Legend of Zelda - Red Lions Flying

Link's dream ended when the explosion threw him from his hammock. Blasts echoed through the Epona, reverberating down the ship's narrow hallways and shaking her steam-driven core. The ship groaned and creaked in protest, and Link joined in the chorus.

He picked himself up off the cold metal floor and shook his head once to clear it. That noise—that was real, right? Not part of his—

A second explosion blasted all doubt from Link's mind. This was no dream. His airship was under attack.

The Epona tilted wildly, shaking and clanking in a panic. Her walls seemed to want to be floors, and the floors seemed completely prepared to take the place of the walls. Link hardly knew which end was up as he struggled into his clothes and fastened the various belts that kept his gear in place. He only barely bothered to tie back his blond hair and completely neglected to button his shirt before climbing—or perhaps crawling along—the ladder to the upper decks.

He scrambled out into the morning, squinting his eyes against the cold wind that tore at his clothes and and the bright sunlight that beat at his face. The ship rocked uncontrollably. Hyrule swung in and out of sight below as the deck heaved. Off in the distance, the shadow of a ship skimmed the clouds, black against the yellow sun. No doubt about it—the enemy was getting closer.

Suddenly, a tiny shadow detached from the distant ship's silhouette and flew towards the Epona, whistling quietly. Link hit the deck just as the bomb flower exploded in the air several feet above his head. Ears ringing, Link bit back a curse and staggered up towards the wheel to speak with Malon.

The girl stood firmly, her long red hair whipping around her face as she fought the wheel. Her yellow bandanna was tied around her nose and mouth in a crude sort of mask, but Link didn't need to look at Malon's face to see the grim determination that poured off her in waves. He resisted the urge to shudder. If Malon was worried…

"Malon! What's going on?" Link had to shout to make himself heard above the shrieking wind.

Malon barely spared him a glance. "About time you got up, lazybones! Wake up and smell the sulfur! They came out of nowhere and now they're shooting at us!"

Link swore. "Pirates again? But we have the flag up! Why would they—"

Malon shook her head, gritting her teeth as she jerked the wheel to her left. "I don't think it's the Gerudo, Link. Not with that range. Only the Hylian Armada has guns like that."

Link whistled under his breath. "The Hylian… Farore above, we're in trouble."

A peal of sharp thunder announced another bomb's detonation. Link flinched as the shrapnel struck the deck like fiery hail, and Malon pressed forward on the wheel, sending the Epona into a dive.

"You can say that again." Malon glanced around, pulling the ship into a sharp port turn before sweeping a strand of hair from her face. "Normally Epona'd outsail the wind, but with her cargo stashed full of rock…"

Link nodded, his mind racing. "Alright… Let's see… How long have we got until they catch up to us, Malon?"

"What? What do you—"

"If they were shooting to kill, we'd be sunk already. They're trying to force us down so they can board, I think. Which means we might have some time to work with."

Malon risked a glance over her shoulder, biting her lip as she calculated. "I can buy us another… fifteen minutes. Maybe. What're you planning?"

Link cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, taking a deep breath. "Idiocy. Just keep us steady and… well, do what you do best. Wish me luck!"

Before Malon could protest or question, Link leapt, dashing for the storage room and the chest that held their spare flags. He rifled through it quickly, tossing aside the signal flags until he found the one that would mark the ship as one of Hyrule's honest merchant vessels. As soon as the iconic Golden Eagle was in his grasp, he dashed back out onto the deck and removed his hookshot from its pouch at his hip, attaching the glove portion to his right hand.

Link set his feet, bracing himself, and took aim. The steel-tipped claw launched itself from his wrist like a bullet from a gun, flying up towards the top of the mast where it connected with a heavy thunk. Hardly a second later, Link was jolted off his feet and whisked through the air along the device's heavy chain. Link imagined that he head Malon shouting at him over the wind. The last time he'd tried this stunt, Link had dislocated his arm and then fallen and almost broken his leg, and she had not been happy.

Wind rushed past Link's face, and his eyes streamed. He couldn't help but let out a gleeful shout, despite the ache in his arm, and when he ended his upward journey inches away from the Gerudo flag at the top of the mast, Link had to pause and let out a shaky laugh. That was great. Terrifying, but great.


Without wasting another second, Link wrapped his knees around the mast, eased his arm from the hookshot, and set about removing the Gerudo flag as swiftly as he dared. If he just kept his eyes on the flag, he wouldn't have to think about the wildly swerving horizon. He could ignore the fact that, if he fell right now, he would miss the deck entirely and end his days as an unsightly splatter somewhere in Hyrule Field. Link only had to focus on undoing the—

A bomb flower exploded into a fireball mere feet above Link's head, filling his world with choking smoke. The Gerudo flag came free of the mast and fluttered away into the open sky. Link tightened his grip on the mast and tried not to cough. His eyes watered uncontrollably, but nonetheless, he managed to get the Hylian flag in place. The golden, triforce-headed eagle wouldn't be enough to completely deter the Epona's pursuer, but it might be enough to confuse the enemy ship long enough to buy a few extra minutes. Link slipped his hand back into the hookshot and took aim at the deck below. The moment the smoke vanished and he could get a clear shot, he would take it.

Another bomb flower got lucky enough to connect with Epona's hull. The ship shook violently. Link lost his grip on he mast and fell. He didn't have time to scream before the crow's nest hurtled past, followed by Epona's great white sails. Link flung his arms out to catch himself in the rigging, but it was too far, and he was too slow. Only when the keel of the ship entered his sight did Link finally think to give the hookshot a desperate try. He took aim at the Epona's horse-shaped figurehead, closed his eyes, and fired.

The agony in his arm was fantastic—it meant that his aim had been true. The hookshot jerked him back towards the ship at lightning speed. Link tumbled gratefully onto the deck, eyes still squeezed tightly shut. He took a few shaky breaths before climbing back to his feet. The way his knees were shaking, it was a wonder Link could stand at all.

"Nayru's love and Din's fire— what the heck were you thinking, Link?" Though she didn't leave the wheel, Malon's voice rose clearly above the wind. "Idiocy—that wasn't idiocy—that was two short steps from suicide! You can't do that—you almost died!"

Link let out a quiet sigh. It was true. Malon was right—but he saw no reason to admit that.

"I'm fine, Malon. I had the situation under control. And it worked—see? They're not firing at us anymore!"

"Must be waiting for their ammunition to grow back…" Malon muttered under her breath, risking a quick glance over her shoulder. In her normal voice, she added, "I swear, Link, if we get out of this, I'm gonna tell Aryll about the stunts you pull when she's not around, and your sister is never gonna let you out of the house again."

Link chuckled, massaging his shoulder. By some miracle, the hookshot hadn't ripped his arm from his body, though it felt as if it had been a close thing. "Who'd be left to go adventuring with you, Malon? You'd miss me if I got grounded, and you know it."

"I'd miss you more if you got yourself killed, straw-for-brains. Now stop blabbing and start thinking—what are we gonna do about the Hylians? They may have stopped shooting for the moment, but they haven't exactly slowed down."

Sure enough, the black blot against the sun was growing larger. Every moment, the Hylian battleship grew nearer, to the point where Link could almost make out the figures running back and forth along the distant deck.

Link closed his eyes for another moment and allowed his brain to race. "Okay, Malon, yeah, you're right. They're catching up. So what do we do? We… We slow down. We can't lose 'em, so maybe if we go quietly, they'll let us off easy."

"Really." Unimpressed was a poor word to express the depth of Malon's doubt. "That's your best plan? Giving up and hoping for mercy?"

"What? No! I'm just getting started. That's—that's the beginning of the plan. Do you have any better ideas?"

Reluctantly, Malon shook her head. "I wish we could drop the load and run."

"You know we can't do that. Mido would probably murder us. Or at least me. You know he's just looking for a reason. But that's beside the point. The point is: we take it easy. Lull them. Like with the song you like to sing to the horses on your ranch—make them comfortable, then take them for a ride."

Malon took a deep breath, nodding once. "Got it. I don't like it, but I got it. What's our story?"

Link opened his eyes again. "Well, we'll start with the usual cover, and then if they—"

"STOP IN THE NAME OF PRINCESS ZELDA, SOVEREIGN RULER OF HYRULE KINGDOM, BEARER OF THE SACRED FORCE, AND PROTECTOR OF THE REALM. MAY THE GODDESSES SMILE UPON HER EVERLASTING BEAUTY." A booming voice echoed from the approaching ship. "DISOBEY, AND YOU WILL BE BLASTED DOWN FOR VIOLATION OF HYLIAN AIRSPACE, BY ORDER OF THE PRINCESS."

Link swore. Malon yanked her bandanna off her face and quickly tied it back over her hair. She then brought the Epona to a halt in the middle of the sky. The ship floated forward for a brief moment, puffing tiny white clouds out into the azure sky, before gently lurching to a complete stop. Link crossed his fingers for luck, praying fervently to all three goddesses as the Hylian galleon floated down to rest beside the Epona.

The other ship was big—a wall of ornate wood and steel, elaborately decorated with every shade of bronze, brass, and gold. Its sails were large enough to be mistaken for clouds in their own right, and Link thought the boat looked big enough to house a whole village worth of people at the least. On the side of the ship, in great, beautiful bold letters, two words were painted.

"The Groose,"Malon whispered, raising an eyebrow, "sort of an odd name, isn't it?"

Link nodded, holding his tongue. At that moment, The Groose extended a long, creaking bridge down to the Epona. It was a show of power, of course. An ordinary ship would have merely lowered a ladder and saved the trouble, but this was a Hylian Loftwing—one of the grandest ships in the sky. The Groose was as close to an ordinary ship as a swan was to duck. The brilliantly armored soldiers aiming over the railing only served to reinforce the difference.

Link took a deep breath, forcing himself to keep calm. One wrong move, and the Hylian Guard would blast him into oblivion. Malon would be on her own, and Aryll would never know what had happened to—

A sudden fanfare startled Link out of his silent panic. Trumpets blared, and for a moment Link feared his world was ending. Then an impossibly large figure began a stately strut down the connecting bridge, followed by a pair of helmeted minions.

The man was huge—well over six feet tall, though some of that height undoubtedly came from his impressive scarlet pompadour. The effect was completed by the guy's broad shoulders and arrogant expression. He looked like a giant—aloof and untouchable—an incarnation of the power of the Hylian Armada. The markings on his uniform were subtle, but the man's rank was clear. This rooster-headed mountain of a man was none other than the Captain of the Hylian Guard.

Link's blood ran cold.

Malon leaned over and hissed in his ear. "Y'know, Link, suddenly I'm not terribly fond of this plan of yours."

Link nodded and returned a whisper. "Yeah, you and me both."

The Captain looked around, his face twisted into a disdainful sneer. "So, who's in charge of this floating dump?"

Link and Malon exchanged a glance. Malon rolled her eyes and nodded for Link to go forward. Link stepped up, clearing his throat. "That would be me."

The captain narrowed his yellow eyes, moving in a bit too close for comfort. Link was forced to lift his head to meet the man's gaze.

"Try again."

"Excuse me?"

"Try. Again."

Link resisted the urge to let his exasperation show. "Uh… That would be me… Sir?"

The giant leaned in, seeming to relish in his authority. "And don't you forget it."

Link stifled an unimpressed snigger.

The other man didn't seem to notice. He was too busy strutting around, making a show of his power. "I am the great and brilliant Captain Groose of the Hylian Guard—and you—you little nobodies were flying a Gerudo flag in Hylian airspace."

"Actually, there's a good reason for that," Link interjected, taking advantage of Groose's momentary pause for breath.

"I hope you have a good—" Groose paused mid-tangent to whirl around. "Hey, look, you—don't you talk unless I say you can talk! Did you not hear me say 'Captain of the Hylian Guard?' In case that didn't get through to your no-doubt squishy little brain, that means I can have you thrown in prison before you've figured out which way's up!"

Link raised his hands in a gesture of apology. "So… does that mean I can talk now? Sir?"

For a moment, Link thought Groose was about to refuse and launch some new self-glorifying rant, but surprisingly, the man relented. Groose nodded gracelessly. "Yeah, sure. Go on. But this'd better be good!"

Link took a deep, calming breath, cleared his throat, and began to lie. "Well, y'see, Captain, my sister Marin and I—we're just poor, honest traders. Ever since our parents died in the war—"

"Wait, wait—hold up," Groose interrupted, waving a hand to cut Link off. "She's your sister? You two don't look related." He gestured suspiciously at Malon.

"Well, technically she's my half-sister," Link explained, shrugging as if the motion would excuse the obvious genetic discrepancy.

Malon nodded, backing him up with a lie of her own. "Madas here— his father married our mother after my dad died. That's why we look so different."

Groose narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, right. Anyway, you—Madas—keep talking."

Link nodded and resumed his fictitious tale. "Right… well, ever since our father died in the war, we've been running the business to make ends meet and to afford medicine for our sick mother—taking shipments of cloth and milk and stuff to villages all over Hyrule. We were just on our way to make a delivery off near the desert, and we've been having so much trouble with pirates from there lately, we thought that maybe if we showed the Gerudo flag, they'd leave us alone. I swear—really, Marin and I are both loyal Hylians, through and through." It was almost the truth. Almost. Just like Link almost didn't feel bad about what he was doing.

Malon came to the rescue, putting on her best, most charming honest smile. "Neither of us would ever have anything to do with the Gerudo, and we're really sorry to have wasted your time, Captain. I'm sure a man as great as you has so many more important things to do." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and fluttered her eyelashes distractingly. It might have been Link's imagination, but Groose seemed to get a bit flustered.

"Yes, well… uh… Right. Of course. You wouldn't believe the adventures I've had, Marin. Exciting stuff. You know, Hyrule would be lost without me. I'm practically Princess Zelda's right hand man."

Malon's widened her eyes, feigning amazement. "Oh, really? Wow—I never guessed when I woke up this morning that I'd be meeting someone so… brilliant."

Groose ran a hand over his scarlet pompadour, a stupid smile growing over his face. He looked as though he were ready to start drooling. One of his minions—the taller one—tapped the Captain on the shoulder and whispered something inaudible. Groose gave him a sharp glance and instantly sobered up.

"If you two really have nothing to hide, then you won't mind us searching your ship."

Malon's smile barely faltered. "No, no, not at all, Captain! Go ahead!"

"Yes, of course," Link forced a grin of his own. "The sooner we resolve this little misunderstanding, the sooner we can get on with our delivery. By all means, look, Sir. There's nothing to find."

Groose snapped his fingers. "Cawlin, Strich, you heard them. Let's all go below decks and see what there is to see."

Groose's minions stepped forward, the taller one taking Link's shoulders, and the short one grabbing Malon's arm to stop any thoughts of escape. Groose led them down the dark ladder to the storage hold, and Link and Malon both had to make their best effort to appear as if nothing in the world was wrong.

The hold itself was the biggest room in the ship, though the boxes and crates stacked to the ceiling made it seem small and confined. Barrels lined what little floorspace was left, and the whole mess was illuminated by a single lantern that swung down from a long rope attached to the ceiling. Groose eyed the place distastefully and prodded one of the barrels with the toe of his boot.

"Cawlin—you take the starboard side. Strich, you search the port. I'll keep watch for any funny business from our little pals, here."

"Yes sir, Captain Groose!" The minions leapt into action, opening barrels and examining crates. Link felt his heart speed up. All the pair found, however, were bolts of rather cheap fabric, and cartons of plain, ordinary milk.

"So. Looks like you two're honest after all. And here I was hoping I'd get to present Princess Zelda with a couple of fresh-caught criminals. Talk about a waste of my time. The princess would have…" Groose shook his head and trailed off, looking insultingly disappointed.

Malon exchanged a relieved glance with Link, before giving Groose another overly sweet smile. "Oh, but Captain Groose, it has been such an honor to be able to meet you! It's not every day a girl like me gets to meet a man so… interesting."

Link choked back a chuckle, wondering how Malon managed to hide her disdain for the giant, red-haired egomaniac. When Malon threw him a sharp glance, however, Link straightened up and forced his expression to remain taciturn.

Groose didn't seem to notice the obvious manipulation. He was too busy lost in some unknowable daydream granted to him by Malon's pretty face. Link was just starting to wonder if he would have to fetch the crowbar when Groose finally managed to rally his brain enough to form a coherent sentence.

"You know, Marin," he began, casually leaning against one of the many wooden crates, "though I'm a very busy guy, I might be able to free up my schedule, if you'd—"

The crate shifted under Groose's weight, sliding into a slight, square-shaped depression in the floor with a resounding click. The Epona started to rumble and hiss faintly. Link felt the blood drain from his face.

The false panel in the floor smoothly fell away, revealing the Epona's secret compartment. The hidden room was full to bursting with an illicit shipment of Farore's Breath, the magical ore needed to craft an airship's flight engine. The stuff was rare and powerful, and there was enough in the hold to supply a small fleet.

Groose looked down at the illegal cargo, then returned his gaze up to view Link and Malon. The stupidity had vanished from his face. Cawlin and Strich raised their crossbows. Link and Malon raised their hands.

"Looks like I get to drag you before Zelda after all," Groose chuckled, apparently pleased.

"Look, this isn't—" Link began, but a warning look from Cawlin cut his protest short.

"You're done talking, Mister Madas—if that is your real name."

Groose nodded, crossing his arms and letting a self-satisfied smirk appear on his face. "Is or isn't—Princess Zelda'll find out. Zelda'll find out every one of your treasonous lies, and then the pair of you will face the gallows."

Malon gave Groose one last simpering look. "But Captain, I…"

A flash of guilt invaded the man's confidant smirk. Link saw the weakness and leapt.

He hung his head, biting his lip and doing his best to fake shame. "Please, sir, let my sister, at least, go. She… she was never a part of this—she didn't know… I had to… for our mother…" He risked a glance at Malon, ignoring the incredulous, worried look on her face. One of them had to get away, and she had the better chance. She had the better chance, and… Well, Aryll would be upset when Link didn't come home, but Malon would explain. Malon could take care of her.

Malon shot Link the dirtiest glare she could muster, but had the grace to play along. "How… how could you, Madas? Why didn't you tell me— what is mother going to do, now…?"

Link hung his head. He didn't dare lift his face enough to check if Groose believed the story. A long moment of silence took up residence in the room. Eventually, Groose chased it away with a reluctant sigh.

"Strich, take Marin back to the ship, take this tiny rust-bucket in tow, and when we arrive in Castle Town, I suppose we'll confiscate the goods and let her off with a warning. Maybe a fine. But if she crosses our paths again, there'll be no more mister nice guy—from any of us. But you—Madas… This is treason. This is treason, and you can't weasel out of it like the deadbeat I'm sure you are. Taking airship materials to the enemy…" Groose shook his head in exaggerated condemnation. "How do you live with yourself? How do you sleep at night?"

Link rolled his eyes and forced himself to stay patient. Fighting now would only make things worse. "I… I needed the money, Sir… Please—please don't let me hang…" Maybe, if he was lucky, the strained exasperation in his tone would sound like frightened despair, and Groose would buy the desperate innocent act. Though Link hated to beg, Malon would stay free, and right now that was more important than Link's own ego.

Groose ran a hand over his pompadour again, obsessively smoothing back a couple of stray, windblown hairs. "That's not my call, pal. Only Princess Zelda can decide your fate, and she's gonna make sure you get what you deserve. Maybe—just maybe—if you pray real hard, the gods'll pity you and make sure it ends quick. But I wouldn't count on it."

With that, Groose turned on his heel, snapping his fingers. Cawlin and Strich herded Link and Malon back up the ladder into the sunlight. Link barely had time to whisper his last wish to Malon before they were dragged apart by the Hylian Guard.

"Malon—look after Aryll. Tell her I'll be okay. I'll get out of this somehow—I promise. I'll meet back up with you and the rest of the Red Lions the moment I'm given the chance, and—"

Link never got to finish his thought. He and Malon were separated, and guards surrounded him. His wrists were bound behind his back, his weapons were confiscated, and Link himself was thrown into the brig.

Muttering a swift prayer, Link closed his eyes and struggled to quell his growing dread.