Afterward, Part 2

…

Klack klack. The sound of a stack of papers having their edges smacked against a table calls silence to a large, white room filled with people. The silence is an uneven spread due to one loudmouth ranting in a far corner, and it takes his subordinate to shut him up.

"Okay, everyone!" I holler from the table as I slide off its surface. I place the stack of papers near the single chair pushed underneath and use my hands to wave toward the bleachers. "Go find your seats so we can get this thing started!" There is a mixture of groaning and shoving as everyone, moving toward the bleachers at the same time, start getting in each others' ways. I put on a concerned look and stand on my toes, trying to crane my neck around to see where I can provide direction. "N-no!" I call out. "Maybe-maybe jus—… uh, w-well, just, uh…"

"Ooow!" Line, lost somewhere in the crowd, shouts out. "That was my foot!"

"I wish i's yer 'ead!" Doctor Beld shouts back.

"Maddix 'anayrit!" Dubbl screams out.

Pap! "Owww-ho-hooooh!" Linebeck whines as he holds his eye. "Why do women hit me-hee-heeee!?"

"Ah~!" Dholit cries out in stirred excitement. Then she asks, "Who did that!? And who told you to stop!?"

"Cannonbaaaaaall!" Sello shouts as a flash of orange appeared over everyone's heads before—fump—he lands the ground.

"STOP!" I shout above everyone. Most motion ceases immediately more out of curiosity than anything else. The only ones moving are Lidago and the people he trips over as he tries to stop. I watch in mild irritation as Lidago nearly crushes Talein, Harley, and Luke. After a moment to pinch the bridge of my nose, I take in a deep breath to address the room. "People sitting on the highest row first, and then fill in the next highest row from there. C'mon, guys, a bit of common sense here. Wait for your row to start filling."

I look on for a moment as the room's other occupants start to sort themselves out. Then I turn to you and cross my arms. "Characters," I tell you with an eyeroll. "Right? Anyway, if you're reading this, then you've read, enjoyed, and maybe even commented on The Legend of Zelda: Sky Lines. In which case…" I nod and spread my arms out. "Welcome back! If you're here for other reasons… uh, welcome!"

I let my hands fall to my sides, check on the characters, and move back toward the table. "You guys settled in?"

"This weirdo won' stop touchin' me," Dissal whines.

"Who're you callin' a weirdo?" Linebeck snaps at him.

"Yeah, they're ready," I tell you as I sit at the table. I pick up the papers that I left there and glance over the first page. "Okay, first. Link's 'Who-would-the-fans-like-to-see-him-hitched-to' poll."

"Oh, man…" Link groans.

"Could you make that name any longer?" Line asks.

"Do you want me to?" I dare him. Line uses his middle finger to clean his nose and looks away as if he has lost interest. "Uh huh. Anyway, the poll. And the winner isssss—"

"Wait!" Link shouts.

I start. "What? What?" I ask.

"Before you read them off," Link says, "maybe… well… could you have the girls cover their ears?"

I give him an annoyed glare. Then I say. "You know, you're right, Link. Let's make this a private matter. Layna, cover your ears."

"Ay'a, Layt," Layna says before pressing her hands over hear ears.

I then pointedly stare at Link. He has an anxious look on his face, but the adults around him have clearly caught on to what I had just done. A few more seconds pass, and he finally shouts, "Hey—wait a minute!"

I give him a wide grin. "Layna, you can uncover your ears now."

"Ay'a, Layt," Layna replies as she removes her hands.

"Now, I'll point out that only nine readers voted," I continue. "Layna won the poll with three votes, but she's had quite a few readers commenting on how endearing she's been. I have even been told a couple times that she sleeps in a cute way."

"Well, she does," Line says. "I'd try grabbing for her if I didn't think she'd lop my head off."

"Layn, nwoyrotan niygothot," Biluf tells him in a hostile tone. Then she glances to her left to find that Layna has disappeared. She asks as she looks around, "Zhidi sufnya'ak hukwo?"

"Isn't that kinda creepy?" Leonard asks.

"Who?" I ask. "Line? Or the readers?"

"I would imagine both ah valid questions," Leynne speaks up.

I shrug. "Probably not, because the answer to both is yes."

"Right," Leonard replies with a conceding nod.

"I'm rathah disappointed," Dholit says. "Did the readahs not like me? Was I not able to endeah them as well? What was wrong with me?"

"You're pushy, you're slutty," Irleen starts listing, "everything you say has a slimy double meaning, you're pursuing a boy outside of your age bracket, you'd probably run around naked if it wouldn't disrupt things, you're a thief, you're a molester, you're a manipulator, and you're doing it for your tribe rather than out of love."

Dholit shrugs at her. "What's wrong with that?"

"Before you criticize further, Irleen," I say before Irleen provides further evidence, "you should know that you and Dholit tied for second with two votes each."

"WHAT!?" Irleen screams, much to the detriment of the hearing of everyone near her.

"What the hell, Irleen!?" Line shouts at her while others around him and Link moan about their ears.

"How am I equal to Dholit?!" Irleen asks.

"I didn't say you were equal to Dholit," I tell her. "I said you two tied. Between the two of you, you were favored because of your interactions with Link."

"Oh," Irleen responds. "Soooo… what's Dholit's favor?"

I shrug. "Eh, pretty much everything you just said about her."

"Oh, how I long to jump out of this screen and show my appreciation foh my adoring public…" Dholit says. Then she blows a kiss at your screen.

"Heeeey, wait a minute," Line speaks up. "That whole thing about Layna covering her ears… was that—"

"Line, we're already past that point," Link tells him in an annoyed tone. "Whatever you're thinking, the answer is yes."

"Were there any other candidates for Link's affection?" Princess Zelda asks.

"Yep," I reply. "You and Meilont tied third at one vote each."

"Tha's… a li'l disappointin'," Meilont says.

"Well, between the five of you, Layna, Dholit, and Irleen have had the most time spent around Link," I say. "Pairing Link with Zelda is a given. Heck, it's almost a requirement that there at least be some romantic tension between you two. Meilont was a bit of an underdog. A few readers thought that she was actually being malicious when she tried to get Link to stay on the surface. Some warmed up to her, but not as many."

"So, does this mean that Link will be marrying Layna?" Leeta asks.

"It means that the majority of readers would like that sort of thing," I say as I begin methodically folding the sheet of paper with the poll results. "While I found it amusing, they weren't really going to have any bearing on this story. You know, now that it's finished."

"Uuuuh," Irleen speaks up, "if you'll check again, you'll see that I'm still a fairy, Light."

"Right!" I call out as I finish my paper airplane. I throw it only to have it nosedive into the opposite side of the table. "Onto the questions and/or comments!" I look over the next page in my small stack. "First, we have 'Random-But-Loved'. She asks… okay, this first one's to me. She asks, 'Did you ever plan for the Sorians to be found during the story from early on? Or will you document the moment that they may in the future? If the answer is no to the latter, then I don't mind…' Times three? Oh, wait, that's a cat face. My bad.

"Okay, well, that first part. No, I never intended for Link and his crew to find the Sorians… prooooobably about the same time I started this story."

"You suck, Light!" Irleen hollers.

"Well, maybe since the start of the story is a bit of an exaggeration," I admit with a shrug. "I definitely intended early on to write the story with the Sorians having disappeared from the sky kingdom. Not long after, I decided that the Sorians wouldn't be found in the story even after the major events. So, yeah, I planned it pretty early on.

"As for documenting such a moment in the future…" I appear to think about it for a moment. Then I grin. "For the moment, let's just say I haven't run out of story just yet. I think you'll get what I mean later on."

"You're lyiiiiiing!" Irleen accuses me.

"Okay, RBL, your second question… also addressed to me. 'How did you come up with the languages? I know that you have a link in your profile, but I was just wondering where the inspiration came from.'

"Well, if you've looked at my profile, then you'll also have noticed that I put down a number of languages which I have resources for or have some kind of working knowledge of. I've made a number of similar, even more complex, constructed languages, so I had a good idea how this process would go. The rest is just deciding what kind of grammar I wanna use. Every word I've made up came from the top of my head the moment I realized I needed the word.

"That's not to say, of course, that I didn't have some inspiration from other languages. Some of the Sorian language is based on the appearance of Vietnamese, particularly the vowels with the diacritic marks. Its usual syllable structure is based on East Asian languages in general. I wanted to make a language with more vowel sounds than consonant sounds, so I decided to use English's large vowel inventory and then tacked on Japanese's tendency to differentiate long and short vowels.

"As for Geltoan, I decided to try holding onto the Gerudo's Middle Eastern themes and based a few of its features on Arabic. The pharyngealized consonants (the "th", "dh", and "zh"), the use of the glottal stop, and some other features of its sound system came from Modern Standard Arabic. The use of glides ("ay", "oy", and "iy") were motivated by Russian, however I'm sure Arabic uses them, too. I also decided to use the three-consonant root for words in Arabic as well. All of the verbs in Geltoan have three consonants which serve as their roots, and the vowels determine things like tense, aspect, mood, and even formality (which is mostly prominent with Layna's speech). Likewise, some of the nouns in Geltoan have these same consonants as their roots when they are related to a verb. The fact that Geltoan does not have any adjectives was an idea based off Navajo's description of being mostly verbs and having few native nouns."

"All sounds Geltoan to me," Line comments, giving Flower (who is sitting next to him) a bored look. Someone behind him hisses at him to be quiet.

"And, as for your third question," I say, "you asked, 'What was the Dodge-Link game that Line—' Line, did you mention that?"

Line shakes his head. "I don't think I did."

"'What was the Dodge-Link game that Line mentioned before?' Well, I could go into a description of Link hanging from a rope while members of the Grand Sails' crew shove him around. But, instead, I'd like to refer you tooooo…" I have to pause and think. "Chapter four of my other story, Airman Link of the Grand Sails. Further rules and history of the game can be found in chapterrrrrr… twenty-five of the same story."

Link groans and places a hand on his face. "I hate that game…"

"Our second reader is a guest, and, uh…" I pause as I read over the paper. "Hmm. Well, they (and I use that in the non-gender-specific manner because you didn't tell me either way) have a question, but I'd like to just set this aside for now because, I believe, there's another reader who posted a related question that I'd like to answer first. Uh, the one thing I will say right now is that they name their favorite character… Captain Alfonzo."

"Whoa!" Line hollers. "You mean someone actually likes Alfonzo?" Alfonzo reaches across Leeta and slaps the back of Line's head. "Ow!"

I shake my head and attempt to hide my smile as I look at the paper again. "The next reader is 'Zelda Geek Seven-Two-Six'," I say. "They ask, 'Is there gonna be another story where Link finds the Sorians, or does it end here?' Well, that falls in line with Random-But-Loved's first question, and so I will have to say that an answer will be given later on, toward the end.

"The next reader is 'Pika Twins Two-Three-Four'. Oh, and this one's for Link. Pika would like to know, 'Link, what was your favorite part of this adventure?'"

"What?!" Link shouts. "My favorite part? Are-are you kidding?! This whole thing was horrible!"

"Come on, Link," Zelda speaks up, leaning forward to talk to him past Line. "There must have been some part of this that was not so horrid."

"I can't really think of anything," Link confesses. "Between all the big monsters on the surface, dealing with Cunimincus' crew, and having the Skyriders chase me, there wasn't really a whole lot to enjoy."

"Well, you have to admit," Irleen says as she circles Link's head, "you were almost drooling when you saw the library under the great tree."

"Uh… well, yyyeah," Link says.

"You got promoted," Line points out.

Link turns and tells him, "And then I got shot down!"

An action we all regret… Cunimincus projects to everyone in the room while he roosts at one end of the bleachers.

"Aw, don't be such a sore loser," Flower calls to him.

Link shakes his head. "I don't know. I-I did like it when I found out that a bunch of people had gotten together to put the Island Symphony together. I-I was so happy I broke down and cried. I guess—I guess that would be my favorite part. Those people helped me go home."

"Aw, man," Line groans while looks pass between the Gelto, the Yook, the Gorons, and the lumberjacks and the miners who had been there as well as Link's crew. "Now you're just being mushy."

"Wha—I was taking the question seriously," Link responds defensively.

"Right," I say with a nod. "Pika also says, 'Dholit, you always crack me up whe—with your crude language'."

"Crude language?!" Dholit replies in a tone of fake outrage, standing up. "Saah oh Madame Pika, I will have you know that I have always spoken with the clearest and most concise language taught to me at the boahding schools in Hovela. My diction is pahfect, and I have nevah resohted to vulgarity oh slang to put down othahs."

"I think Pika's referring to you using innuendo and double entendres," Irleen tells her.

"Oh, really?" Dholit asks with a confused tone. Then she smiles. "Oh, well then, the sentiment is appreciated."

"Sit back down," Line calls to her. Dholit waves at him before taking her seat again.

"Our next reader is Visitor, another guest," I say. "Uh, first off, I'm just going to mention this because it made me laugh. Apparently, Visitor's choice of a romantic pair is Link and Sello."

The whole room turns silent as everyone glances down at Link before turning to look up at Sello, who is sitting on the top bench with his face pressed against the wall. Then the room erupts in sound as people try to voice their opinions over everyone else.

"Is this guy nuts?!"

"I'm gonna be sick!"

"Why would you tell us that!?"

"Can yeh have two guys pair t'gether?"

"I don' know."

"I like this Visitoh; he's open!"

"Guys, guys, guys!" I holler over them. I raise my hands and shout, "QUIIIIIIIET!" Voices begin to peter out until everyone is listening to me again. "Visitor also commented that they were just kidding."

"Awww…" Dholit drones while most others (mainly the men) give a sigh of relief. Dholit's vocal disappointment draws looks, and she grins around at them. "It's hahd to have a fantasy life without someone else willing to indulge in novel ideas."

"Visitor actually champions Irleen, so that's another point in that corner," I say. "Visitor also asks, 'Is there an illustrated map of the story world somewhere? And where is the surface in relation to the… floaty… floaty-islands?' Huh. Visitor, there is, indeed, a map of the sky realm, which is available on my DeviantArt account. You'll find a link to it on my profile page. As for the surface in relation to the sky, most of the surface kingdom fits from about Castle Island to the right edge of the map and from the top edge down to about as far as Autumn Island. Now, that's not to say that that's the scale of the whole surface. The surface kingdom is on a continent that is much larger north and west of the kingdom. This northern expanse is relatively uncharted and uninhabited by Hylians, but part of it is where the Island Symphony went to look for the Sorians. Uh, all of these directions have been given in relation to the surface's system of directions; on the map, the continent extends further south of Autumn Island, although it's hard to say where it ends."

"If I may," Leynne speaks up. "I would like to elaborate that that map is in no way to scale."

"Yeah, thanks…" I grumble at him.

"Not to mention that travel between the two realms is very difficult," Leynne continues. "One cannot simply rise oh drop between the two locations and expect to have an accurate prediction of wheh they will be. So being accurate with a map is quite impossible, at least not without propeh suhveying equipment."

"I'm sure that's more than what Visitor wanted to know," I tell Leynne.

"Foh clarity's sake," Leynne replies with an offended tone.

I set aside the top page to read the next. "Okay, our next reader is Zolias," I say. "Zolias' first question is… 'Will there be a sequel with the goal of having Irleen eventually return to the Sorians… with an obvious adventure of doing so?' Again, that question will be answered later on. Seems like this is the one everyone wants answered."

"They're not the only ones," Irleen says.

"Zolias' second question is… detailed. 'Is there, or will there be, any way to show off, possibly through DeviantArt, for example, the crew of the Island Symphony, as well as the other important characters, such as Meilont, Teilont (which I assume was meant to be Talein), Captain Koroul, Skyrider Port importants (Captains and… uh, Leeta), Gil, and Cunimincus, as well as his second-in-command?'

"Well, Zolias, here's the deal. I like to think of myself as a capable artist, but I am horribly slow at actually putting together character portraits as I've been intending to do ever since I started my DeviantArt account. The possibility exists, but it may take a while. As for your request for a picture of the Link-versus-Malgyorg showdown… I'll try. It's a bit of a demand for my basic talents."

"I'm not posing for that," Link immediately speaks up.

"What's a 'malgyorg'?" Line asks.

"Ya don' wanna know," Luggard calls down to him.

"Zolias also went on to show support for Zelda, Meilont, and (big surprise…) Layna. Zolias said there would be some support in there for Dholit, too, but says, and I quote, 'she's obviously three screws short of…' and then just ended the comment there."

"Well, Zolias is cohrect," Dholit says. "I am three screws shoht. No one wants to be the fihst."

Her comment is met with a great amount of moaning. "Why, Light?" Irleen asks. "Just… why?"

"I thought it was funny," I reply with a shrug. "It's not very often that the readers get to provide Dholit with her material."

"That was fah too easy," Dholit says.

"Okay, the next reader is 'Walker's Annoying Voice'," I continue. "First off, we have cookies now, so help yourselves." As I proceed, a number of people have gotten up and are crowding around a nearby table covered in trays of cookies. "The first question… is for Line."

"Really?" Line asks before he can stuff a chocolate chip cookie into his mouth. "What's he wanna know?"

"She would like to get the ball rolling on something that's apparently been bothering her for probably the past few months," I say. "She asks, 'Hey, Line, did you know that Captain Alfonzo is Link's dad?'"

Line immediately spits out his cookie onto the floor and coughs violently for a moment. Then he turns to Link, who happens to be standing next to him, and proceeds to scream at him, "THE OLD MAN'S YOUR DAD!?"

Link, startled by Line's reaction, backs a step away. "Y-yeah…"

Line grabs Link's tunic and begins shaking him. "WHEN THE HELL WERE YOU GONNA TELL ME?!"

"I-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai…" Link chants as Line shakes him.

Captain Alfonzo, having gotten up to retrieve a chocolate and macadamia nut cookie, slaps the back of Line's head as he walks by. "I'm Link's dad; get over it," he says.

Line lets Link go and grabs the sides of his own head. "This is crazy…" he says to the tray of chocolate chip cookies next to him. "No one's telling me these things…"

"Just get a cookie and take it easy," Link tells him as he grabs a sugar cookie before deciding to return to his seat. "What's next, Light?"

"Well, she had another question," I say. "Walker wants to know… 'Constable—'" I make air quotes for the next word. "'—"Fieldview".' Followed by a wink. 'What's his story? Is he a character from a different fanfiction? If so, which one? Or will we maybe find out what his deal is in the future?'

"Yeah, I remember that chapter because Fieldview just outright drove the readers nuts. You'll all notice that Fieldview isn't even here with us." My statement causes the characters to look around for Fieldview anyway. "Rest assured, Walker, that there is indeed a story behind Constable Fieldview. It may take some time for me to write it, but I have a plan."

"Does anyone else know who he's talking about?" Line asks. Characters standing with him at the tables shake their heads negative.

"Just a plot point that I thoroughly enjoyed throwing at the readers," I tell him with a subtle glee in my voice. "The next reader is Mizu. Uh, by the way, we have more cookies. And Mizu's first question… goes to Link. Well, it's less a question and more of an FYI thing. 'Did you ever really understand what it was that…' Sorry. 'That Constable Fieldview gave you? If not, it's called Roc's Feather, and that's what's been letting you jump so high'."

"Oh, really?" Link asks as he produces the feather from his trouser pocket. "Huh. That's kinda neat."

"'Though Roc's Cape would have been more useful in my opinion, as you can glide with it'."

Link gives the feather an annoyed look. "Well now I feel a little ripped off…"

"'And as for the boots? They're called the Pegasus Boots. Just so you have the names of some of your equipment'."

"I don' ge' it," Meilont speaks up. "How was tha' a question?"

I shrug. "I don't know, but I probably would've let Mizu get away with another question if I had a way to send a message. The next question… is pretty much formatted the same way. Line."

"Meah?" Line replies with a mouth full of peanut butter cookie.

"'Playing off another question… you know your favorite barmaid? That's…'" I snort and cover my mouth.

"Mwut?" Line asks.

"Oh, boy…" Link groans.

"'That's Link's mom'!"

Line spits out a wad of half-chewed cookie at the floor and coughs violently again. "What?!" he manages to croak out through a scratchy throat. "She's Link's what?!"

"These readers sure like spoiling surprises," Leeta comments with a grin on her face.

"Meh," I respond. "He won't remember any of it later; none of this is really going into canon."

"What the hell is all this!?" Line snaps. "First, I find out that our ball-breaking captain is my best friend's dad!? Then I find out that the woman whose been choking us to death for seven years is his mom!? Why do—…" He immediately freezes as he appears to realize something to his utter horror. "Oh—… Oh, dear goddesses!"

"Wha' is i'?" Lawrence, standing next to him, asks out of curiosity.

"I-I've been having dirty thoughts about my best friend's mom!" he screams with his hands grasping his messy hair.

"Line!" Link, Leeta, and Alfonzo all holler at him in angry unison.

Lawrence grins and shakes his head. "Good luck with puberty, there, Line," he says as he slaps a hand on Line's shoulder.

Line collapses to his knees. "I think… I'm gonna be sick…" he groans.

"Helo, could you take him over to the corner there," I speak up. Helo, halfway through a granite cookie, nods, places the cookie in his mouth, retrieves Line, and carries him over to the back corner I am pointing at.

"Tha' was… way too much information," Luggard comments from his seat on the bleachers.

"How do you think I feel?" Leeta asks him over her shoulder.

"Probably about as disturbed as the rest of us," I say. "Wrapping up Mizu's post… they say that they support Meilont and Link."

"Oh?" Meilont asks.

"Apparently, your relationship is the best standing and most developed… 'romance… chance'… (What?) in the whole story. Second is Irleen and Link.

"Mizu also has a message for Dholit and Sello. To Dholit… 'Stop molesting Link. You're a pedo'."

"I would if I could," Dholit replies. "But Link is just so… molest-able. Does that really qualify me as a pedophile?"

"YES!" a large number of the cast shouts at her, causing her to flinch back with a grin on her face.

"Wow, this is getting outta hand," I comment. "For Sello… 'Try to-to blow the Island Symphony up'?"

"What!?" all the airmen in the room holler out in surprise.

Sello immediately lifts his head out of the cookie tray to reveal a rum cookie stuck to his forehead. "Lollipop!" he hollers in triumph, his hands raised in the air.

"What did we do to Mizu!?" Flower hollers at me.

"I think that first 'to' was supposed to be 'not'," I reply as I try to suppress my smile. Then I look out of the screen. "No offense, Mizu, but I couldn't resist."

"You're a shitty author, Light!" Irleen shouts at me.

I pick up the previous page sitting next to my hand. "Well, since we've had that little exchange, I'd like to go back to our second reader's questions for… I guess Leeta and Alfonzo can answer these. First, they'd like to hear more about Lady Leeta… I guess from Alfonzo. Uh…" I have to pause to re-read the question. "'By extent, what were things like for her and Alfonzo when Link was just a very young child, before he was assigned to the Grand Sails? Did they—Did you ever get to have some family time?' Alfonzo? Leeta?"

Alfonzo exchanges an uncomfortable look with Leeta. Then he clears his throat. "Well, I met Leeta when I was still just a regular airman myself," he says. "I had just begun my training for command, and… well, at about that time, I was turning into a cocky little son-of-a-bitch. Iiii… I wanna say I was twenty-two at the time.

"I met Leeta at the Sail Tavern; this was before Leeta took it over. Her parents owned it before her. They, uh…" He looked over at Leeta. "They just up and retired, didn't they?"

"My father had to retire," Leeta replies. "He broke his back handling a barrel one day, and he just never recovered from it. My mother couldn't keep up with how the tavern was run, so they both agreed to let me run the bar aspect while they handle all the finances. They eventually decided to just let me have it, but they still take care of the books for me; I've never been very good with finances."

"Right," Alfonzo says with a nod. "Anyway, me and a few buddies went out for drinks one night, and we hit the Sail Tavern. Leeta serves us, and… well, I slapped her on the ass, and she floored me with her serving tray."

"You deserved it," she says to him.

"I was drunk!" he argues in an annoyed tone. "But, we both started a commotion, so her father comes out, hooks his arm around my neck, and just heaves me over the table at my buddies. Table broke, chairs were broken, too, and I had shards of glass in my leg because he knocked over a table lantern when he threw me."

"Wow…" Link comments to himself. "So my grandfather was a tough guy like you?"

"Actually, he was a sweetheart," Leeta says. "But every time your dad opened his mouth, your grandpa always had a reason to shove his fist in it."

"He wasn't even all that big," Alfonzo says. "He just knew how to handle drunken airmen."

"Maybe," Leeta says, "but he seemed to really hate you."

"What, you just kept going back?" Link asks Alfonzo.

"Yeah," Alfonzo admits. "I don't remember much else from that night, but I did know that she had hit me with a tray, and I was gonna get an apology out of her."

"Did you?" Link asks.

"I went back the following day, and your grandpa threw me through the front window." Link grimaces. "The next day, I had to ship out. This was before we had anything like the shore rotation, and the Skyriders in those years were still servicing all of the smaller islands along the Sky Lines that circled Skyrider Port, so every two weeks, we were back at the Port. And every chance I got, I would go to the tavern and demand an apology from Leeta. My buddies started taking bets on what her dad would be throwing at my head next.

"This lasted for about six months, and I know it drove Leeta's dad crazy. He finally sat me down one evening and talked me into at least sharing a drink with her and trying to be nice with her. So I gave it a try. We drank together for a bit. Alone. … In the tavern."

"We got into my dad's stock, and, well…" Leeta trails off with a suggestive tilt of her head.

"What, we don't get to heah the details?" Dholit asks.

"Dholit!" Irleen snaps.

"Can I fill in the details?" Dholit then asks with a wicked grin on her face.

"Stop it!"

"Cut it out, Dholit," Link whines with a revolted expression. "You're talking about my mom and dad."

"I left for another job the next day," Alfonzo continues while he shoots Dholit an annoyed glance. "The next time I came back was two months later after a lot of island-hopping. There was a lot of speculation that Leeta was pregnant, but no one, not even I, suspected that I was the father. But then, I didn't get to see much of Leeta because she was always sick. A few months later, her dad tracked me down and beat me to a pulp." He pauses to suck in air through his teeth. "It was the worst birthday ever."

Leeta snorts and covers her mouth. "My dad never said he beat you up on your birthday."

"The next day, he demanded that I quit the Skyriders and marry Leeta. I should point out that I still didn't know she was pregnant. My memory of the beating is still a little fuzzy, but I think he might've mentioned it while he was pummeling my face. And I just blew him off because I thought he was after me for just sleeping with Leeta. It wasn't another month until I found out that she really was pregnant, and I couldn't think of anything else other than I had to be the father."

"And you finally got married," Flower suggests.

"Actually, we never got the chance," Leeta admits with a small smile.

"Starting that year, the Skyriders were expanding business to the larger islands near and far. I promised her we'd get married when I got back from my next voyage. That was half a year later. By the time I returned, Link was already born."

"My parents wouldn't let Al see me or the baby," Leeta says. "They were so furious with him that they drove him away before he could even get a glance. But a couple years passed, and my parents finally mellowed out enough to let Alfonzo visit."

"Link's childhood was… less than ideal," Alfonzo admits. "I couldn't have him for very long because not only was I constantly sailing out, but I didn't even have a shed to my name. That sort of thing was common to airmen, and I couldn't put together a decent home even after I made captain."

"Link had to be raised in the tavern because my parents had lost the house to some bad times in the first couple of years of his life. We all slept in one room of the tavern, and my mom was always watching Link while Dad and I ran the tavern below. We couldn't send Link to school when he was old enough, so my mom had to teach him at home. When he was four, we started allowing him to stay in the bar with us. We had to; if we left him alone in the room, he started making a lot of noise and jumping on the bed until he fell off. I couldn't even count the number of times he hit his head doing that."

"So that's where those memories came from…" Link mumbles to himself.

"My parents were always calling me 'Leeta' around him, and we could never get Link to call me 'Mom' or 'Mama' or anything of the sort, so we kinda just rolled with it."

"Family time… just never happened," Alfonzo says. "Link barely even knew my face whenever I came around, and he never liked talking with me."

Leeta turns around and starts squeezing Alfonzo's thick arm. "Well, you were working on these around that time. I kept telling you he was scared of you."

"Yeah, that never really improved until this past year."

Leeta turns back to the screen. "But, my parents finally got their feet back under them. But by the time Link was six, my dad had his accident, and I had to balance running the bar while keeping Link out of trouble. So the next time I got a chance to talk to Alfonzo, I told him that I wanted him to take and make Link into an airship captain."

"I asked Dad about that," Link speaks up. "Why did you want me to be an airship captain?"

"It was mostly because I knew how well-educated a person had to be in order to become a captain," Leeta says. "I couldn't handle trying to teach you or keeping up with a school's schedule, and your grandparents just couldn't keep up with you." She places a hand on Link's shoulder. "And I'm glad he did it, even if I couldn't be a decent mother to you, Link."

"Oh, Great Elders, I'm gonna cry," Irleen squeaks as she watches Leeta pull Link into a gentle hug. Other characters around them shift in discomfort as they all simultaneously come to the conclusion that Link had a very rotten life. And that Link's family was getting overly sentimental.

"Uuuh…" I drone for a moment. "Does… everyone need a few moments here?"

"No, no," Leeta says. "I'm fine."

"Yeah," Link says. "Me, too."

"I'm good," Alfonzo says with a nod.

"Uh, okay, then," I say as I set the paper aside. "That's probably the deepest question we're gonna have. The next reader is 'Night Owl City', and they have just one question… for Meilont. Night Owl City wants to know, 'Did you ever think about joining Link's crew when he was able to get back to the sky?'"

Meilont has a dumbfounded look on her face as she sits completely still for a moment. "Uh… actually, I don' think I did," she admits. "I-I feel a li'l stupid now. I jus'… I-I though' I'd jus' wai' fer Link tae return."

"Meilont, you just lost the battle of love," Irleen tells her with a delighted tone. Meilont sticks her tongue out in response.

I chuckle for a moment before setting aside the page. "Okay, the next reader is 'El-oh-Zed Obsessed'. Their first question is, 'Is there any specific connection between the sky islands in this fic and Skyloft or the City in the Sky from Twilight Princess other than the fact that they are all floating islands in the sky?'

"Well, to put that one simply… no. The sky islands featured in this fiction are the result of the Sorians sending their homeland airborne. Like I believe I stated in the story, the sky islands as they are now were the result of Cunimincus breaking the Sorians' homeland apart and then the Sorians using the technoworks to create the Sky Lines. That's not to say that either location couldn't appear in this fiction, but it's a large sky.

"Question number two, 'Putting accents and languages aside, why did you choose to change Malon to Meilont, Gerudo to Gelto, Rito/Zoran to Sorian, et cetera? I'm assuming the phonetic similarity between Zoran and Sorian is on purpose'. Well, when it came to writing Meilont, I wanted to indicate to the readers that I intended her to be a sort of parallel to Malon, so I decided to just change the vowels up in hers and Talon's names to indicate a legacy in there somewhere. Gerudo became 'Gelto' mostly due to the phonetic similarity. That, and I wanted to show a bit of a language shift to help indicate that there was a large amount of time before the Gerudo reappeared in the world. As for Zoran and Sorian… that was actually just an incredible coincidence. I first came up with the name 'Sorian' back when Rireen was introduced to the story. In the next chapter, I believe, one reader posted speculation that the Sorians were supposed to be the next evolution of the Rito. I haven't played Wind Waker, so I didn't know about the Rito until I looked it up on a Zelda wikia. After that, I just decided to roll with it. If you'll look at my dictionary post for the Sorian language, you'll see that the Sorian word for 'Sorian' is 'Rītò'."

"So you let the readers dictate our evolution?" Irleen asks.

I shrug. "It all worked out. Third question. 'If Link goes on a five-year mission à la Star Trek to explore the world to look for the missing Sorians, will he find Old Hyrule, or at least the Great Sea above it, or Termina?'"

"It can't possibly take five years to find the Sorians!" Link hollers. "That's nuts!"

"Wow, Link," Irleen says with a flat tone. "Nice to see you willing to go the distance."

"Well, Obsessed," I say, "I'll tell you that it is possible that they would find the Great Sea. I'd dare say that they've been flying above it this whole time; no one ever said that the Great Sea couldn't be the entirety of the known oceans of the world. It's possible that they even have sailed over Old Hyrule. As for Termina, I understood that to be a different world entirely. Besides that, the gateway to Termina would be lost within the Great Sea; it'd take a hell of an intervention for Link to wind up there in this timeline."

"We would have had a Termina if the people on Bold Island had had their way," King Lauris says. "Not that it would have been the same as this 'other world'."

"Our next reader is… 'Nathan… eye-ay-bee-pee'?" I say, giving the paper a confused look. "I guess? Sorry, the last few letters are throwing me. Anyway, NathanIABP wants to know… okay, this is for everyone. 'How old are all of you when the adventure started, and how old are you now, at the end of this journey?' Uh… let's start with the Island Symphony's crew. Link?"

"Fourteen," Link answers.

"Line?" I ask as Line drags his feet past me on his way back to the bleachers.

"I was fourteen," Line says, stopping to turn to me. "I'm fifteen now; I had my birthday while Link was still on the surface."

"Guys, just sound off whenever you like," I tell the rest of the room.

"I'm twenty-seven," Leynne says.

"Fourteen," Irleen says.

"I'm fouhteen as well," Cale says.

"I was thirty-two," Flower says. "My birthday was about a month after Line."

"Thir'y now," Lawrence says. "Ma birthday was tha' day the chief se' the engine room on fire."

"Why didn' ya tell us?" Harley asks him with a bit of a surprised tone.

"Didn' wan' the w'ole engine crew drunk," Lawrence replies.

"I'm twen'y-eigh'," Harley says.

"Twen'y-seven," Gold says.

"I'm seventeen," Lilly says.

"Meatball!" Sello hollers.

"Chief!" Harley calls out, grabbing the back of Sello's suit before he walks past his seat. "'Ow old is ya?"

Sello looks up at the ceiling as he appears to think. Then he says, "I am a lemon."

Lawrence gives a shrug. "Couldn' be much older'n me. Thir'y-two? Thir'y-five?"

"Sounds good," Harley grunts as he pulls Sello down onto the bench next to him.

"I know them all," Dholit says. "Twali and Lwamm ah twenty-two, Biluf is twenty-one, Dubbl is twenty-six, I am fouhteen—"

"No you're not!" Irleen shouts at her.

"I'm sohry, did I say 'fouhteen'?" Dholit asks. "Because I meant that I am twenty. As foh Layna… Hm. I don't believe I've heahd."

"Well," Harley tells her from his seat two rows behind her, "she's righ' b'hind ya if ya wanna ask."

"She is?" Dholit asks as she turns around. She finds that Layna has fit herself between the benches, huddled down between Beld and Talein with a handful of various cookies. Layna looks up wide-eyed when Dholit notices her, unable to say anything through a combination of surprise and a sugar cookie trapped in her mouth. "Oh," Dholit says with a wide grin on her face. "Well, how about it, Layna?" Layna glances around at the nearby characters. Then she drops the cookie onto her handful so she can whisper something to Dholit.

Dholit then turns and declares, "Nineteen!" Layna quickly disappears into the bleachers, the noise of which causes everyone near her to look where she had just been sitting. "Daww, poah thing…"

"I am twenty-eight," Helo says from the cookie tables. "And Lidago is seventeen."

"Okay," I say. "Uh… Forest Realm, go."

"Fourteen," Meilont says.

"Thir'y-six," Talein says.

"I's twen'y-three," Luggard says.

"Sixteen!" Valley declares, jumping to her feet.

"Thir'y-two," Madame Seilon says as she tugs Valley back to the bench.

"And… what, I guess the last few we should do are the sky dwellers we saw a lot?" I ask around. "Uh, Captain Alfonzo? Lady Leeta?"

"Oh, I'm thirty," Leeta says.

"Thirty-eight," Alfonzo replies.

"I am fourteen," Zelda says. "Although… I wonder if my age might have been affected by the Undying Storm."

"Please," Irleen responds in an annoyed tone. "Three months without aging isn't gonna do a thing, Princess."

"I am thirty-eight," King Lauris says. "And my wife is thirty-six."

"I am also thirty-six," Governor Lore says. "Although I had my birthday about two weeks after the fake princess showed up."

"Sir Gilliam?" I ask.

"Thirty-seven," Gilliam replies. He points at Alfonzo. "About a year younger than Al."

"Okay," I say. "I suppose that does it for most of the major characters. Let's move on. Uh… oh, yeah! NathanIABP had another question. This is for Captain Alfonzo. 'What exactly is written in Airman Line's letter, and how did you react to it?'"

"Line's letter, huh?" Alfonzo says. "Well, he explained to me that he and the crew I'd lent to Link had been captured and that Albert had died. He also said that Princess Zelda had been with them and was trapped in the Undying Storm. I… I suppose the hardest news was being informed that the Island Sonata had been shot down and that Link was dead. I had my doubts about what Line had written up until I'd read that Link was dead. Then… well, I guess I just… I d—I didn't handle myself like a captain should. I guess that was the father in me, for what it was worth. I neglected my crew; Lieutenant Blair had to relieve me several times, and he and Mallard kept the ship going. Then, when the Dusk Runner attacked and I was wounded… I guess I just started giving up. It wasn't until Link returned that I started pulling myself together." He eyes Line for a moment. "And you better believe I'm back, or I'll lodge my foot in your ass."

Line holds his hands up in innocence. "Did I say anything?" he asks.

"Okay, one last thing," I say. "This is for Line. 'Bedsheet capes are totally cool'."

"I know!" Line says as he throws his hands up. "But would anyone let me wear one?!" He leans over to press his face into Link's. "Noooooooooo."

"Get over it," Link tells him, shoving him away.

"Okay, our next reader is 'The Predicate'," I say, trying to interrupt them before they start a shoving match. "She would like to ask Layna, uh… where's Layna?"

"Behind you," says every character who has either met Layna or been one of Layna's victims.

"Is sh—YIKES!" I cry out when I realize that she actually is standing behind me. "Go-go over there!" I tell her, pointing to the bleachers. I wait for a moment as she returns to the bleachers and takes an empty seat next to Dholit. "Okay," I sigh, straightening out my papers. "The Predicate wants to know, 'What is your opinion of Dholit?'"

Layna slowly turns to find Dholit grinning at her. "Zhidi huxwnwak," she answers, quickly looking back in my direction. "Giltiyn Dholit 'ak yabbid 'anwaybdhi tab 'inu moytok. Biluf nugthya'ak 'inoy tab Giltiyn Dholit yabbid 'anayrti taf 'inu nayx midhujak lwayza'udhj talwban Giltiyn Dholit tac."

"Okay, so, she's strange," I translate, "and she's the only yabbid that Layna knows. And Biluf told her Dholit's a horny yabbid and that… uh, Layna should have more honor than her?" Layna nods.

"Nway lwazhidak," Biluf says with a firm nod.

"Ahn't they both lovely?" Dholit says as she casts a wicked grin at Layna. Layna starts and turns, but Dholit has already averted her gaze toward the ceiling.

"Careful, Dholit," Flower tells her from down the row. "That's intimidating a witness."

"The Predicate isn't done yet," I speak up. "She would also like to know what you think of Link."

Layna looks down to hide the red tinge on her cheeks. She remains like that for a moment. Then she begins talking to the floor. "May Kyabtin… zhi May Kyabtin. 'Inu nadmoytokak 'al 'inu lwaynigiyth 'anw maddux tab 'inu konaf.

"May Kyabtin 'idhifak xasrik 'aminwcin taf 'ayotkwi. Sanimyayl ib, 'inu migoylwiynak mijoydhastya mizayatakw. 'Inu lwaymyutakwak 'imayn xasrik 'abothfi 'ithab. 'Itab marix 'a'amicya May Kyabtin taf 'anw giyt saltya'ak'inoy zagaylwn kwuhat 'olwu sanimyayl tac. Taf 'inu bilunak tab 'inu safitya xiban zalwaycs: May Kyabtin."

She starts again and looks around to find that most of the Hylians and Gelto present have huddled closer to her with all eyes locked on her. She pulls her legs up and tries to hide her face in her knees. Link is the only one who has not moved, feeling frozen in place with his face turning redder by the minute.

Line jumps off the bleachers and turns back around to point up at Scaleblade. "Hey, lizard breath!" he shouts. "You better shoot me down next! You hear!?"

"Fix nwadexh!" one of the Dinolfos shout at him.

"Sahgh xaxgh shoxghant fahxgh!" a Lizalfos adds.

I give my head a small shake. "Wow, that got deep," I say. "She said that Link has a strong and kind heart… uh, since she met Link and the crew, she believes it helped her become more than an assassin. Uh, and she thinks she's in love with… Link." I shake my head again. "What can I say? Link changes lives. Aaaaaand before we lose her, The Predicate would also like to know what Layna thinks of Line."

Layna glances over at Line, who changes his stance and uses his hands to present himself as if he is acting like a model. She looks around to find that everyone is eagerly awaiting a response. She huddles again and mumbles something to Dholit.

Who then gleefully calls out, "She thinks Line is the biggest, hohniest pehveht in the wohld and would sooneh disembowel him than let him touch heh!" Layna gives a split-second's worth of fright before disappearing under the bleachers again. Everyone turns to find that Line has turned stark white with a shocked look on his face. He then faints, much to the amusement of his crewmates. Dholit, still sporting a wide smile, then says aloud to herself, "I wondah if that wasn't too much exaggeration."

"A bit overkill," Flower says with a grin. "Maybe it'll cool him down some."

"Well, there you go, Predicate," I say. "I hope those are the answers you were looking for." I set the paper aside to hold up one more sheet. "Okay, we have one more reader to get to, a guest reader going by… oh, boy. 'Line-eks-Link'. And this one asks, 'Will Line and Link ever be a thing? Link is so uninterested in women, he may be repressing his urges to go after Line. Or even Cale, but Cale has fo—"

"Hiiiiiiiiii!" someone squeals.

I look up to see that attention has shifted to Dholit, who has an eager expression on her face. "Dholit, don't make us put you in chains," I tell her. Then I clear my throat and continue, "'But Cale has found someone, but still, is there ever a chance of even… of something as simple as Line and Link experimenting with each other?'" I then drop the paper on the table and press the fingers of one hand into my eyes. "Boys?"

Line, having recovered from his shock, moves and plops onto the bench next to Link. "Of course we're a thing!" he says as he throws an arm around Link's neck. "Seven years together, looking at forever! That's how I like to put it."

Link casts Line an annoyed look. "Though I admit that I do repress the urge to go after Line," he says through his teeth.

"Oh, c'mon," Line says. "We're like-like… Bert and Ernie! Shawn and Gus! Heero and Duo!"

"Who are they?"

"I don't undahstand," Cale speaks up. "How was I involved in that question?"

"I'll explain idda ya later," Lilly tells him as she huddles closer to him. "It might not be my fantasy, but, uh… I like where the question's headin'."

"What's this 'experimenting' that the reader's talking about, Captain?" Link asks Alfonzo.

"That would be the perfect excuse to kill Line," Captain Alfonzo replies as he shoots Line an angry look. Line, intimidated, removes his arm from Link and scoots away.

"Okay," I say as I pick my head back up. "We have one more reader who showed up late, but I'll go ahead and say that 'Nightgazer Thirteen' is another fan of Meilont. I'm sorry you didn't get to ask any questions, but thanks for hanging in there.

"Now, before we end, I've got a couple things to say. First off, it's been a pleasure to write Sky Lines and have it so well received by Legend of Zelda fans. Your appreciation of this story and your kind words for me and the characters have been a great motivation to see this story through to its end." I pause to pick up another sheet of paper. "I would like to thank the following users for their comments: 'Tritone', 'Twili Rupee', 'Golden Rhino', 'Flame Metal Heart', 'Burai Razor', 'Thayni', 'Stikibunn', 'Tetraforce', guest 'Thayet', 'Vin Bersmak', guest 'Kyle', 'The Predicate', 'Seeker Heart' (though I think that's an old alias of 'Flame Metal Heart'), 'Brendan Mudk', 'G. Sirius', 'Polygrammar', 'Mugen Kagemaru', 'Stay Traught, I'm Deactivated', 'Nebula Kid', 'Nightgazer Thirteen', 'Mad Link Double-Oh Seven', 'Zed-Zed-Zed-Pee Two', 'The Queen of Water', 'Captain Azenor', 'Ailavyn Siniyash', 'Delax', 'Chibi Angel From Heaven', guest 'Hero X Ninety-Five', guest 'Sparx the Hedgehog', 'Krazy Kold Kyurem Six-Thirteen', guest 'Link', 'Yume Hop', 'Aronim', 'Scarlet Letters in the Snow', 'Kirby Fan Nineteen-Ninety-Six', 'Teithant', guest 'Connor', 'Pinecone Sprout', 'The Klass Nerd Ninety-Five', 'Darth Nacho' (whew, I might not've thought this through all the way), 'Nrnarla', 'Static Blast One', 'The Legends Four', 'Josh Rand Nineteen-Eighty-Two', 'Kaoru Chibimaster', 'The Basement Dweller', 'Kagu the Great', guest 'Not Important' (who could only ever be important), 'Leomonta', guest 'A Friend', 'Violin Girl Forty-One-Oh-Two', 'Cherry Burlesque', 'Shadow At Midnight', 'Whosahassa', 'Sock Writing', 'Fiery Diamond' (who managed to single-handedly take up four pages' worth of comments in a single month), 'Zeltra', 'Leopard Fire Ninety-Seven', 'Imagination That', guest 'It's a Sine', 'Em-Es-Gee One Thousand', guest 'Davosa', 'Librarrax', 'Captain Noob', 'Private Noah', guest 'Bob', guest 'Anonymous', 'Jorlem', Pika Twins 234, 'Night Owl City', 'Random-But-Loved', 'Undead Monkey Eight', guest 'Changeling', 'Chess Master of the Universe', 'Reiz Sixteen', 'Changeling Rin', 'Marginally Flailing', 'Anime Lover Thirty-Five Ninety-Three', guest 'Anon', guest 'Caanan Two-Thousand-Nine', 'Phoenix Captain', guest 'Axcel', 'Nameless Penname', 'Machina per Dei', guest 'D.', guest 'Haywire', 'Comato', 'Shaveza', 'This Is a Nice Name', 'Crazy Feral Vigilante Dragon Lady', guest 'Ramnrmeul', 'Froskirem', guest 'It'sa Me Again', guest 'Sid the Kid', Zelda Geek 726, 'Enigma To Me', guest 'Martyn', 'Neophilic', guest 'Visitor', 'Zolias', 'Walker's Annoying Voice', guest 'Mizu', guest 'LoZ Obsessed', 'NathanIABP', 'Link X Line', and all of the guest readers who left their comments but not their names.

"I would also like to thank those who added me or the story to their watch or favorites lists: Twili Rupee, 'Eidorian Nine-Nine-Nine', Burai Razor, 'Xunafein', 'Game Freak See-See', Thayni, 'Espeonage Espeon', Stikibunn, 'Herobrine', 'Terran', 'Storyteller of Darkness', Vin Bersmak, 'Shadow Mwape', The Queen of Water, Mad Link 007, 'Ezmirith', Flame Metal Heart, ZZZP2, 'Sam Zelda', 'Hal Nine-Thousand-and-One', 'Shaori Angel', 'Mallobie', 'Emcey Squared', Delax, 'King and Commoner', 'Underlines', 'Aerotium', 'Ignacio Two-Oh-Three', 'White Fang of War', 'Star Guardian Seven', Chibi Angel From Heaven, 'Inkweaver Twenty-Two', 'Epic You', 'Hiezen', 'Sailor Starlight One-Oh-One', 'Thanquiol', 'Kitty Kruger', 'Epic Sheikah Girl', 'Beardless Dwarf', 'Allie Eks Eye', 'Cheese Lord', Kirby Fan 1996, Yume Hop, Mugen Kagemaru, 'Jaws White Seven', 'Skyzerk', Leomonta, 'E. Sopre', Scarlet Letters in the Snow, 'Vivi Thirty-Thirty', Teithant, 'Eye Four-Eight-Three', 'Bioweapon One-Fifty-Five', 'Traveler In Time', 'Es-Tee Nineteen-Ninety', 'Laureola', Pinecone Sprout, 'Nasakegan', 'Madly Purple', 'Psionic Peaceful', 'Clairae', 'Ferno Sixteen', 'Unfilial', The Klass Nerd 95, 'Asha-man of Fire', 'Cobbjaw', Darth Nacho, Violin Girl 4120, 'Mister Edward Nigma', Zolias, 'Mister Shadow Sprinkles', 'Arthur Dragonpen', 'Fire Mightyena', The Legends 4, 'Maxxus Herald', Kagu the Great, 'Red Sands', 'Hylian Harmony', 'Quilock', 'Sora Mythos Ninety-Two-Seventy-Six', The Basement Dweller, 'Boba Three-Three-Three,' 'Master Boop', 'Nintendo Man Oh-One', MSG1000, 'Forever Seven-Two-Three-Nine-Nine', 'Erumaren Ainulindale', 'Bob One-Two-Three-Four', 'Encyclopedia of Awesome', 'Orange Bean Gamer', 'War Hippy Fatigues', 'I Love to Hear You Laugh', 'Fierce Link', Marginally Flailing, Shadow At Midnight, 'Joran', Pvt. Noah, 'Shiro Arceus', 'Sky Chain Lilyana', 'Jess Twenty-Seven-Oh-Eight', 'Asiraya', Fiery Diamond, Leopard Fire 97, 'Fat Guy Ninety-Two', 'Rad Egg', 'Alpha G.', 'Russub Nineteen', 'Veonix', Pikatwins 234, 'General Hyna', 'Legends Twenty-Five', 'Genndy Oda See-Oh-Gee', 'Skolir', 'Ark Angel One-Three-Five', 'One Big Bro Four Ae', 'Kitty Katie Thirteen', 'Raichu Mara', 'Book Nerd Thirty-Five', 'Windy Me', 'Twilight's Shadow', 'Yamato Hikari', 'Fearsome Wolf', 'Diabolical Me', 'Techno Fairy', 'Arc Churchie', 'Magic Man One-One-One-One-One-One', 'Fifty-Zoned', 'Lord Muffin', 'Sincerely Lola', 'Gods of Ancient Past', Captain N00b, 'Super Shadix Five-Twenty', 'Dreagonheart', 'Dark Knight Four-ever', Nameless Penname, Jorlem, 'Celestial Link', 'Alex Vang Thirty-Three', 'Piranath', 'Zelda Wolf Fang', 'Bacon the Squirrel', 'Doku Midori', Machina per Dei, 'Loki Nine-Twenty-One', Undead Monkey 8, 'Fiction Reader One-Hundred', 'Cravo Sixteen', 'Extreme Master', 'Richard E.', 'Mega Hog Fourteen', Night Owl City, 'G.G. Foogle', 'Quiet Watcher', 'Four-Oh-Seven-Seventh', 'Random Utopia Seventeen-Sixty-Nine', Random-But-Loved, Changeling Rin, Neophilic, 'Brishton', 'Vader One-Oh-Oh-Oh-One', Librarrax, 'I Can't Tell You', 'Kaine Parker', 'Saj Thirteen', 'Island Bacon', Anime Lover 3593, 'Legendary Facepalm', 'Syuli Eighty-Eight', NathanIABP, 'Typo Master', 'Samurai Jayk', 'By Starlight Nine-Nine-Nine', 'Po Bee-Bee-Pee-See', 'Xajeen Eight', 'Pat Trax', 'Charismey', 'Batch Oh-Three', 'Night Fright Pony', Comato, 'Legendary Wolf One-Two-Nine', 'Shiranai Atsune', 'Free Fan Fourteen-Twelve', 'Decaire', 'Ay-Gee-Gee-Eks-Eks-Five', Crazy Feral Vigilante Dragon Lady, 'Kyumi Oh-Seven', This Is a Nice Name, 'Me Fly Away', 'Nerozaz', 'Wind Requiem', 'March-Four-Fun', 'The Rising Dragon', 'Shadow Dragonbane', 'October Autumn', 'Rovias', 'World Traverser', 'It's Only I', 'Wander Star', 'Sandwich Cats', 'Phoenix Write', Zelda Geek 726, 'Chinas', 'One-Kick Man', 'Qwerty Pip', 'Key to Destiny', 'The Craigaile', 'Stuart M. Thirty-Seven', 'Daicha', Walker's Annoying Voice, 'Green Gustavo', 'Hydranax Twelve', 'Captain Toon', 'Link Blade One', 'Scarmiglione', 'Ion Roxas One-Sixteen', 'Skye Limit', 'Crazy Moonfox', 'Gijinka Renamon', 'Goku One-Two-Three-Four-Five-Six-Five-Four', 'Zarclonia', 'Aerotium', 'Kire Withe', 'Darkness Is Supreme', 'Malon-Romani', 'Grim Kit', 'Jeanetta Ninety-Four', 'Zulon', 'Eclipse Girl Fourty-Four-Eighty-Eight', 'Beware The Shadows', 'Dark Elven Rose', 'Akuma-chan Twenty-Five-Three-Hundred', 'Blinding Gale', 'Tails Twelve-Thirteen', 'Aspiring Writer Girl', 'Castiel's Little Ass-Butt', 'Corporal Jack Haven', 'The Overlord Two', 'Weyoun', 'Cooking Samurai', 'Blasta Six-Thousand', 'Anthem of the Lonely Children', Zeltra, 'Spartan One-One-One-Em-Es', 'Lilac Lily Flower', 'Neos the Final Builder', 'Twist of Destiny', 'Wiljeeen Broodje', 'Petrichor in May', 'Epiren', 'Nervos Belli', 'Slipstreem', 'Cloak-Dagger', 'Anime Wolf', 'Soft Cadence', 'Pudding One-Two-Three', 'Happerry', 'Donnie Lover Ninety-Eight-Twenty-One', 'Swordsman of Spirit', 'Libby Eighty-Nine-Eighty', 'Jonaman One-Two-Three', 'El-En-Em-Two-Thirty-Two', 'Button Ben', 'Super-Charging', 'Just Awesome Old Me', 'Levy Fan Sixty-Seven', 'Bajimmin', 'Laya Skye', 'Psi Boy', 'B.K. Geno', 'Peace Wing', 'Sepha Fanfics', 'Pika Twig', 'Belton One-Eighty', 'Indiana Jackson', and 'Me Love Mamimi'." I pause to take a deep breath and let it out. "If I missed any of you, I apologize. When the story no longer appears on the front page of the Legend of Zelda fanfictions list, I hope that your marking this in your favorites will be future readers' guide to it once more. And, next time, I think I'll list you guys alphabetically. Just to make it easier for all of us to find your names.

"Lastly, I've been saving this next piece for quite some time now. In 2011, I started putting this story together. In the following year, I made a number of decisions that led to the final product which you have all just finished reading. And now, I want you to read what one of those decisions produced. Lately, I've been coy with this idea of a sequel with you. That was only because the surprise was born four years ago, and I tried my hardest to keep it a secret for this occasion.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the following preview… of the conclusion of this story about Captain Link and the brave, strong, and lunatic crew of the Island Symphony. Enjoy." With that, I get up and walk away from a table in a room empty once more.