotta gone'na the next island north. There's a few rocks on the way, but the next inhabited island is South Sand Island. Can't imagine them stoppin' there, though; Bold Island's gotta be about four or five days further."

"About how far away would you say South Sand is?" Link asked.

"Well, that Skyrider ship that came by said it took them about a week and a half."

"Not that takin' that journey's a whole load o' fun," the first docker said with a shake of his head. "With all those stray rocks floatin' around, the Sky Line was always the safest wayya go. Not even those miners wantedda hang around after the Lines disappeared, and they're supposedda work in that mess."

"Has anyone ever tried circumnavigation?" Link asked.

"Probably the easiest wayya get lost," the second docker said.

Link nodded. "Did either of you actually see the king or queen when their ship was here?"

"I did," the first docker said, his tone indicating a touch of indignation. "They only stopped for maybe an hour, then they just left."

"Any idea why they stopped?" Link asked.

The first docker shrugged. "Can't say. I was workin' just down the pier from them, movin' some cargo." He put on a thoughtful look, then he added, "It was a little strange, though."

"In what way?"

"I only ever saw King Lauris. Y'know, it's strange because I always felt that both the king and queen appeared in public together."

"I heard the same thing," the second docker spoke up.

"But it was just the king," the first one continued. "I felt I just couldn't see her; he was surrounded by knights."

"Knights?" Link asked. "What color uniform were they wearing?"

The docker scrunched his face as he thought. "Well… they was wearin' armor, but I feel they was wearin' green underneath." Link nodded, glad to see that at least the knights with the king and queen had escaped influence from the fake princess, though he had to wonder how all this was happening without anyone on the Royal Family's vessel taking action. Was news just not reaching them?

"Why the interest in the king and queen?" the second docker asked. "You lookin' at startin' trouble with them, too?"

"Actually, I'm hoping they'll get me out of trouble," Link admitted with a grin. "One other thing. Did… either of you happen to notice a strange shipment of crates come in? Maybe from one of the… uh, northeast islands?"

"Nothin' I can feel about," the first docker said with a shrug.

"I might gotta seen somethin'," the second docker said. "Four crates outta Autumn Island. That sound right?"

"Yeah," Link said with a nod. "Badly-written orders? Covered in stupid caution stencils? Moved on the dockmaster's budget?"

"Then that must be what you're lookin' for," the second docker said. "I don't know about bein' moved on the dockmaster's budget, though. And they smelled nasty."

Link blinked in surprise. "Nasty? How?"

"Like they was full of fish. I just smelled them in passin', but it was like bein' stuck in a fish monger's store after-hours. Is that what's in them? Fish?"

Link flashed an uncomfortable look. "Actually, it's probably something worse than fish."

The docker nodded. "They was here for about a day or so, then they just disappeared. I figured they'd been shipped off."

"Did you happen to catch where?"

"Nah, I didn't."

"Wait, wait," the first docker said. "Weren't ya workin' the western docks a couple months back?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I'm always hanging around the warehouses on the other side. Didn't noticed the crates you're talkin' about."

"I see where you're goin'. If they stayed on the west side, they might gotta been shippedda Bold Island."

"Are you sure?" Link asked.

"The bosses don't like us movin' things around," the second docker said. "Everythin' on the west side tendzza go'a either South Sand Island or Bold Island."

"Everythin' else goezza Might Island," the first docker added.

"WHEeeEEeEeeEEeeEeeEE!" The conversation was interrupted to watch Sello, hanging from the chandelier by his hands, spinning in place as local dockers, having wound him in a length of rope, pulled the rope loose from around his torso. "I'M like A BEE on the GOLDen TOOTHpick!"

"That's not gonna end well," the second docker quickly said.

And, indeed, it did not seem to end well. One of Sello's legs flailed outward, and the sudden change caused him and the chandelier to swing wildly. People were knocked over as those within Sello's reach pushed backward to keep from getting kicked. As Sello swung away, his arms slackened a bit. At the bottom of the swing, suddenly dealing with Sello's weight again turned out to be too much for the plate holding the chandelier to the ceiling. The whole mount suddenly jerked out of the ceiling, followed by the electric wires which provided the chandelier's illumination. Sello was lucky the chandelier did not come crashing down on top of him. He had probably been surprised by the sensation that he was falling because he had let go of the chandelier. This threw him to the floor away from where the chandelier landed with an amazing crash.

"Oh, man…" Link groaned as the lamps on the walls flickered. He put a hand over his face and rested his elbow on the table.

The first docker started chuckling. "Ben's gonna be pissed."

The second docker gave the scene a dismissive wave. "He's been wantin'na get rid of that ugly thing for months."

"Probably not that way, though," Link grumbled before taking a heavy swig of his milk.

"Chief!" Gold hollered as he emerged from the crowd. He stepped around the broken mess of glass which used to be a chandelier and leaned over Sello. "You okay?"

"I drag ma ears juzd like everybody else," Sello replied in the quiet of the shocked barroom.

"Cap'n?" Gold asked, looking up.

Link sighed and stood up. "Thanks for your help, guys."

The first docker reached over and picked up his mug. "Thanks for the beers, Captain. Wish we didn't talk so much; we'd gotta drunk with ya."

"That's okay," Link said after finishing his milk. "I appreciate it, though." He set down his cup and waved a hand toward the door. "Let's go, guys."

"Hah! Aye aye," Gold grunted as he lifted Sello back to his feet.

"Bud dat wuzzn't ma spoon," Sello said, his head flopping as Gold tried to drag him to the door.

Link stepped up and slung Sello's other arm across his shoulders. "Thanks, Cap'n," Gold said.

"I'd help more if I had the height," Link grunted. He smacked Sello on the back a couple of times. "C'mon, Sello, walk."

Sello released a loud belch. "I am on da stool," he said.

"Yeh was," Gold said as they turned him so they could get through the door. "Wasn't fer long, though."

"Dat's how I roll."

"Ah, shut up b'fore I roll yeh."

"Come back when ya aren't bein' hunted!" someone in the bar shouted out to them.

"I'll get more fish for ya!" another voice called.

"We'll do lunch!" Sello hollered back, waving the arm draped on Link's shoulders.

"Ow," Link grunted when Sello's arm hit his head. He grabbed Sello's wrist and held it against his shoulder. "Well, at least the docks are close."

"Firzz, ya pudda chicken in da boat, and den ya take it over, den ya take da grain over and take da chicken back and den da fox over, den ya come back, den ya pudda chicken in," Sello said in what would be a sing-song voice if he had actually been capable of holding the rhythm. "Den ya sedda boat on fire, and den ya have chicken fer breakfast."

"I'm not ever havin' breakfast with this stinkin' drunk," Gold said. "Cap'n, 'ow come we don't sober 'im out? 'E'd be less o' a handful."

"Well, have you ever had a hangover before?" Link asked.

"Yeah?"

"And that's just after a night of drinking, right?"

"Yeah, that's usually the case."

"Well, Sello's probably been drunk for years. I'm a little worried that, if we try to dry him out, the hangover will kill him."

"Yeh do realize 'e should already be dead, right?"

"He made us an engine. I'm not gonna complain."

"OOOOH, IIIIYEYAIIIIYAIIII!" Sello started wailing.

"Shut up!" Gold shouted at him, elbowing him to get him to be quiet.

"Gohf!" Sello uttered. "I zwallowed ma toe."

"I wish yeh would," Gold told him.

Link caught sight of a green light bobbing around overhead as they reached the corner of the street. "Anything happening, Irleen?" he asked.

"No, it's been pretty quiet," Irleen replied as she moved lower to join them in their walk. "Not a sign of any Skyriders. How about the king and queen?"

"One docker may have seen them," Link answered. "Given our options, it's likely they went south toward Bold Island."

"That's that large island?" she asked. "The one I told you we'd probably be traveling to anyway?"

"We had to check, Irleen. Now we know for certain where they went."

"And the crates?"

"Heh heh," Sello chuckled. "I had a crate day, too."

"Shut up, Sello," Gold said. "What crates?"

"We think Cunimincus had Line, Flower, and Leonard ship some of his crew around the islands so they could find the technoworks," Link explained. He paused to adjust his hold on Sello. "It seems like they tried to send them out to the smaller islands to slow them down, but they've somehow figured out how to get themselves sent to the right islands."

"Well, what makes yeh think they ain't those things yeh found back on Might Island?" Gold asked.

"Can someone get ma head 'fore I furgeddit?" Sello slurred.

"Yeh'r be'er off without it," Gold told him.

"Well, the docker who saw the crates said that they smelled like fish," Link said. He glanced up at Irleen. "And I'm pretty sure the Lizalfos didn't smell like fish when we found them."

"My best guess would have to be Geozards," Irleen replied. "They're like the fish equivalent to Lizalfos, but they're really not all that bright."

"Ahhhi. Aghhhm. Aghhh. Laghhhight. Bughhhlb," Sello belched out.

"Ew…" Irleen commented.

"Why do yeh go'a talk while we're talkin'?" Gold asked him.

"Bellz and Keezez," Sello told him.

"Oh, great, I'm talkin' tae a drunk," Gold growled. "I'm talkin' tae 'im."

"Trust me, we all make that mistake," Irleen replied.

All three then suddenly felt as if someone was watching them and froze in the middle of the street, Sello stumbling and forcing all of his weight on Gold's and Link's shoulders. They glanced around at the warehouses on either side of them, but nothing was immediately visible. They had ventured into a poorly-lit area with no form of cover. The docks ahead of them were vacant, so Irleen, Link, and Gold glanced back down the road.

"Cap'n…" Gold said in a low voice.

Link had gone pale. "Uh oh."

The road behind them was blocked off by three men wearing black tunics and each holding a pistol to their sides. The four of them had walked right into a trap.

"Moose?" Sello asked.

"Go, go," Link urged in a quiet voice. They immediately started forward, their pace quicker but still hampered by Sello. "Irleen, get to the ship."

"Right," Irleen said before zooming off into the air above.

Link glanced backward to see the men in black following them at a relaxed pace. He could not understand why until Gold suddenly stopped, nearly causing both him and Sello to fall to the ground. He caught himself and looked up at the path ahead. They had only been a stone's throw away from the open area at the front of the warehouses.

But four more Skyrider airmen stepped onto the road, blocking off the docks. Just as the ones behind them, these men each held a pistol. However, upon seeing Link, they leveled the pistols on Link, Gold, and Sello.

Link was at a loss for what to do. In addition to being captured without any obvious means of escape, his hands were too preoccupied with supporting Sello to pull either his sword or his flare gun to signal for help. He knew he could not do either, anyway; one move for either would probably result in all three of them taking at least one bullet.

"Ideas?" Gold asked under his breath.

"Turkey!" Sello declared. Gold silently stammered his anger for a moment, unable to find the appropriate profanity to spit at their drunken companion.

"Just remain still," Link replied in a low voice as he tried to think of a way to escape. "If anything, they'll just arrest us."

"Ain't very comfortin', C—" Gold replied, cutting himself off before he accidentally called Link "Captain".

"Captain Link?" one of the men in front of them asked. Link decided to remain silent and just glared at the man. He was not sure a lack of response would get them released, but a response was more likely to get them taken away. He began to regret introducing himself as the thorn in the princess's side. Had they been in the bar? They could not have; that had been the reason Irleen had been loitering around outside. No, at best, Link could be their target so long as he did not try to confirm or deny anything. Not that silence was completely foolproof in itself.

"Are you Captain Link of the Island Sonata?" the airman said, his tone a little harder. The Island Sonata? So there was some hope. Whoever these men were, they had not come from the Moon's Shadow; they would know the name of Link's current ship. It meant, Link decided, that they had come from the ship that Captain North had sent in this direction.

"What if I am?" Gold answered. The response caused Link to visibly cringe. "'O the 'ell are yeh?"

"I wasn't talking to you, lard head," the airman snapped at him.

"Yeh'r askin' 'bout a captain, aren't yeh?" Gold asked. "There's only me, the boy, and a drunk. Yeh wanna know the drunk's name?"

"I'm Spartacus!" Sello declared, seemingly jerking to life for a moment and nearly toppling all three of them.

"Damn yeh and yer brick head…" Gold growled at Sello.

"You done playing around?" the airman asked.

"Why don't yeh go take a long walk off the dock!?" Gold snapped. "Just leave us 'lone!"

Link saw someone step up behind the airman and tap him on the shoulder just before he could give Gold his retort. There was a whisper, and the airman stepped aside. And Link's eyes became wide. Short, sandy hair neatly trimmed. A tall frame, although with a little more width than the last time Link had seen it. A square jaw that forever seemed to sport little more than stubble. Dressed in a black tunic with a cape similar to the way Captain North had been dressed, Link found that he barely recognized the man until the light was on his face just right.

"Well, Link, I see you're still not above finding yourself in trouble."

Link had to blink to be sure he was not seeing things. Then he asked, "Captain… Captain Luke?"

Captain Luke, formerly Lieutenant Luke of the Grand Sails, showed Link a large grin. "Well, I'd say you've really done it this time," he told Link. "I thought, if you ever made captain, you wouldn't have to worry about getting into trouble."

Link shook his head. "What… What are you doing here?"

"Hunting you down, it seems," Luke told him.

"Yeh know this guy?" Gold asked Link in a low voice.

Link glanced at him. Then he said, "Airman Gold, this is Captain Luke of theeee… the Summer Bree—Is it still the Summer Breeze?"

Luke gave a nod. "Been that way for… well, coming on four years now."

"Captain?" one of Luke's airmen asked. "Are we taking them?"

"I don't see why, Alex," Luke replied. "You haven't caught a fugitive, you caught a fellow sailor. Sure, the boy has a propensity for getting into trouble, but I have yet to see the boy cause it." He chuckled. "In fact, the source tends to be in close proximity." He looked back at Link. "How is Airman Line, anyway?"

"Missing," Link replied with a curt word.

Luke's face lost its smile. "Oh. I-I'm sorry, Link."

"He's not dead, Captain," Link told him. "Just missing."

"I get it," Luke told him. "Uh… look, I'm sure you realize I do have orders to look for you. But I'm willing to discuss it with you. I know you, Link. You don't cause trouble, you just get involved. We can go back to the Summer Breeze and see if you really need to be arrested."

Gold stepped forward, causing Link to stumble because Sello kept hold of both of them. "Sorry, Cap'n, but that ain't happenin'," he told Luke. "I understand yeh both are friendly, but my cap'n ain't goin' anywhere near yer ship."

Luke raised his chin, his expression difficult. "No, I suppose that wouldn't be the best of options for you, would it?"

"For either of us," Link said. "That little bit of light your men should've seen taking off was a fairy. She's returning back to the ship to let them know we're in trouble."

"We got women on the ship that ain't very shy 'bout killin'," Gold added.

One of the men next to Luke raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?" he asked.

"Captain North is one of the smartest and most brutal captains in the company," Link said. "Do you think we got away from him because he was having a bad day?"

"No," Luke replied. "No, you wouldn't've."

"Captain, you're not actually buying this act, are you?" the same airman asked in disbelief.

"That's the problem with Link," Luke said, his grin returning. "He's pretty good about telling the truth."

"We should go to my ship," Link told him. "Otherwise, when they come looking for us, there's a good chance some of your men are gonna die. And… I'm afraid you might be the first, Captain."

"He's right," Gold said. Then he added in a casual tone, "Though I wouldn't particularly care if yeh went first."

"Mister Gold," Link said with a hint of warning in his voice. Gold glanced at him, then he set his jaw firm in a show of his newly-found silence. "Captain, we should move. We have to stop the women before they decide to attack."

"Agreed," Luke said. "Stow the guns, boys. Alex, go ahead and help with the drunk. Free up the captain so he can take us to his ship. It'd be easy for him to lead so his crew doesn't decide to kill us right away."

Airman Alex took Link's place, and the rest of the airmen formed an escort party around their captain, Link, Sello, and Gold. They stepped out into the open, where the overhead electric streetlights provided enough light to see. Their walk to the ship was short since the Island Symphony was on the end of the eastern docks while the bar had been near the center. As they approached, Link removed his flare gun and loaded a shell. This naturally caused a few of Luke's airmen to reach for their pistols, but Link made certain to point it straight up into the air and fire it. A green light pierced the sky, causing the whole group to stop in surprise.

Luke had jumped sideways when Link fired the gun, so he tried to play it off as he asked in a calm voice, "Signaling your crew?"

"Captain!" one of the airmen in the rear snapped.

"Ambush!" someone near Link shouted.

"Sunway!" A Gelto voice, and it sounded like Lwamm!

Link immediately tried to recall what he had been taught about Geltoan as he ducked out of the circle and raised his hands into the air, still holding the gun. "Stop! Stop!" he hollered just before he remembered the word, "Noyrotan! Ladies, noyrotan!"

"Guys, guys!" Luke shouted at the same time. "Hold fire! Hold your fire!"

"Dholit, tell them to stop!" Leynne's voice called out from the darkness. "Hold them!"

"Nwoyrotan, 'imayn giltun!" Dholit called out, although her voice was actually a little less panicked.

"I wandda one on da lef'!" Sello declared.

"Shut up!" Gold shouted at him.

From a gap between a pair of small buildings, Leynne and Dholit emerged into the light. Leynne held his musket pointed at the ground as he angled his head to investigate the scene before him. "Everything all right, Link?" he asked.

"We're fine, Leynne," Link told him, his hands held out as if to physically stop them.

"Says the captain with an entourage of Skyridehs behind him," Leynne pointed out.

"It's okay, Leynne," Link said. "They're not North's men. The captain, I know him."

"Gold?" Leynne called out.

"It's all good, ex-oh!" Gold replied. "They ain't very friendly, but we ain't been 'urt."

"That's why I signaled, Leynne," Link said as he watched his Gelto crew step out of hiding. And Link had no doubt that they had intended to attack. Twali, having taken Link's bow again, was standing near a small pile of crates that the group had passed. She must have been waiting to start taking out men at the back of the pack. Dubbl and Biluf had been hiding next to the gap Leynne and Dholit had been in, both of them carrying a couple of Layna's blades in their hands. Lwamm and Harley slipped out from around the corner of a warehouse further ahead, Harley carrying the other musket. "Wow, you guys were really ready for us."

"Well, that was the whole intention, wasn't it?" Irleen said as she fluttered out of hiding in the shadow of a nearby ship. "So what's the deal?"

"Leynne, Dholit, come on," Link said, waving an inviting hand at them. "Let's get back to the ship, okay?"

…

Some more time was spent disarming the situation before both groups were finally aboard the Island Symphony. Only three of Luke's airmen were allowed aboard, all under the watchful eye of the deck crew. Harley had taken Sello back to the engine room to sleep off some of his inebriation while Gold relieved Leynne.

Link and Luke had stepped into Link's cabin. Link sat behind his desk while Luke appeared to admire the interior. His contemplation of Luke had been brief since he felt that he could trust his former superior. The fact that they had managed to return to the Island Symphony without anyone being shot was all the proof he needed.

Luke looked at the map on the table for a moment before saying, "Chasing after missing dreams, Link?"

"I suppose you could say that," Link said.

Luke nodded. "Well. We're here." Link first thought he was referring to the island. Then he realized Luke was referring to the conversation they were about to have. "So what happened, Link?"

"A lot," Link replied.

"It must have been," Luke said with a chuckle. "You're being hunted by the Princess of Hyrule."

"She's not the princess," Link said in a voice meant to be sobering.

But Luke just chuckled again. "You think we don't know that?"

This caused Link to give him a surprised look. "You mean… you know?"

"Well, maybe not as much as you, but some of us had our suspicions."

"I-I don't get it. If you knew…"

Luke raised his eyebrows and finished the question, "'Why would we go along with it'?"

"We—… Well, yeah."

Luke plucked a pin from the table and examined it as he talked. "Link, I would expect you would understand the meaning of orders and the chain of command. After all, you've only ever broken the rules because of Line."

"I don't get it. Where does the chain of command come in? The only ones that can command our captains are the fleet captains, the people who run the company."

"Link, being a captain in the Skyriders, you, just like the rest of us, swore loyalty to the Royal Family. To uphold and provide for king and country in times of strife. And… well, a bunch of other silly rules that I've since forgotten. But it essentially means that we are at the family's disposal when and if they want us. Their orders are just as imperative as the company's. What it boils down to is this weird little branch in the chain that the family can use to cut off the rest of the chain at their slightest whim."

"I still don't get it," Link said. "Where was this supposed to show up?"

Luke looked at him, setting the pin back on the table. "You went to Castle Island when they first named you a captain, right?" Link nodded. "And they gave you that green tunic and belt?" Link nodded again. "And they made you take an oath?"

"Uh… well, no, actually," Link admitted.

"It would've been a long-winded list of things you were promising to the Royal Family and Hyrule. Though, I can't exactly bl—"

"No, that's just it," Link interrupted. "I didn't hear any of the oath."

Luke blinked at him in confusion. "You didn't?"

Link shook his head. "Princess Zelda… the real princess… she was the one who gave me the tunic. When she was putting it on… she-she whispered something to me. She said she… she couldn't remember the words. I-I didn't know what that meant, but she had me say… uh, 'I do', or something."

Luke scratched his chin in thought. "Oh, I see…" he said to himself. Then he told Link, "Look, the bottom line is we quite simply don't have a choice. We aren't complete idiots, Link. We know something's going on. The sudden drafting of Skyrider vessels into a navy and arming them… uh, posting a blockade to the Undying Storm, chasing you… They're all signs. It's more obvious than you think."

"Well then… Then why is Captain North after me?"

Luke shook his head. "To him, this whole situation is a matter of honor. You know he used to be a Knight of Hyrule, right?"

"He was?"

Luke nodded. "We can swear loyalty all we like, but North's sworn his life away. Everything he does is just him following orders. Some of our other captains are just like that, too. What's the point in making the rules if they're just gonna be broken? You and I, maybe even Captain Alfonzo, we can think all we want. But if you want to break the rules, you have to have a damn good reason."

"Captain Al—Where is Captain Alfonzo?"

Luke shrugged. "I really don't know. When the word spread that the princess was after you, he was also wanted in connection to you."

Link's eyes widened. "No…" He clasped his hands behind his head and looked down at the desktop. "Gillam told me… He told me he would have to mention Captain Alfonzo."

"Well, since then, no one in the company has seen him," Luke said. "The last time anyone saw him, as far as I heard, the Dusk Runner opened fire on them. I wouldn't expect it to go down, though."

"Why not?" Link asked, raising his head.

"The Grand Sails' hull was reinforced with steel plating when the princess began arming ships. And the Dusk Runner's just a cutter; it couldn't handle more than a couple guns. I haven't heard anything from either ship, really, but… you know… chasing you down out here, we haven't really been in the loop lately." Silence filled the cabin for a moment. "So where do we go from here, Link? You haven't said a whole lot to convince me to not arrest you."

Link sighed. "Look, I know I don't have any proof that the princess is a fake. But. I have a plan. According to one of the knights I met at the castle, the best way to remove the princess from command is to find the King and Queen of Hyrule. I've been following them from Might Island. We know they stopped here, but they moved on; they didn't even stay the day."

Luke nodded. "An interesting plan… How close are you?"

Link shook his head. "I really don't know. We're following leads over a month old. One other thing, though."

"Yeah?"

"We know what made the Sky Lines disappear."

Luke's eyebrows rose with intrigue. "Oh, really?"

"There are… facilities, I guess you could call them. They make and maintain the Sky Lines, and a few of the larger islands allow us to control them." Link paused so he could give a small laugh and shake his head. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but there are… there are-there are monsters loose in the kingdom. They're the ones who got rid of the Sky Lines, but we've been bringing them back. We've found facilities under Sagacity and Might Islands, and we restored the Sky Lines to both the… what is it, the east and south sides of the kingdom." Luke tilted his head, and Link could tell he had a hard time believing the story. "Look, there's a little more to the story than that, but… really, you'd probably just think I'm even crazier."

"I don't know, I happen to think you're pretty loopy now." Link sighed and placed his forehead on the desk. Luke stepped up to the front of the desk and placed his hand on the edge so he could lean on them. "Okay, look, Link. I can't really say I believe you about the Sky Lines; it's a stretch. But there's the fact that, even if I don't believe you, the Sky Lines are coming back. Maybe you have something to do with it, maybe you don't. So we'll just put that issue aside for a moment.

"The fact that you seem to know what's going on gives you a bit of merit. And I know who you are, you've-you've got that going for you. The orders to take you in or kill you have been pretty vague as to what you've done. I mean, for all I know, the princess is after you because you pissed in her garden. Let's face it, any teenager can take even using certain words and spin it off as an offense punishable by death." The statement caused Link, who had raised his head by this point, to gulp. "I don't know the princess, which gives you a little more merit. The fact that we're chasing down a fellow Skyrider, well… I'd have to say it actually has me a little miffed, especially now that I know it actually was you."

"You… didn't think it was me?"

Luke shrugged. "Well, I heard the words 'child', 'captain', 'Skyrider', and 'Link' all at the same time. It reminded me of you, but I didn't think you'd actually made captain. Congratulations, by the way. I didn't think you were going for it."

"To tell you the truth, I really wasn't. Captain Alfonzo just… told me I'd made captain. I didn't even know my name had come up."

"Well, I'll give you this, Link. So far, it looks like you've done pretty good. I sure as hell know your crew would kill for you."

Link shook his head. "That's… not even close to covering their behavior."

"I'll bet." There was a pause. "Look, Link, I think we can actually work with this. What is it you need to do? You need to get to the king and queen, right?"

"Yeah."

Luke stood up straight, crossed his arms, and glanced behind him as if checking on his men out on the deck. "Well, as far as my men and Captain North need to know, we didn't find any criminal by the name of Link. All we ambushed was an angry airman, a drunk airman, and an old friend. It's not much, but if North does decide to chase you north to Bold Island, at least you'll have a bit of a lead."

Link stood up from his seat, feeling that the conversation was over. "Thank you, Captain." He glanced down at his hands. "Uh… I-I don't really know if I'm supposed to salute or-or what…"

"Well, in this case, I'm the one that salutes first; it's your ship." Instead, Luke held out a hand. "But, between friends, I think a handshake is just as appropriate."

Link smiled and clasped hands with Luke. "Thanks. Thanks a lot."

They released hands, and Luke crossed his arms again. "Now, I'd probably better get going. After all, there's a dangerous boy in green out there who's wanted for treason. Got a date with a noose and all."

Link was smiling until Luke said "noose". At that word, he went pale.