Well, golly, this may be the longest chapter of this fic yet. Mostly because of how its structured; its sort of a drive-by version of the events of Phantom Hourglass, because the actual "game" part of PH isn't really that important to this fic as the character interactions here are. Essentially, this is just an excuse for me to develop a bond between Link and Linebeck, and I gotta admit, I LOVE their dynamic here. So I won't keep you from it any longer. Let's get started!
Chapter 7: Ruby
The first leg of their journey takes them to a place called the Isle of Ember. It's largely uninhabited, save for a fortune teller by the name of Astrid. She kindly invites the group of travelers into her home, already well aware of Link's mission thanks to her powers of foresight. She directs him and Ciela to travel to the island's Temple of Fire to track down the first missing spirit. Before setting out, however, Link can't help but seek her wisdom on another matter entirely. He asks her if defeating Bellum and restoring the Ocean King's power will truly get him home after all. Her answer?
"I'm sorry, young hero," she hesitates, before ultimately shaking her head. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait and see."
Wait and see. He spends the entire trek up to the temple silently fuming. Easy for her to say. She's not the one who has to face off against a soul-devouring demon.
Confronting that demon may be even more difficult than he thought if his ordeal in the Temple of Fire is anything to go off of. Still weak from what Bellum had done to him and from the injuries he'd sustained, Link struggles his way through another labyrinth of sinister traps and vicious monsters. Even with Ciela to support him from above and a sword and shield that are supposed to keep him safe, he sustains more than a few cuts and bruises. He feels rusty, out of practice with a weapon that used to come so second-nature to him. As a result, every injury feels shameful, every misstep more frustrating than the last. That frustration isn't lost on Ciela, but every time she asks him if he's ok, if he needs to stop and take a rest, he ignores her. Because he knows all too well that every moment he wastes is another moment spent so far away from everyone he's ever loved. Another moment lost in a world that will never feel quite like his own.
A fierce, flaming monster awaits within the temple's deepest depths, the final obstacle standing between them and saving the Spirit of Power. As ill-equipped as he feels to face it, Link does so anyway, dodging its fire just well enough to keep himself from getting burned. Or at least, he does for the first half of the fight. Fatigue sets in much quicker for him now than it used to, no doubt a side effect of all of the Life Force he's lost. As a result, his swings grow sloppier, his footing less steady, his shield heavy to the point that it isn't long before the beast knocks it clean out of his grip.
The second it does, the monster doesn't hesitate to unleash all of its flaming fury upon the defenseless boy before it.
This time, he isn't able to roll completely out of the way. His right sleeve catches fire, quickly searing through fabric to scorch his upper arm. He screams, desperately tossing his new boomerang to free up his hand to desperately beat the flames away. By the time he manages to put the fire out, most of his arm is bathed in a raw, angry shade of red, badly burnt to the point that he can barely even move it without his nerves screaming in pain. Ciela flies around him in a panic at first, until she notices the monster responsible for that burn writhing on the ground in agony itself.
Despite his own pain, Link looks up when the monster lets out an ear-splitting roar. His boomerang skids to a stop on the floor next to him, having apparently hit its mark–even if Link hadn't even aimed it at anything to begin with. It had slammed into the already flagging monster, a fortunately fatal blow that Link silently thanks the goddesses for.
Within minutes, Link has not one, but two fairies fretting over him. The Spirit of Power, Leaf, emerges in the aftermath of the monster's defeat, along with a handful of shimmering sand meant for the Phantom Hourglass. As soon as they collect what they came here for, they make a hurried beeline out of the temple and back to the boat. How Link manages to stay conscious for that long, he has no idea.
Linebeck waits for them aboard his ship, having made it very clear that spelunking dangerous dungeons and fending off any kind of monsters "isn't his thing". Despite how unpleasant his dealings with the captain have been so far, Link almost lets out a sob of relief at the sight of someone who can help him with his burnt arm in a way the two fairies accompanying him can't. His relief is short-lived, however, as soon as he hobbles his way onto the S.S. Linebeck.
"About time you got back," Linebeck doesn't even glance up from the map he's studying. "I was getting ready to weigh anchor and set off without you. You better have found some good treasure inside that old temple for making me wait as long as-"
"Ugh, enough about treasure already!" Ciela flies into his face, furious. "Can't you see Link is hurt? He needs help!"
"Huh?" the captain finally looks up just in time to see Link collapse to his knees, his breathing heavy and his eyes glassy. White hot agony shoots through his injured arm so intensely that it's easily enough to make him sick. Linebeck simply watches him suffer for a second, only springing into action when Link starts dry heaving. "Whoa, whoa! Absolutely not!" he yells, running over to the ailing boy. He hoists him up, roughly shoving him over to the side of the boat. "Throw up into the ocean if you have to, not onto the deck of my ship!"
"Seriously?" Ciela scoffs, appalled. "That's what you're worried about?! Your stupid ship?!"
"Well, excuse me for wanting to keep the S.S. Linebeck in top condition," Linebeck says. "Besides, I'm just saving the kid from having to clean it up later. He oughta be thanking me for being so thoughtful."
"Um… excuse me?" Leaf pipes up for the first time since they got to the boat.
"You… you're absolutely unbelievable!" Ciela snaps at Linebeck, not hearing her fellow spirit. "Have you ever once cared about anything other than yourself and your silly old boat!?"
"Hey, uh… you two-" Leaf tries again. But even the Spirit of Power can't stand a chance against the fierce fight brewing before him.
"Of course I have!" Linebeck argues. "I care about treasure, duh. Speaking of which, where is the treasure you two promised you'd bring back to me? I don't see any sacks of gold or chests full of rupees, so…?"
"Can you both just stop for a second and-"
"We didn't find any treasure, you greedy sea serpent!" Ciela readily reveals.
"Come on, just-"
"What?" Linebeck staggers back, scandalized. "No treasure? Then what in Din's name did I bring you two all this way for?!"
"Please, Link is-"
"We told you! We're trying to save the entire world here!" Ciela hotly reiterates. "Which we can't do if you keep on-"
"If someone doesn't help Link right now!" Leaf finally flies in between the pair, even redder than he usually is. He has every reason to be upset too; for while Ciela and Linebeck were fighting, Link had fully succumbed to the pain of his injury, collapsing unconsciously onto the deck. His breathing is raspy and ragged as the raw skin of his arm shows signs of breakage and blistering, a dangerous effect of leaving it untreated for so long. And if it remains untreated, it could prove to get even worse still if any sort of infection were to set in.
"Oh, geez," Linebeck winces when he takes stock of the boy's sorry state. "I knew he was banged up, but I didn't think he was that banged up."
"Really?" Ciela retorts. "You couldn't see the massive burn on his arm? What, are you as blind as you are selfish?"
"Ugh, give it a rest already, sparkles," Linebeck shoots back as he steps over to Link. He hesitantly leans down to the boy's level, if only to make sure he's still alive. "I don't know what either of you pipsqueaks expect me to do here. Last time I checked, I'm a captain, not a doctor."
"There's gotta be something you can do!" Leaf implores, worried.
"Even if there was, I don't see why I should seeing as how the kid didn't hold up his end of our deal," Linebeck stands, scowling. "Now, instead of all of the treasure I could have had, what am I stuck with instead? A seven-year old with a burnt up arm and two fairies that don't know when to shut up. What did I ever do to deserve this?"
Both fairies are quiet for a long moment. When one of them finally does speak, it's Ciela, and this time, her voice is low, but every bit as angry and intense as it had been before. "You may deserve this, you may not," she begins, flying close to his face. "But I'll tell you who doesn't deserve any of the horrible things that have happened to him: Link. But even after all of the pain he's gone through, he's still here to help us, to save a world that he isn't even from. You may not see it yet, but Link is our last–our only hope. And if you don't do something to help him now… then we'll lose that hope. And it'll be all. Your. Fault. Captain."
Linebeck stiffens, falling silent. His aggravated scowl shifts into something else, something filled with surprise, perhaps even a touch of remorse. Or at least, that's what Ciela hopes it is. When he lets out an indignant scoff, the fairy briefly fears her speech didn't work; she has no idea what to do if that's the case. But then…
Linebeck slowly leans down, scoops Link's listless body up into his arms, and carries him into the ship's cabin without a single word.
By now, Link knows he should be used to waking up in unfamiliar places sporting any number of newfound injuries. This time, he awakens in what he guesses is the S.S. Linebeck's storeroom with bandages covering a burn on his arm he only barely remembers sustaining. He sits up slowly, surprised to find he isn't in much pain, or at least, nowhere as much as there'd been before.
There's something strangely sticky just beneath the layer of clean bandages on his arm–whatever it is, it must be what's easing the pain away. He opens his mouth to ask Ciela about it, only to find her and Leaf fast asleep on top of a nearby crate. It must be pretty late; the ship creaks quietly as it rocks gently through the calm sea surrounding it, and through the porthole to his left, Link can see a starry sky. And yet, he soon finds he's not the only one awake.
"It's honey."
"...Huh?" Link starts, looking to the far side of the storeroom. There, Linebeck is shoveling coals into the ship's engine to keep it going. His back is turned to the boy as he works, but he explains all the same.
"That's honey, under the bandages," he says. Link finds it strange how he can't quite read his tone. Linebeck is nothing if not one of the most transparent people he's ever met. Or at least, that's what he'd been led to believe when they first met. "It draws the sting out of burns. Once, when I was a kid, I got a really bad sunburn, and my pop slathered honey all over me to help dull the pain. So… ya know, I just… I figured…"
"It helps," Link fills in when he trails off. Despite everything, he can't hold back a small, grateful smile when the captain glances over his shoulder at him. "Thank you."
Linebeck swallows hard, flustered as he puts his shovel aside and straightens the lapels of his jacket. "Yeah, yeah, don't get all worked up about it," he strides toward the door. "Honey doesn't come cheap, so now you owe me even more treasure from our next stop. So rest up; we're set to arrive at the Isle of Gust by daybreak, and I'm not about to let you waste even more of my time lazing around."
Link's smile widens slightly. As odd as it may seem, Linebeck is starting to remind him of another captain he knows. A captain that started out every bit as cold and uncaring… only for their true colors to slowly but surely shine through. "...Aye, aye, captain," he tells Linebeck, just as he used to tell Tetra before him.
Linebeck finally returns his grin, carrying just a hint of satisfied pride as he leaves the cabin to head back to the bridge. Link eases himself back onto his makeshift bed, wondering if it had already been there, or if Linebeck had taken time to put it together for him. Whatever the case, something has shifted here. For as rocky and rough as this voyage may have started, the tides are starting to change, Link can tell.
For the first time in a long time, he lets himself hope that those tides are turning for the better.
Upon the Isle of Gust sits the aptly-named Temple of Wind, and within that temple, they find Neri, the third and final Spirit. This time, things go a bit better, in no small part thanks to the stash of potions that Link finds tucked inside his satchel just before they leave the S.S. Linebeck. He has his suspicions as to where they came from, but he says nothing of it. The last thing he'd want to do is damage Linebeck's fragile pride, after all.
With Leaf and Neri recovered, there's still the matter of Ciela's lost memories. The other two Spirits implore her to recover them, hoping that her dormant powers will awaken along with them. To this end, they set out the Temple of Courage on Molida Island to see if they can find anything that might jog the fairy's missing memories and abilities. With fair weather and a steady course, they're set to make good time. That is, until the Cyclok shows up.
It comes out of nowhere, emerging from the depths in a whirlpool that swiftly stirs up into a full-on cyclone. Ciela is the first to spot it from the air, shouting down a warning to Linebeck at the helm and Link as he swabs the railings. Before either of them can even spot it for themselves, the ship rocks violently against the crashing waves the monster's presence creates. Storm clouds swiftly roll in, blocking out the sun and drenching the S.S. Linebeck in sheets of rain in just a matter of seconds.
"Augh! As if the oversized squid wasn't enough of a headache, it's gotta rain too?" Linebeck groans, reclaiming his footing on the already slippery deck. "Kid! Can you man the cannon? I'll focus on steering us out of here!"
"On it!" Link rushes to the stern to do exactly that. He's used the ship's cannon a handful of times, just another one of his many duties as a "cabin boy", according to Linebeck. It operates fairly similarly to the one the King of Red Lions had, though thanks to the S.S. Linebeck's size, it manages to pack much more of a punch. Still, he's only ever used it to take out smaller foes like gyorgs and keese, nothing anywhere near as massive and fearsome as the towering Cyclok ahead of them. He hopes they have enough bombs on board to keep a beast like that at bay.
He quickly takes aim and fires off the first bomb, which only narrowly misses his distant target. The Cyclock quickly retaliates by stirring up several smaller cyclones, and it wastes no time sending them flying across the open sea. The S.S. Linebeck spins wildly out of control, careening back and forth between the churning waves, and yet, by some stroke of luck, it isn't overwhelmed by them. Amidst this chaos, Link maintains his spot at the cannon, waiting until the ship spins in just the right angle before firing again. This time, he doesn't miss.
A scream rips through the roaring thunder and torrential rain as the Cyclok reels back, The bomb has struck it squarely in one of its eyes, and while it leaves a sizable wound, it isn't enough to deter the bloodthirsty creature just yet. Linebeck steers the ship hard to starboard, narrowly avoiding the heavy tentacle that lashes out with the intent of tearing the entire boat apart. If it wasn't already angry before, the sea beast's wrath spikes when Link lands another successful hit, this time to the same tentacle that just tried to kill them.
"Yeah!" Linebeck cheers from the helm. "Just like that, kid! Give that old windbag what for!"
Link only has enough time to grin back at the captain and nod before things take a turn for the worse. The winds aren't the only thing the Cyclok has at its disposal; like its much smaller Octorok cousins, it has the ability to spit rocks. Or in the Cyclok's case, full-sized boulders, like the one that plows into the S.S. Linebeck's smokestack before anyone can even see it coming.
"Gah! We're hit!" Linebeck warns, gripping the wheel as if his life depends on it. Which right now, it very likely does. "Of course, it's right in the chimney too. That means we're stuck in this mess–good as dead." He lets out a mournful moan, covering his eyes with his arm. "I can't believe it's about to end like this. All of the things I never got to do, all of the rupees I never got to make…" He wails once more, his tears indistinguishable from the rain pouring down his face. "Goddesses above, at least let it be over quickly! I deserve that much at least… right?"
"Yeesh," Ciela mutters. All three Spirits had taken refuge under Link's cap when the storm began to avoid being blown away by the gale-force winds. Even then, they can all hear Linebeck's dramatic spiel as plain as day. "Just when I thought he couldn't get any more pathetic…"
"We're not really gonna die…" Neri pipes up much more anxiously. "A-are we, Link?"
Link pauses, finally pulling back from the cannon to take proper stock of what they're up against. The Cyclok is still raging nearby, but it's momentarily stopped attacking them in favor of taking aim at an unfortunate flock of passing seagulls instead. So they have a bit of time on their side, but not much else. Unless…
"No, we're not," he assures the trio of frightened fairies on his head. "Not as long as he can sail out of here."
"Sail?" Linebeck somehow hears him, and is quick to question such a lofty idea. "I already told you, kid, this ship doesn't have a sail!"
"Maybe not," Link eyes the now-ruined chimney, an idea springing to mind. "But maybe… we can make one."
The boulder had essentially split the chimney in half, resulting in two awkwardly bent pieces of metal jutting in opposite directions above the ship's cabin. It takes a bit of doing (as well as a short-lived argument between Linebeck and Ciela), but they manage to tie the ends of a spare bed sheet to the tips of the ruined chimney. Normally, a boat like the S.S. Linebeck would need a much larger, sturdier sail to carry it across the waves. But with winds as brutal as these and little else at their disposal, it'll do. It has to. Link doesn't want to think about what will become of them if it doesn't.
It doesn't take long for the wind to catch their makeshift sail. The boat lurches back into motion, slower than it had been before, but it's still more than they had going for them moments ago. Link ignores the rush of relief that sweeps over him in favor of the danger still looming straight ahead. Danger that's slowly starting to turn its sighs back over to them.
"We've gotta move, now!" Link shouts over the still-raging storm. "Linebeck, get to the cannon! I'll steer-"
"Whoa, now hold on there, kid," Linebeck grabs the boy's arm before he can run to the helm. "Who died and made you captain of my ship, huh?"
"Ugh, we don't have time for this!" Link pulls away from him. "You don't know how to sail, but I do!"
"Tch, w-well, even if that were true," Linebeck scoffs. "Nobody gets behind the wheel of the S.S. Linebeck except for me–especially not some scrawny brat who thinks he knows way more than he actually does."
Link takes in a hiss of a breath, his face flushing red with a kind of anger he can't be bothered to try and contain. Not now, when all of their lives are on the line, when they could all stand to die because of one stubborn, foolish excuse for a captain. "You're wrong," he says, his bright green eyes glaring relentlessly into the captain's darker ones. "You're wrong about a lot of things, but you're especially wrong about me. I can get us out of here. I've sailed my way out of much worse than this before. And if you don't believe me, then I'll prove it."
Link can't remember the last time he's felt this kind of confidence. Maybe it's because it's one of the few things Bellum hadn't been able to take away from him–his love of the sea and his knack for sailing across it. The King had been the one to teach him everything he knew, but by the end of their journey together, he'd told Link that he'd become nothing less than the finest sailor he'd ever seen. Link believed him wholeheartedly then–and chooses to believe him even now.
He's determined to hold onto that belief; after everything he's lost, it's just about the only thing he has left.
He shoves his way past Linebeck, who, miraculously, doesn't protest again. He can't afford to; by now, the Cyclok has fully turned back to face them, already gearing up another cyclone to send their way. This time, however, Link is ready for it. He swerves the ship's wheel to port, letting the sail do its job the best it can. Most other sailors would be panicking in such severe winds, but Link knows how to use them better than most; they hadn't called him the "Waker of the Winds" for nothing, after all.
He can hear Linebeck rapidly turning the cannon somewhere behind him, and he allows himself a moment to hope the captain is a good shot. That hope is soon founded when a bomb explodes against the Cyclok's side. It retaliates immediately, slamming several of its tentacles into the sea beside the ship. The boat bobs violently, and for once, Link welcomes it. With no direct way to control the sail, he's relying on the sea to do a lot of the heavy lifting when the ship's rudder can't. And as a result, the deadly waves the Cyclok is stirring up may just end up being their saving grace.
"That's right," he smirks up at the monster as they sail in almost too close for comfort. "Keep it up, big guy. Give me something good to work with here…"
Amazingly enough, Linebeck is the one who sets the wave he's looking for in motion. He lands another direct hit on the Cyclok's head, sending it plummeting forward limply, directly toward the ship. Linebeck screams alongside the three Spirits, but Link doesn't give himself time to fear being crushed. Instead, he abandons his spot at the helm, scrambling up onto the roof of the cabin with as much speed as he can muster. He yanks on the sail just in time, in just the right way, to the point that it brings the ship to a sudden standstill just in time for the Cyclok's body to splash into the sea in front of them. Even so, Link isn't finished with it yet.
He releases his hold on the sail just in time for a massive gale to course through it. He shouts a warning back at Linebeck to hold on tight as he leaps back down onto the bridge, reclaiming the wheel. This is madness, he knows it is. But he'd be lying to himself if he said it wasn't the most alive he's felt since he woke up in the World of the Ocean King.
Linebeck starts yelling again as soon as he realizes what he plans on doing, but Link ignores him. Instead, he keeps the boat's course set straight ahead, trusting the wind and waves to give them exactly what they need. As if hearing his unspoken prayers, that's exactly what they both do.
The S.S. Linebeck darts up a particularly massive wave, pushed by the wind with more speed than even its engine could probably provide. The wind continues carrying the vessel as it crests the top of that wave and for one brief, breathless moment, the S.S. Linebeck is flying.
It soars cleanly over the fallen Cyclok, cutting through the stormy air as if it had somehow conquered gravity itself. Of course, that gravity soon reclaims it with a vengeance as the ship surges back into its proper place in the water, and just in time too. As the Cyclok's dead body begins to sink into the sea, the winds keep the S.S. Linebeck from meeting the same fate. Instead of being sucked into the ensuing whirlpool, the boat continues onward, skipping across waves that grow smaller and smaller as the storm dies out and the sea slowly turns calm. It's only when they spot the first sign of the sun emerging from behind the clouds that the tiny crew is finally able to relax.
Link breaks the shocked silence first, unable to hold back the laughter bubbling up inside his chest. He collapses to the bridge, exhausted and elated, still completely drenched from the storm as he gladly welcomes the warmth of the sun on his face. The Spirits emerge from beneath his cap, exchanging hugs and cheers and praises to the goddesses who they can only assume helped them survive. Eventually, Linebeck stumbles over, his hair and coat an utter mess, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging as he tries to make sense of what just happened. The look on his face alone is more than enough to make Link laugh even harder.
"We… We just jumped over that thing…" he said stiffly, shaken. "We're alive…"
"Uh huh," Link beams up at him.
Linebeck glances back at where the Cyclok had just been; only steady blue seas remain, as if it had never emerged from the depths at all. "How…?"
"I told you I'd get us out of there," Link pulls himself back up to stand. "And I meant it. Whether you like it or not, Linebeck, this 'scrawny brat' just saved your life."
Linebeck quickly shakes his bewilderment off at this in favor of his usual surliness. "Tch, yeah, well, I…" Whatever smug comeback he had in mind stalls on his tongue when he notices all three of the Spirits offering him matching warning glares. He can't say he cares too much about what any of them think, but when he looks down at Link, wearing the biggest smile he's seen–actually, one of the only smiles he's seen since they met back on Mercay… well…
"Hmph, alright," he looks away, refusing to make eye contact with any of the others. Especially Link. "Maybe I was… a little too quick to judge you. You did an… ok job, I guess. For a nine year old."
"For the last time, I'm fourteen," Link corrects, feigning exasperation. Even so, it doesn't . "But thanks. You weren't half bad yourself, captain."
"Heh, yeah," Linebeck twists his mustache and strikes a heroic pose. "I was pretty impressive, wasn't I?"
"Oh, please," Ciela groans. "Link was the one who did all the work! All you did was get a few lucky shots in!"
"Hey! I'll have you know manning that cannon is much harder than it looks," Linebeck argues, eternally stubborn. "Luck had nothing to do with taking that thing down; it was pure skill."
"Oh, sure," Link pretends to agree. "Everyone knows it takes a ton of skill to hit a monster when it's only about five feet away from you."
The Spirits swiftly lose themselves to their laughter before Linebeck can even try to say a single word. Link quickly joins them, and Linebeck finds himself even more baffled by that than anything else. If he can barely recall seeing the boy smile in the short time since they met, he's almost certain he's never heard him laugh. But here he is now, green eyes bright, rosy cheeks capping both ends of a smile that seems to spread ear-to-ear, arms wrapped around his stomach in a vain attempt to contain his deep, earnest happiness.
It's a kind of happiness that's contagious, downright infectious even. Maybe that's why, before it's all said and done, Linebeck finds himself letting out a laugh or two of his own along with them.
Almost as soon as Ciela's memories are restored, Oshus makes another appearance. Link is hardly surprised when the disposed Ocean King hands him another task, one that he'd only hinted at during the boy's lengthy recovery. Link had only barely listened back then when Oshus had told him he'd need a powerful sword to properly take Bellum down. It rings almost achingly familiar–as so many other things about this journey have. Only this time, instead of awakening sages to empower a weakened blade, he'll have to find the three Pure Metals to forge that blade from scratch.
At this point, Link doesn't even bother protesting. Because now, the end is in sight, like a beacon looming afar on the horizon. He forces himself to think only about that beacon, about the promise of going back to where he belongs, each time he trudges into another temple, each time takes another blow from a monster, each time he feels his flagging energy fail him. He thinks only of the Great Sea and a grand pirate ship gliding across its crystal waters, of Outset Island and a cozy little house perched on its golden shore. He thinks of the grandmother who raised him, the sister who he risked life and limb to rescue, the captain-turned-princess he saved an entire ocean alongside. He thinks of all of that each morning when he wakes and each night before he falls asleep, knowing that with each day that passes, he's one day closer to home.
It's enough to keep him going. Until it isn't anymore.
Naturally, Linebeck still hounds them for treasure the longer their journey drags on; the Isle of Gust had, once again, wielded little other than a fair handful of rupees, nowhere near enough to satisfy the captain. Whether or not he's still completely serious in his demands for compensation, Link isn't sure. Regardless, he does his best to keep an eye out for any valuable trinkets they might find along the way, just in case. And after weeks of dutiful searching, he finally finds something he knows even Linebeck won't want to pass up.
He brings it back with him alongside the Crimsonine they find in the Goron Temple. Linebeck greedily eyes the first of the Pure Metals, at least until Link pulls another precious gemstone out of his bag. He's keenly aware that rubies aren't the most valuable gem in the world, but they can still fetch a pretty rupee at most markets back in the Great Sea. The same must ring true in this ocean, as Linebeck happily snatches the scarlet stone, eyes shining with almost childlike excitement. He's so beside himself with joy that he barely even acknowledges Ciela when she teases him for it.
Linebeck doesn't outright thank him for the gem, but he shows his gratitude in his own special way by letting Link off the hook for the rest of the day's chores. Knowing that they'll be arriving at the Isle of Frost by dawn, Link decides to make the most of his newfound free time by catching up on some much-needed sleep.
Or at least, that was the plan.
Linebeck turns in for the night several hours after Link does. The moon is already high in the sky when he drops anchor in a calm spot of sea somewhere not too far out from the Isle of Frost. The air is cold in this part of the ocean, and so is the ruby resting in Linebeck's palm as he strides into his cabin. He grins down at the gem, polishing one of its many facets with the hem of his coat. It's well-cut, decently sized, and in pristine condition, a rarity to simply stumble upon out in the wild; Linebeck's not so sure he could have scored a better find himself.
"I can't believe it," he chuckles to himself. "The kid actually came through after all…"
He catches himself, just before his tone and thoughts alike can turn too cloying, too fond. Instead, he deposits the ruby into a secure chest in the corner of his room, allowing it to join the pile of other assorted treasures he's yet to cash in. He's barely pulled his coat off his shoulders when something bangs against his cabin door. Confused, he goes to answer it, expecting Link… but finding a very frazzled Ciela in his place.
"Sparkles?" he asks. He only vaguely registers the sound of… something coming from down the hall, in the direction of the storeroom. "What do you want? It's rude to barge in on a guy right as he's getting ready for bed, ya know."
Ciela's usual brand of sass is lost to her panic, her already high voice hitching when she speaks. "Something's wrong with Link! I thought he was just having a nightmare, but this is… different. He started yelling in his sleep and thrashing around, and Leaf, Neri, and I tried everything we could, but he won't wake up and we're really scared a-and… and I don't know, I just thought… m-maybe you could-"
A sob strangles her, causing her wings to falter. Before she can fall completely out of the air, she suddenly finds herself resting in Linebeck's palm, her tiny body trembling with anxious breaths she can't catch quickly enough. "Relax, sparkles." The captain's voice is more gentle than she's ever heard from him before. "Let's go see exactly what we're dealing with here."
So they do. Along the way, Linebeck thinks Ciela is just being overdramatic–despite being so small, she has an annoying tendency to turn things into bigger deals than they actually are. But as soon as he steps into the storeroom, as soon as he realizes the racket he'd heard earlier actually is, he knows. She hadn't oversold this one.
The S.S. Linebeck only has one sleeping quarter–meant for its captain. When he'd taken Link aboard, Linebeck had begrudgingly put together a sorry excuse for a bed–really just an old camping mat laid out on a few empty crates and some ratty spare blankets he had on hand–in the storeroom. Yet for his part, Link hadn't complained–based on what little Linebeck has managed to gather of the boy's past adventures, he figures he's probably slept on much worse before.
That bed is barren now; instead, Link lies on the floor, writhing around in a tangled mess of sheets. His eyes are wrenched tightly shut, a slick sheen of sweat clinging onto a face wracked with far too many emotions to count–and not a single one of them is good. His chest heaves as he lets out an incoherent mess of screams and shouts; Linebeck thinks he hears a few actual words mingled somewhere in that mess, but he's not sure. Leaf and Neri hover over the boy, every bit as frightened as Ciela and every bit as useless when it comes to pulling Link out of whatever fit he's having.
Linebeck steps forward, kneeling down to the boy's level as he grabs his shoulder and gives it a shake. "Kid," he begins calmly, firmly. "Wake up."
Of course that doesn't work, because why would it ever be that easy? Linebeck tries again, jostling the restless boy by both of his shoulders this time. Link must feel hands on him, because he lashes out, clumsily struggling against whatever he thinks is restraining him. "Kid," Linebeck pulls back to avoid being slapped straight across the face. "Kid! Come on! Snap out of it already! It's just a night–ow!" He winces, dropping Link when the boy's fist suddenly slams squarely into his chest. Even in the midst of a panic-ridden night terror, the kid is surprisingly strong for his size.
"N-no…"Link moans as he slumps back down onto the floor. He moves his arm in a way that makes him look like he's shielding himself; from what, exactly, Linebeck has no idea. "Stop… Lemme go… p-please…"
"Let you go?" Linebeck incredulously echoes as he rubs his sore sternum. "Kid, I'm not even holding onto you anymore-"
Another sharp, shrill scream from Link cuts him off. He thrashes against the wooden floor, so hard that there's a terrifying bang when the back of his head bounces against the ground. This can't go on for much longer, Linebeck knows that much. The poor kid could end up seriously hurting himself, or worse.
There's a half-empty glass of water sitting on one of the crates nearby; Link must have gotten it for himself before falling asleep. Linebeck grabs it as soon as he sees it, pulling Link up by the front of his shirt as he throws the water straight into the boy's face with one final "WAKE UP!"
And this time, thank the goddesses, Link does.
He gasps as if it's his first time breathing and his eyes fly open, wide and wild. It doesn't seem to register that he was soaking wet as he tries to reorient himself. In the span of time it takes for that to happen, several emotions wash over his face like crashing waves: confusion, alarm, anger, apprehension, fear, and finally, distress. Linebeck wants to say something, but he can only watch helplessly as the boy's brow furrows, his large eyes swiftly filling with tears as his lower lip starts to tremble. He thought the kid looked young before, but he's never looked as small, as fragile, as utterly broken as he does right now.
"Kid-" Linebeck finally speaks. But before he can even get another word out, Link is on his feet, running out of the cargo hold to climb up to the bridge. A sudden spark of fear jolts Linebeck when he pictures what a distraught teenager could do if left alone in such a state for too long.
"Stay here," he orders the Spirits, and they don't argue. Not even Ciela, who's usually the first to pick a fight with him, especially if that fight has to do with Link. Instead, she wordlessly collapses onto the bed alongside Leaf and Neri, creating a tiny cluster of colorful, exhausted light. It's been a long night for everyone, Linebeck supposes.
It doesn't take him very long to find Link. The S.S. Linebeck is only so big, which means there's only so many places he can go. He's taken to the small viewing platform on top of the cabin, the highest point of the ship. Linebeck breathes a sigh of relief when he sees him, even though he has his knees pulled to his chest and his shoulders are shaking with sobs. Unsure of what else to do, the captain climbs onto the cabin roof and slowly slides in to take a seat next to him.
They sit there in silence for what feels like ages. Linebeck feels like he should do something–throw an arm over the kid's shoulder, fetch him some tea or warm milk to calm him down, even just ask him if he's alright (even if he clearly isn't). But instead, he stays put, feeling every bit as lost and listless as Link likely does right now. At least they have that much in common, if nothing else.
He ultimately decides to let the kid keep crying as long as he needs to, whatever it takes to get it all out of his system. There's no shame in that, really; the most courageous of sailors aren't immune to night terrors–even Linebeck has had his fair share of them. As such, he knows just how haunting they can really be, so he doesn't even try to pry into whatever Link's might have been.
Mostly because Link starts to pry it wide open himself.
"I.. I can't do this…" his voice is barely a whisper, barely audible at all with his head still buried between his knees.
"...Do what?" Linebeck asks, against his better judgment.
"This," Link mutters. "Any of this."
Linebeck can't help but roll his eyes. "You're gonna have to be a bit more specific, kid."
Link sits up, suddenly frustrated. "I can't. Do. This," he practically spits out. He stares at his kneecaps, refusing to make eye contact with the captain beside him as words start to spill out of him unbidden. "I don't want to do this. I can't face Bellum again, because I know what'll happen if I do! I… I don't…" He breaks down into a low, anguished sob that soon shifts into an equally pained whisper: "I don't want to die…"
It's not often Linebeck finds himself at a loss for words, but he certainly does now. He's heard the general gist before, bits and pieces from Link and Ciela and Leaf and Neri, and the most from Oshus during their last encounter with him. He knew their quest would end once they took some beast only known as Bellum down, somehow saving the entire world in the process. Somehow, it never occurred to him that the one who would have to do that, to fight such a deadly monster and find a way to best it… is Link.
No wonder he's so upset. Linebeck would be too, if he were in his shoes.
"That's a little, uh, dramatic, don't ya think?" he asks, forcing a chuckle into his voice. His meager attempt at humor is completely lost on Link.
"I-I almost died the last time I was caught by that… thing." A far-away look lingers in the boy's eyes, as if he's reliving all of the agony that demon had put him through before. There's a good chance he already had done exactly that tonight if the night terror had been any indication. "It took… all of my strength away from me; I know I don't have enough left to beat it. I don't think I could have even before all of this! Everyone always used to tell me I was a hero." He stops short, twisting Tetra's scarf into a tight bundle in his fist. She'd be disgusted at how utterly pathetic he is if she could see him now, and that thought, that fact, makes him sick to his stomach. "But I'm not. I was fooling myself all along, and the worst part is I still am!"
"Kid…" Linebeck says, so softly that Link doesn't even hear him. As lost to his own despair as he is now, he probably wouldn't have even cared if he had.
"I'm so stupid," he laughs bitterly. He runs a hand through his messy hair as he stands, taking to pacing in a useless attempt at getting at least a little of the negative energy running through him out. "So goddess-damned stupid! What, did I really just think I was gonna go fight Bellum and survive and everything would just turn out ok?! That I'd just get to go home and act like none of this ever happened?! What is wrong with me?! Why do I always have to…" He trails off, inevitably breaking into the furious shout he can no longer contain. Linebeck practically feels the sound of it echoing through his bones as it rings through the air, out into the otherwise silent sea.
"Why?!" he screams up at the sky, at the stars, maybe even at the goddesses themselves. "Why is this happening to me again?! Why does it always have to be ME?!"
His voice breaks with sorrow as he falls to his knees. He doubles over, hugging himself tightly as he continues crying, unable and unwilling to do anything else. For a while, the most Linebeck can do is watch, swallowing hard as a strange feeling starts to settle in his chest. He can't say he's familiar with it, a tight sort of twisting that only seems to worsen the longer he stares at the mourning boy before him.
Goddesses above, he's just a kid, Linebeck thinks, shaking his head. Only fourteen, as Link has made sure to remind him many times over. When he was fourteen, he'd spent most of his time slacking off, flirting with pretty girls and conning simpleminded mooks out of their rupees. He'd never had to take up a sword, never had to stumble out of a dungeon bruised and bleeding, never had to wake up screaming in the middle of the night from dreams far too gruesome to speak of. He'd never had to carry the weight of an entire world solely on his shoulders like Link does.
And maybe… maybe Link doesn't have to either.
Linebeck stands, letting loose a long, tired sigh. This isn't going to be easy, but then again, very few things have been since this boy stepped foot on board his ship. He's gotten used to that by now. "Look, kid," he leans down, finally placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You don't wanna fight that Bellum thing? Then don't."
"W-what?" Link looks up, confusion settling in the space between his tears.
"You heard me," Linebeck shrugs. "And I heard you. You said you didn't want to do this, so why should you?"
"B-because," Link sits up. "I have to, I-"
"Says who? Oshus?" Linebeck scoffs. "I already told you, that geezer has more than a few screws loose. I mean, what kind of nutcase sends a teenager off to fight his battles for him? I say screw the old man! He can't force you to do anything; no one can. The only person you have to answer to is you."
Link stalls, stunned by what he's just heard. It's so unlike anything he's ever been told before, by Oshus, by the King, by anyone. He's spent the past few years getting so used to being tied to duty, to destiny, and to all of the danger that comes along with it. He's forgotten what deciding his own path is actually like, much less taking it. It's such a nice idea, it sounds so wonderful, so liberating, so free. But for as much as he might want to embrace that freedom… Link knows that he can't. Because this isn't about him; it's never been about him. And it never will be.
"I… No," he stands, wiping his face dry. He forces his tears back, wanting nothing more than to let them flow freely. But he can't–not now, when there's still so much work to be done. "Whether I want to or not, I have to do this. It's the only way I'll ever get home."
"The only way?" Linebeck cocks an eyebrow. He's heard this excuse before, and while he does buy that Link is from another world altogether, he isn't buying it as valid enough of a reason for the boy to put himself through so much torture. "You really think that crazy old coot is the only one who can get you home? You don't think there's something out there in this massive ocean that could do the exact same thing without needing you to slay a literal demon for it?"
"I… I don't know," Link admits, because the last thing he wants to do right now is admit Linebeck is right. He especially doesn't want to admit that he hadn't even really considered that as a possibility before. "Even if there is another way, it doesn't matter now. I've already come this far; I have to see this through to the end."
"Why?" Linebeck presses. There's something the kid isn't telling him here, something he refuses to say. And he's not about to let up until he figures out what. "There's no shame in quitting while you're ahead, you know. Heck, I've done it plenty of times–just ask Jolene!"
"Ugh," Link turns his back on the captain, annoyed. "You don't understand."
"You're right, I don't!" Linebeck throws his hands up. "In fact, you're just about the stubbornest, stupidest kid I've ever met! I don't understand how you can have an all-out breakdown at the thought of facing a demon, and yet you still want to go running right to it, sword blazing, anyway. I don't understand why you keep getting up every time you're knocked down–especially since you've been knocked down far too many times to count! And I really don't understand why you think you have to be the one to save a world you're not even from in the first place!"
"Because," Link's hands curl into tight fists at his sides. But even in the midst of his surging anger, he struggles to find what he wants to say, to come to terms with how he really feels."I… I just do, ok?"
"Why?" Linebeck doesn't quit, and Link hates him for it. The captain has never bothered giving a damn about what he does and why, so what's suddenly got him so interested now?
"I don't have to tell you anything," he says curtly, deciding he's had enough of this conversation. But before he can even take another step, Linebeck tightly grabs his arm, keeping him planted firmly in place.
"Cut that 'teen angst' crap of yours out already and just be honest for a change," he demands, his voice low and alarmingly serious. "Why are you so dead set on doing this? Even when you know you could die?"
"I… I'm not…" Link struggles on just about every front there is. To speak, to think, to break free from the captain's heavy hold and questioning glare. "I don't know," he ultimately lies. Of course, a master liar like Linebeck can see straight through it.
"Bullshit," he snaps coldly, unrelentingly. "You act like you don't have a choice here, but you know you do, you just won't take it. Whether or not you put your life on the line fighting that demon, I don't really care, but I'm not about to let you go off without knowing why. Why, kid–Link–do you have to do this?!"
"Because if I don't then who will?!"
His answer rings out over the water, at last laid as bare as the stars above it. At first, Linebeck still doesn't quite understand, until he notices the fresh tears starting to trickle down Link's cheeks. Until he realizes just how much this kid–this strange, foolish, broken boy before him–truly cares about everything and everyone around him. About even a world that isn't even his own, about even people he's never even met.
About even a captain who's been nothing but cruel and coldhearted to him since the moment they met.
"You…" he begins, but Link doesn't let him get much more than that out. Because once the dam that is that boy's heart breaks, Linebeck realizes, it's hard to stop the surge of emotions that follows.
"I can't let this world just… disappear," he admits, his voice weak and worn. "I can't let anyone else suffer the way Bellum made me suffer; I won't. Someone has to do something, someone has to help. You may say that someone doesn't have to be me and maybe you're right. But… if I just give up… if I just sit by and do nothing, I…" He sighs, loosely hugging himself as he looks off into the open ocean. The sun is just starting to crawl up over the horizon, chasing away the shadows of night as it paints the sea in the gentle pastels of dawn. Every time he looks at that ocean, it makes his heart ache all the more for the one he used to know, so far away, yet so very similar. This sea isn't his home, it never could be, and yet…
"I can't just abandon this place," he finally allows himself the smallest hint of a smile. "I don't know if I'll make it through the final fight against Bellum or not. But even if I don't…" He dries his tears once more, and his heart feels strangely hollow and full all at once as he decides to set a new course. A course that, this time, is entirely his own. "Then at least I know I'll have gone down fighting for something worthwhile. And I guess… that's good enough for me."
"Hmph," Linebeck turns his nose up. "Well, I, for one, think you're crazy." Link had been expecting as much of a response from the captain. But what he says next comes as a genuine surprise. "Crazy…" he repeats, finally folding into a smile himself. "But brave."
"...Thanks," Link's grin widens. He feels like a weight is finally starting to lift off his chest, one that's been resting there for far too long. And bizarre as it might be, he has Linebeck of all people to thank for that.
But even then, nothing could have prepared him for what the captain proposes next.
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh, Din, I'm gonna regret this, I know I'm gonna regret this, but… you're not as alone as you think you are, kid," his hand finds a place on Link's shoulder once more. "And you won't be alone when you go up against that thing either. 'Cause I'm going with you."
"What?" Link asks, shocked. For every leg of their journey thus far, Linebeck has always stayed as far away from any fight as he possibly could, usually hanging back at the boat while Link and the Spirits tackle the temples and the beasts within them. But now… as if out of nowhere, he's offering to go marching into battle alongside him, against one of, if not the most dangerous being this ocean has ever known? Who is this man and what has he done with the real Linebeck?
Link shakes his head to clear it as he looks back up at the captain. His expression looks every bit as earnest as his tone had. As unbelievable as it may be, he actually means it. "Linebeck…" he starts, making no effort to hide how utterly awestruck he is. "That's-"
"I know," Linebeck grimaces. "Crazy."
"Actually," Link smirks as he finds a way to turn the captain's words back around on him. "I was gonna say… brave. And crazy. But mostly brave."
"Heh," Linebeck chuckles, catching Link off guard even more when he reaches out and ruffles his hair. It's just about the friendliest gesture he's ever gotten from the captain before, and he can't help but relish it. It reminds him of vague, distant memories of his father doing the exact same thing what feels like a lifetime ago. "You know, kid, you may be a pain in the neck, but… you're not half bad."
"Neither are you," Link retorts just as playfully. "For a salty old sea dog."
Linebeck finishes messing his hair up by giving him a light shove for that comment. Link laughs, elbowing his hip as revenge. The captain lets him win their short "battle" before he turns to the east, to the light of a new day slowly breaking through the darkness of what had been a very difficult night for them both. They both turn to welcome it in a warm sort of silence–their tongues are tired and everything that needs to be said already has been. So, instead of lamenting the past or fearing the future, they stay grounded solidly in the present. They let this moment be exactly what it is, nothing less and nothing more.
And they watch the sunrise together.
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