Chapter 106: Okay, Let's Try That Again

…

Link was silent for the longest time. It was also probably the longest time he had ever seen Alfonzo smiling, although the record had already been broken the moment the smile began. He tried to think back to his time on the Grand Sails in search of any sort of clue to this revelation. But his mind simply blanked. How was he supposed to respond to this? Should he be mad? Glad? The best he could come up with was even more confusion. He silently stammered in front of Alfonzo, and it only seemed to make him smile wider.

He finally managed to get out, "You're… W-why? How? Wait… Huh? Did…? Uh…"

Alfonzo folded his arms behind his head. "I'll just let you think that over for a second," he said.

"No, wait…" Link said, scratching at his head. "Ugh… okay. Okay, so… you're… you're my father."

Alfonzo raised an eyebrow. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"I-I don't know!" Link cried out. "How co—… How come you never told me before?" Alfonzo pointedly stared at him. "Sir?"

The smile left Alfonzo's face. "Link, how many times did you and Line get into trouble? At least three times in a week? Four, maybe? And any of those times, if you had known who I was, you would have come directly to me. Favoritism, Link. It was the first thing I made sure you didn't have. Oh, sure, Luke and Greg and Mallard let you and your friend get away with things every now and then. They can do that. I couldn't afford to. The moment anyone saw me treating you as a father should, you would have been reassigned, maybe even thrown out of the Skyriders. That wasn't what your mother or I wished."

"My-my mother?" Link asked. "Wha—… Who's she?"

"Lady Leeta."

Link's jaw dropped open. "Lad—… Lady Leeta!? She's my… She's my mom!?"

"I was actually surprised all the affection she showed you over the years didn't tip you off. She always talked quite fondly of you when we stopped at the Port."

"I… I thought she was just like that. You know. She just liked to hug me." He started rubbing his neck as he remembered many of the times she would do just that. "Really hard." He shook his head. "I don't get it. Why a captain?"

"Because that's what I am. Don't you think it's natural for a father to want his son to follow in his footsteps?"

"I don't know. How could I know that?"

Alfonzo raised a hand. "Just calm down, Link. While I admit that subjecting you to that kind of secrecy was a little distasteful, would you believe me if I told you you were always one of the strongest airmen I'd ever commanded?"

Link sighed. "I don't know. I mean… I'm not very big. Even Line makes fun of my height. And the other airmen always found some reason to pick on me!"

Alfonzo nodded. "True, all true. But you never gave up. You never broke down and cried when things got tough. Hell…" He smirked. "I watched you and Line take down an airman twice your size." Link glanced down at his lap, ashamed at the memory of that fight. "If I didn't have to be mad at you when you did that, I'd've probably egged you on. As I recall, that prick had it coming. Men have bitched and cried their way through a year of sailing just like him, Link. But you and Line… you were only kids. You especially have grown into a very responsible young man. And I may come to regret not having spent quality time with you and your mother over the years. But I will never regret what I've done to turn you into what you are now. You're a proper captain, Link, and I'm proud of it." He sniffed, and Link thought he saw his eyes water. He cleared his throat. "So hate me or do what you will, Link."

"I-I… don't hate you… sir…" Link replied through a cracking voice. "This is… it's… just so much… What about Line?"

"Line is the son of another airman that had been under my command. When I explained to him my plans for you, he asked that I take Line in, too. His plan wasn't as grandiose as mine, but he thought that someone about to spend seven years going through hell should at least have a friend."

Link shook his head. "We weren't even friends at first. We only got the way we are now because he kept other airmen from stringing me up from a yardarm by my feet."

"Another reason to be thankful. Where else, after all, would you find a friend willing to stick up for you?"

Link nodded. "You said… You said Lady Leeta wanted me to be a captain, too. Why?"

"That's something you'll have to ask her. The short of it was her handing you over to me and telling me to make you a captain. My thought was she just didn't wanna raise you in a tavern."

Link nodded. "I remember always having a room at the Sail Tavern. I just… she never had me call her 'Mother' or anything like that."

"By the time you were assigned to the Grand Sails, you seemed to have all but forgotten who I was. It was what I thought was the best thing for you. No dependence on me other than as your captain. No believing that your assignment would be easier than any other airman's experience. Just a boy to raise into a man and an airman to turn into a captain."

Link's eyes wandered around the floor for a moment. Then he asked, "So… now that I'm a lieutenant… were you ever gonna tell me?"

"I had expected to tell you once you returned from your journey to Forelight Island. Obviously, things happened since then. I figured now would be the best time to mention it."

Link gave him a worried look. "Captain…"

Alfonzo let out a dismissive sound and shook his head. "I'm not dying, Link. Just sick. I'll get better. But that's for another day. It sounds like you need to get going as soon as possible. On your way out, send Blair and Mallard back in; I'll have a talk with them. After that, tease out the details between yourselves and haul ass back to the Port."

Link stood up and saluted. "Aye aye."

Alfonzo dismissed the salute. "And Link?" he spoke up just as Link turned to leave.

"Yes, sir?" Link asked.

"The next time you see me, you'd better call me 'Dad', boy."

Link finally smiled at Alfonzo. "Aye aye."

…

Link talked to Blair and Mallard after Captain Alfonzo had had a word with them. They agreed to scrounge up a few more supplies and set sail for Skyrider Port at dawn, meaning they should arrive in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Link was going to go ahead with the Island Symphony and make sure the island was safe for them to dock at. Link passed his letter to Captain Luke into Mallard's possession with the instruction to send it out before they left Autumn Island. He then left and returned to his ship through the back roads.

Upon stepping back onto the main deck, he was almost immediately confronted by Leynne. "Link," he said, sounding a little exasperated. "I know you have youh own agenda at times, but I thought we agreed that you would remain with the ship this time."

"Yes, I know I agreed to remain behind," Link replied. "But I don't just go out on a whim, you know. Who's on the helm?"

"Gold at the moment. I asked him to be ready to set sail once you retuhned."

Link nodded, despite it still being too dark for them to make out each other's features. "Good. And the medicine?"

"Safely stowed in my cabin. I'm amazed it cost so little, actually."

Link nodded again. "All right. We're heading back to Skyrider Port."

"I already have ouh couhse ready."

"Great. Oh, one more thing. The reason I was out is because I found the ship I used to be stationed on. They're gonna act like they're taking us in when we make this trip to Castle Island. They'll meet us at the Port in the afternoon."

Link turned away, but Leynne grabbed his upper arm to stop him. "Wait. These Skyriders can be trusted?"

"The captain is…" Link hesitated before deciding what he knew about Captain Alfonzo was only for him to know at the moment. "We have a personal connection. And I know part of the crew. They've been on the run from the rest of the company just like us. I've trusted them with my life for almost five years."

"Sounds reasonable enough. I'll give the ohdeh to Gold. Then I'm going to submit to my pillow. I trust you'll be tuhning in as well."

Link nodded. "Yeah. But have Dubbl wake me up once we're back at the Port. We'll have a lot to do once we get there."

Leynne let out a sound. "I believe it."

Link started for his cabin. He could not help grinning to himself when he heard Leynne bellow to Dubbl from across the deck. When he stepped into his cabin, he immediately pulled off his robes and his extraneous gear. He landed heavily on his footlocker so he could remove his boots. After he had pulled off his tunic, he decided that he would dare turn on his cabin light. This allowed him to locate his desk and sit down to fill out his journal. He was surprised by how long it seemed since he had done this and glanced back at his previous entry to remember what day it was.

~~Day 89 (Command, Day 52)

~~We made it to Skyrider Port this afternoon and found the king and queen. Just like Cale and Lilly said, the queen's pretty sick, and the Port doesn't have the medicine necessary to help her. So we set out and made Autumn Island this evening. We have the medicine with us, and I've just ordered the ship back to the Port.

~~We also have something else working for us. The Grand Sails was hiding at Autumn Island. Captain Alfonzo was severely injured after action, and he's been sick since then, but he's sent the Grand Sails to meet up with us at Skyrider Port. If we can get it to look like one of the princess's drafted ships (and if Captain Luke shows up in time), we should be able to get the king into the castle without a problem. There might be a lot of waiting involved, so I'm planning to give the crew some liberty once we reach the Port. Ironically, it's one of the safest places for it.

~~I've been contemplating what Captain Alfonzo told me about my promotion. It's all so amazing; I'm still a little shocked by it. All this time, and I never knew about any of it. I'm not sure if I want to mention any of it to anyone else right now. I know there's gonna be one person I'll look forward to seeing once we get back. It's probably the most I've ever looked forward to seeing her.

Link contemplated his entry for a while. Then he felt the ship shift around him as Gold lowered the ballast. Deciding that it would be enough for now, he blew on the page to help dry the ink. Then he closed his journal, removed his trousers, and laid down on his bed. With his mind still buzzing from everything Alfonzo had told him, though, it took him a while to fall asleep.

…

Link stirred when the bed started moaning and shifting. He did not want to open his eyes in the small hope that he might get a little more sleep. He tried to move his left hand, but he found it being pressed against something. Frowning, he squeezed.

"Aah…" The feminine moan left Link a little confused. He opened up one eye, located his arm, and followed it to the object he had just squeezed. "Good mohning, Captain." Dholit was lying on the bed next to him, one arm propping her head up. Her other hand held his hand against her chest. She wore her usual grin and gave him a wink.

Link's brain spurred into action, and he ripped his hand away and jumped up to get away from her. "Ah!" he cried out, pressing himself against the bulkhead. Then he shouted, "Dholit, what are you doing!?"

Dholit rubbed her breast for a moment with a pained look on her face. "My Captain, I didn't think you could be so rough," she told him. Then she stretched her arm into the air and twisted her wrist around as if to make her hand dance. "But then I should expect that from such a hahdened wahrioh. Did it feel nice?"

Link looked down at his hand and flexed his fingers. Then he slammed his knuckles into the bulkhead behind him to clear his head. "What do you want?" he demanded as his face grew red.

"I would think you knew by now," she said as she sat up. "But then… well, the innocent routine does favoh to youh attractiveness."

Link gave her an annoyed look. "Is that all?"

She shrugged the shoulder she was not leaning on. "Oh. We may have also retahned to Skyridah Poht, but who can say with such things when theah ah cehtain activities to undahtake on this fine day?"

"You're right, there are," Link told her.

"Oh?" Dholit asked, a delighted look appearing on her face.

Link grabbed the overhead boards and pulled himself across the bed and past Dholit. He set foot on the deck and walked over to his footlocker. "I've gotta get dressed; I have a ship to command."

Dholit huffed, although she had a humored look on her face as she gaped at him. "You'h teasing me, My Captain?"

"You do it to me all the time," Link said as he pulled his trousers on. He fit his fingers through the gash in the right leg. "Man, do I need some new trousers. Never mind what Layna did to my undersuit."

Dholit swung her legs over the edge of the bed and leaned back. "Yes, I noticed that, My Captain Hotpants," she said. She raised her eyebrows. "Did Layna tiah of the old look?"

"No. She was trying to bandage my leg."

"Aaaaah. So Layna has a fondness of playing suhgeon and patient. I would have nevah expected it of a pretty little killah, but it creates quite the pictuah. Especially if she supplies heh own patients."

Link had to hasten pulling his tunic over his head so he could respond. "She didn't do it, Dholit. I was really wounded. Just… just where do you get these thoughts?"

"Look, My Captain, in lieu of having any soht of non-professional relationship with you, you have to fohgive me the frequent fantasy. Afteh all, theah's only so much tension that I can relieve through the otheh Gelto onboahd."

Link paused in the middle of securing his regular belt. "Wait, what have you been doing to them?"

Dholit stretched one arm ahead of her and acted as if she was inspecting her nails. "Practice."

Link pointed to the door. "Get out."

Dholit left, and Link stepped out onto the deck a few minutes later. A look to starboard revealed that they had returned to Skyrider Port. He guessed the time to be sometime in the middle of the morning, particularly because the day crew was on-deck. Leynne was not immediately in sight, so Link strode across the deck while ignoring the fact that Dholit was speaking to Biluf and Layna as if she was gossiping.

His bootsteps on the stairs alerted Leynne and Line to his presence. Leynne glanced over his shoulder and said, "Good mohning, Link."

"Good morning, guys," Link said. "Where are we?"

"Holding position in the same place as befoh."

"Sure would be nice to dock somewhere today, though," Line said.

Link held up a hand to indicate the bow. "Well, pull us against the shore and dock, Line," he said. "No one's stopping you."

Line let out a sigh and turned to operate the engine controls. "Think we can actually pull into a port sometime this year, Link?"

"Only if you stop being a grouch," Link replied. Then he said to Leynne, "I'm going ashore to deliver the medicine."

"Naturally," Leynne replied.

"While I'm gone, I'd like you to work out a timetable for the crew. At most, we should have two people on-deck and two people manning the engine room. The rest can go ashore for a bit of relaxation."

"How long shall I make the arrangements foh?"

"The letter should have gone out this morning. I don't know how long it'll take for the Summer Breeze to get here, so we'll just go with two days for now. Maybe make one for a third day just in case."

"Personally, I'm sick of seeing the shore," Line spoke up. "Feel free to schedule me in the evening; I'd like to at least see Lady Leeta and maybe relax back at the office. If we can get in."

"You can check on it while we're ashore," Link told him. Then he added to Leynne, "I'll also see if I can make some arrangements at the Sail Tavern. Maybe see if the crew can start tabs." He glanced aside for a moment with a nervous look on his face. "Leynne, I know you've said it doesn't bother yo—"

Leynne held up a hand to stop him. "I have no objection to giving money to the crew as long as they don't expect to spluhge on my good will."

"Thanks. And don't forget to set up some time for yourself. Just make arrangements so that at least one of us is on the ship."

"Of couhse."

…

Line settled the ship near the middle of the southeastern coast, where there was still a clear path to the town and tall buildings to block the presence of the Island Symphony's masts from anyone approaching from the Sky Line to the west. After retrieving his journal and the notes he made yesterday, Link disembarked with Line and Layna accompanying him (for those definitions of "accompany" which include already being hidden by the time of departure, per Layna's routine). They went north to the clinic, and Link was a little surprised to see one knight waiting outside the front door. He had to remind himself that, while he, his crew, and the Grand Sails were all in hiding, the rulers of Hyrule technically had no reason to hide. The man gave them a nod and stepped aside for them to enter.

Link and Line came into the recovery ward with Layna trailing them. King Lauris glanced up at the new arrivals, and then he stood up. "Captain," he addressed Link.

Link turned to Line, and Line held up a large, cloth sack. "Just as promised, Your Majesty," Link told him. "All the way from Autumn Island."

"Here, let me take that," a nearby nurse said as she stepped around King Lauris. Line gave her the sack, and she took it with her through another doorway behind the king.

"Link."

Link glanced up to see Irleen hovering over the doorway. "Hey, Irleen," he said. "Miss me?"

"Link, we have a problem," Irleen told him in a grave tone. "Lutock is gone."

Link exchanged a look with Line. "Gone? When?"

"Sometime last night, probably a few hours after you left."

"I was awake at the time," King Lauris spoke up. "Lutock tended to my wife, and then he simply left the room without even a word. Sir Golwin mentioned seeing him step outside, but not a trace of him is to be found."

"You don't think he snapped, do you?" Line asked. "He was down there for a while."

"I thought he might have just stepped out to stretch his wings," Irleen said. "But… I'm wondering if he might've just left the island."

"Can he do that?" Link asked.

"It is quite difficult," Irleen admitted. "The Sky Lines are too rough to be flown by wing for a long time. The only alternative would be that he decided to descend to the surface, but I cannot say why."

"You're talking funny," Line commented.

"Focus, Line," Link told him. He looked back up at Irleen. "If he went down to the surface, could he get back?"

"Not on his own wings," Irleen said.

Link sighed. "Well… I suppose there's nothing we can do unless he shows up again. I mean… I know it must've been nice to have another Sorian around and all."

"I am not particularly upset. Just a little shocked. Besides, being free of the Technoworks may give him some time to recover from his experience. Like you said, Line, it is possible that he might have lost his mind a bit."

"He was a blessing to have, albeit for what little time there was," King Lauris spoke as he sat back down. He watched his wife as she continued to sleep undisturbed by the talking around her. "It was nice to see her not suffering from the pain, if only for a little bit."

"Your Majesty," Link said. "I… I don't want to be rude or anything, but we still need to work out how we intend to retake the castle from the fake princess."

"I take no offense to your change of subject, Captain," Lauris replied. "After all, it is my kingdom that we must discuss. What resources do you have available?"

"Well, so far, Your Majesty, we only have my ship and yours. One more ship should be in port by this afternoon. Given at least two more days, we'll have four total."

"If your intention is to storm the castle, I should remind you that the cannons on the outer wall will stop any advancing ship."

Link nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. But we've got a solution. The last vessel to come in is going to be one of the navy vessels. Its captain is an old friend of ours. We're going to dress the ship coming in this afternoon to look like another vessel of the fleet. Then, both ships will escort my ship, the Island Symphony, to the castle docks like they've taken the ship captive."

"I see. Interesting. But… what of my vessel?"

Link frowned. "I'm… not sure. I hadn't thought about it."

"I think I've got an idea," Line spoke up. "You see, Your Majesty, while the Island Symphony and the escort ships dock at the castle, all attention will be on them. So your ship can sneak into the port. Her Majesty still needs her doctors, right?"

"Ah," Lauris said. "I see where you're going with this, young airman. If the ruse fails, at least we will have secured the queen's survival. Governor Lore should be able to hide her and get her the treatment she needs."

Line nodded. "Exactly, Your Majesty."

"It is a rough plan," the king admitted. "But it would appear that we have few options. I suppose that I shall be accompanying your Island Symphony, Captain?"

"I think that, if yours is the first face they see coming off the ship," Link replied, "then they should stand down, Your Majesty. We'll have a couple days to work everything out."

A doctor in a white coat stepped in with a steaming bowl in his hands. "Excuse me, Your Majesty," he said. "We've readied the medicine."

"Yes, of course," Lauris said as he stood. He moved and pulled his chair along so that the doctor could reach the head of Queen Arla's bed. "Doctor, how long will the medicine take to have an effect?"

"Given throughout the day, we should…" The doctor paused to set the bowl down and pull out a crate from under the bed. He sat and continued, "We should see some improvement by tomorrow afternoon, Your Majesty. She's gone without it for some time; it will take time for it to aid in her recovery." He carefully placed a hand on the queen's shoulder and shook her. "Your Majesty. I need you to wake up. We have some medicine for you to take."

"Boys, let's move over here," Lauris said as he stepped in their direction, one hand indicating the ward's empty beds. Link and Line moved backward and waited until the king had seated himself on a bed before they sat on the bed opposite from him. Like this, the king could not see the queen, and Link had the impression that he had done it on purpose. Irleen settled into a hover over the boys' heads, and Layna sidled up next to the foot of the bed. "First," the king told them, "I would like to express my gratitude toward you and your crew for what you have done in service to us. I must admit that I had misgivings about sending you to retrieve that medicine, but I felt that we should not become stranded here should something happen to my vessel."

"We're glad we could help, Your Majesty," Link answered while Line nodded.

"But… at the same time, I am a little puzzled by your involvement in all this. Captain, you have clearly had contact with my daughter, and one of you was there when this… eh, this kidnapping occurred. How is it that you know so much?"

Link turned to Line. Line shifted uncomfortably. "W-well, uh…" he said as he tried to find the words he needed. "I was… there… Y-Your Majesty. I was on the Sorian airship with Princess Zelda. They took all of us captive."

"You escaped?" the king asked.

Line shook his head. "No. They… The monsters who caught us made me and two other airmen bring the fake princess back to the kingdom with a bunch of their crew. The monsters ditched us, and we didn't know where they'd gone until the whole kingdom started going crazy. We tried to organize some resistance to her, but the best we got was a blockade around Bold Island."

"Okay then," the king said with a nod. Then he looked at Link. "Captain, I spoke with the knights you and your bodyguard accosted in a tavern."

Link's eyes widened. "That-that was an accident, Your Majesty," he quickly said. "Layna, she… uh, she just…"

"She does not know any better, Your Majesty," Irleen finished.

"I understood this," Lauris said. "But my question is to how you had been able to obtain information about my knights. Sir Gilbert explained to me that, despite asking for his name, you spontaneously knew it a moment later. Then, you gave the codeword to indicate danger to the Royal Family. No one but my staff and the knighthood should know those words. How is it that you came about such knowledge?"

Link glanced up at Irleen, and then to Line, who was waiting to hear the explanation as well. He sighed and told King Lauris, "Because Princess Zelda told me, Your Majesty."

"Oh, boy, here we go…" Irleen groaned.

"The same princess that you claim is now being held captive on a demon airship," the king said with an air of incredulity.

"I-I know it sounds crazy, Your Majesty," Link said as he leaned back to dig into a trouser pocket.

"Happy farm, Link," Line told him. "Happy farm."

"Just a minute," Link told him. He set down his single sheet of notes on the bed and opened his journal. He flipped through the pages in search of the first remark he had made about Zelda's toy. When he found the page he needed, he turned the book and offered it to the king. "This was the note I made when I woke up one night."

King Lauris leaned forward to read the page. Then he gave Link a strange look before reading aloud, "'Try not to talk with a pillow in my mouth if she does it again. It's kind of embarrassing'."

Link blinked and turned the book around again to read the page. "Oh. I forgot about that. Uh, the line above that, Your Majesty."

Link let him read the page again. "Toy cucco?" the king asked.

Link nodded and glanced at the journal again before he set it back down. "I made that note while we were sailing to Might Island." He picked up his notes and unfolded the paper. He skimmed it before he said, "The toy was a cucco with gold tail feathers and a blue… uh… comb… I think that word is. I think I misspelled it. Comb…" He turned to Line. "What's a comb?"

"Isn't it that weird thing on the top of their heads?" Line asked, one hand hovering over his scalp.

"Oh, right," Link said. "Anyway, it was something she received for her eighth birthday. It had eyes that she thought looked like little chocolates."

King Lauris shook his head. "The princess never received a toy cucco like that," he said, his voice sounding a little heated. "You are wrong, Captain."

"Lauris…" The king looked over his shoulder, and Link leaned over to see past him. Queen Arla, now appearing wide awake, had turned her head toward them. Her voice was slow and strained as she told them, "He speaks of Mister Choco. She enjoyed that cucco so… That was the toy she bought when you took her out of the castle on that birthday. I remember her coming home with it wrapped in her arms."

Lauris glanced back to Link with a surprised look on his face. "Arla, are you certain?" he asked his wife.

"Certain… as the stars at night, my love."

Lauris stared at Link. "Go on."

Link looked back down at the notes in his hand. "Uh… one evening when she was ten, someone set fire to an old tapestry hanging near her room. The staff panicked, and when you heard about it, they all tried to take blame for it. She then said that she was the one who set it on fire. You were so mad that you didn't talk to anyone the next morning."

"I do recall that," Lauris said, his face conveying complete shock. His voice sounded a little distant as he added, "I never found out who really set fire to it."

"It was the princess, Your Majesty."

"My Zelda?"

"My love," Queen Arla spoke up. "Zelda came to me that morning… and gave the full explanation to me. She had set fire to the tapestry on accident. The staff tried to cover for her by confessing to the incident. She confessed to the deed… because she feared that you would severely punish the staff. She knew that you would have to give it up. She… told me that she did not want to give the details to you for fear that you would discipline the staff… for trying to cover her mistake."

"She was wandering around with a candle," Link said, "and she accidentally touched it to a hanging part of the tapestry. The staff had to rip it off the wall and stomp it out."

Lauris turned to Arla, and Arla nodded at him. "How could you know all of this?" he asked Link.

Link nudged Line, who was trying to read the paper in Link's hand, away and offered the notes to King Lauris. "Because Princess Zelda told me, Your Majesty," he said. "I wrote these notes not long after we left Skyrider Port yesterday."

"Okay. I'm spooked," Line said.

"Me as well," Irleen said.

Lauris looked at them. "You have cause to believe this?" he asked.

"I'm convinced," Line said. "I watched Link get shot down. And I know the princess is still in the Undying Storm."

"Somehow, it sounds as if she modified the magic gem I left to Captain Koroul," Irleen said. "I did not think that it was possible; in fact, I have spent the past months denying the possibility."

"If magic is involved," Queen Arla spoke up, "Zelda has a habit of producing… small miracles of her own."

"This is a serious matter, Link," Irleen said. "It is very difficult to alter magic gems to such a degree. The very fact that Princess Zelda was able to turn my simple concentration gem into a viable means of communication speaks to a source of magic much more powerful than my own. Maybe even something rivaling the talents of a Grey."

Line had been staring at her with a vacant expression. He told her, "I have no idea what you just said."

"Is she communicating with you now, Captain?" King Lauris asked.

Link shook his head. "She hasn't spoken to me at all today, Your Majesty," he answered. "She's able to speak to me while I'm awake, but she has to be asleep in order to do it. She can't tell time from where she is, so it happens at random sometimes. I usually don't know when she's watching until she says something."

King Lauris glanced down at his lap. Then he looked up and asked Link, "Captain. Should we prove successful at removing the false princess from the throne, would you consider using your knowledge to lead your Skyrider companions against this demon airship and retrieve my daughter?"

"It isn't a choice, Your Majesty," Link said. "I already promised her that we would save her."

King Lauris stood up, prompting Link and Line to do the same. "I shall await your readiness to move, Captain," he said. He turned to look at the queen. "My love, I hope you will forgive me for leaving your side temporarily."

"Do what you must, my love," Arla replied, a weak smile on her face. "I shall await your return."

"It shall be no later than tonight." With that, King Lauris stomped out the doorway and bellowed, "Knights to my side!"

Link tapped Line's arm. "Line, go see if the main office is open," he said. "See if there's anything there we might be able to use. I'll meet you there."

"Where're you going?" Line asked him.

"I just need to make a quick detour," Link said. He looked up and said, "Irleen, why don't you go with him?"

"Nūc?" Irleen asked. "Līnca, kákirōlat ō."

"What'd she say?" Line asked.

Link felt the outside of his pockets. "Uh oh," he uttered before squeezing past Line to get out the door. "Your Majesty!"

…

After retrieving Irleen's translator gem and sending Irleen with Line, Link traveled across town to the Sail Tavern on his own (although he assumed that Layna was still nearby). He found the tavern to be nearly empty, its only patrons a pair of knights and a passed-out junker sleeping in the corner under the stairs. This early in the day, Leeta was the only one working. She was wiping down the counter when Link took a stool near the door.

"Welcome back, Link," she told him with a smile. "Any news yet?"

"About?" Link asked, confused.

She shrugged. "Anything at this point. Did you find the king and queen?"

Link nodded. "They're here at the Port, just like we thought."

"Oh, good."

"There's something else, too. I took the Island Symphony to Autumn Island last night."

"Oh?" she asked, setting down her rag.

"The Grand Sails was there. Captain Alfonzo's sick right now, but that's where he is. We'll be picking him up as soon as we're done at Castle Island."

Leeta placed a hand on her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's so good to hear. I've never been so long without him visiting. Did you speak with him at all?"

Link nodded. "Yeah I did. He told me everything." He paused for a moment before deciding to tell her. "Mom."

Leeta's eyes widened. Then they began to well up, and she put her hands over her mouth to keep her awkward sobbing in check. Link gave her a huge grin.

The grin then disappeared into panic when she reached across the bar, wrapped her arms around Link's neck, and pulled him close, causing him to kick his stool to the floor. "Hrek!" Link croaked just before his face was buried in her chest.