Disclaimer:
The characters in this story aren't mine.
This story is dedicated
to my storybook about the nearsighted Moblin that I had when I was little.
*sniff* My mom has since thrown it away...along with my Snarf strawholders.
*
Chronolgy Notes:
Many of the characters in this story came from
series universes with clear sequences of events, and in any case, I should
establish the exact background the characters have. Some, I hope,
would be relatively clear, but just in case, I'm explaining them all.
For the seaQuest DSV characters/setting, this
story should be assumed to take place midway through the first season,
before Noyce becomes Secretary General of the UEO. For the Legend
of Zelda characters, this tale takes place in between when Zelda begins
playing the Ocarina after the defeat of Ganon in Zelda64 and when Link
returns to the Pedestal of Time as a child. For the Star Wars characters,
the time is immediately after the battle of Endor (the end of Return
of the Jedi), but some of my descriptions may not fit, because I remember
describing Luke as having sandy blond hair, and his hair is brown in Jedi.
I was originally intending to write this to fit immediately after A
New Hope (for non-Star Wars fans, that's the original Star Wars) but
I wrote it into a different time slot.
*
Note on the Most Recent
Update
Okay, I took some
time off from this story. Wrote a few Star Wars fanfics, studied
for finals, found out that Mara Jade was marrying Luke Skywalker (Ugh,
that news ruined my day...what a waste of a perfectly good Jedi!), etc.
But the Legend of the Sea Dragon has returned to my priority list.
Sorry about neglecting this!
*
Little bits are being added to this story as
I feel like adding them, and they're all dated. Some sections are
prefaced with a verse of a song, a poem, or a quote that I like.
I use whatever characters I feel like using, so prepare for anything-and
you'd better like a little romance. (There's not a lot of that so
don't worry.) I'm not sorry about the innaccuracy of having everyone
speak English automatically. It's my story. It doesn't have
to make sense. Don't stick any body parts out of the sea launch.
Make one last stop at the bathroom. Take a deep breath and strap
yourself in. You're in for a wild ride.
*
1. Distant Song
2/5/99
Nathan Bridger was sitting quietly in the captain's chair. When things were this uneventful, Nathan thought that he should be grateful. Instead, he was wary. Nobody had overturned acid into the moonpool or flooded the head. Yet.
Ortiz stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it, as though a sound was hurting him. Bridger watched Ortiz, noting his strange behavior.
O'Neill did not see Ortiz pulling at his ear. He was entrenched in his conversation with Kristin Westphalen, showing her a report that he had received on a red tide off of the Madagascar coast. However, O'Neill did see Kristin suddenly turn deathly pale.
Bridger saw Kristin blanch too. In an instant, he was at her side.
"NOT AGAIN!" Kristin screamed, shoving Nathan backwards and fleeing the bridge.
Nathan stared after her in total confusion.
Ortiz walked up to Bridger. "Don't you hear it, sir?"
"Hear what?" Bridger and O'Neill asked in chorus.
"I hear music. Ghostly music. Sorta reminds me of the King George-could be why the Doc freaked," Ortiz said.
"I don't hear a thing," Bridger said. "O'Neill? Shan? Crocker?"
"Nothing, cap'n," Crocker reported dutifully, but with a skeptical note in his voice.
Shan shook his head from his post at the helm. O'Neill merely looked puzzled and began an acoustical sweep.
"What does it sound like, Mr. Ortiz?" Bridger asked. The day was turning out to be not so boring after all...
Ortiz hummed a thread of a haunting melody. "It sounds like some sort of wind instrument, sir. Like a flute or a recorder," he said.
A hint of the music teased at the edges of Nathan's mind, then he heard it. It was a delicate melody that nearly sounded fragile, but was slowly becoming louder.
"Captain, whatever that music's coming from, it's not from outside the boat," O'Neill reported. "And there is no music that matches it in the computers."
"Great." Bridger muttered. "Where the hell is this coming from?"
2. The Portal
The music had haunted the crew for over four hours. Bridger sat in his quarters, waiting for Lucas to come back with whatever info he could dig up on the maddening but simple tune.
Lucas burst through the door. "I FOUND IT!" he bellowed.
"Good!" Bridger said. "Thanks. Would you call Ortiz for me? I'll call the doc. They should hear this too."
Ten minutes later, Ortiz, a decidedly frazzled Westphalen, Lucas and Bridger met in the wardroom. Kristin plunked into a chair and rubbed her face. She was taking the haunting melody worse than any of them. It obviously reminded her of her experiences on the King George. Being possessed by a spirit was not a pleasant experience, and Kristin was mentally reliving every minute of hers.
"I found the music," Lucas announced. "It's really just a short sound bite that dates to the late nineties-"
Lucas was cut off mid-sentence as the music grew loud, as though the musician was standing in the room with them. Lucas looked disconcerted and decidedly frightened.
A blue glow appeared in the center of the vid-screen. Everyone stared at it except Lucas. Lucas hid behind Bridger and began whimpering.
"This is NOT FUNNY!" Lucas moaned. "Whoever is doing his had better stop, now!"
The blue glow widened into a swirling blue portal. Wind scented by smoke and some unidentifiable scents, some animalistic, some more plantlike, blew out of the portal.
"Lucas, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Bridger bellowed.
Lucas cowered. Ortiz spoke instead.
"I've read enough sci-fi to get a good idea about interdimensional portals, and that's exactly what I think one would look like," Ortiz said, pale under his tan.
"Great. We've got a portal to who-knows-what right here," Bridger muttered. "Now how do we close it?"
Lucas whined. Kristin was wobbling and looking gray.
"Maybe we could do it with some sort of-" Ortiz stopped speaking in mid-sentence.
What looked like two people abruptly fell out of the portal, landing on the floor with a loud thump. The haunting melody ceased. A small metallic object bounced across the floor to land at Bridger's feet.
Before Bridger could analyze the scene, there was a second thump. Kristin had fainted. Lucas looked like he was about to wet himself.
The two people who had come through the portal were getting up-and looking decidedly confused.
"What happened?" the man asked. "The Master Sword is still right here."
Bridger bent down and picked up the object laying against his foot. It was a small, rounded thing that looked like a crazy flute.
"Give me that!" the girl cried, making a desperate snatch at Nathan's hands.
"No." Bridger said.
"You heard her, Grandpa," the young man said, pulling a sword from a sheath strapped to his back.
Lucas promptly wet himself.
"I think it's time for introductions and explanations," Bridger said.
3. Sword-Point Introduction
2/7/99
The young man kept his sword poised at Bridger's throat. For the first time, Bridger noticed that neither he nor his companion were human. They were both of some pointy-eared elven race. Both were about average human height.
"I am Nathan Bridger. The young man cowering behind me is Lucas Wolenczak. The other people are Kristin Westphalen and Miguel Ortiz," Bridger introduced his crew.
"Where the hell is this and when?" the male elf asked. "I should be in the Temple of Time as a child right now." He shot a glance at the female elf that made her blush.
"Well, whatever you were doing, it's gone horribly wrong," Bridger said. "You are aboard the submarine seaQuest, and this is the year 2018 A.D."
"Submarine?" The female elf bestowed a blank look on Bridger. "What is a submarine? And for that matter, what are you?"
"A submarine is a ship that travels under the water. And I am a human. So are they," Bridger said.
From the floor, Lucas could be heard muttering. "get him off the ship-he's cuter than me...he'll get all the chicks. it's not fair- and he gets earrings too...can't Crocker zap him...I want to see if elves bleed green like Vulcans an' I want to see what that elf chick has on under that gown-she's hot...what does she see in him anyway..."
Bridger inserted a toe into Lucas' ribs and gave a definite nudge.
"Owww," Lucas whined.
"I am Link. My companion is the Princess Zelda. She will someday rule the land of Hyrule. We would kindly request that you return us to Hyrule so that we can return to our own time," the male elf said, sheathing his sword.
"How do you propose to return to your own time-whenever that is?" Bridger asked.
"That thing you are holding is the Ocarina of Time. With that and the magical Master Sword, once we have been returned to our homeland, we can enter the Temple of Time and return to our proper places," Link told Captain Bridger.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but in all our known history, there never was a country called Hyrule here. It must be a place exclusive to your...um...plane of existence," Bridger said.
Link flopped into a chair like a marionette whose strings were cut. Tears welled in his blue eyes. All my friends-Saria...Malon...Ruto...Darunia-I'll never see them again, he thought. He had no idea how to get home, and Zelda was stuck here with him now, when Hyrule would need her.
Zelda stood still, frozen in shock. All she could think of was never seeing the beloved hills and plains of Hyrule again. She was trapped in a foreign plane where Din, Faore and Nayru had never given their essence to the land. She was trapped in a place where she would never see the familiar faces of Hylians, Sheikahs and Gerudos, or Gorons, or Zoras. Only these humans-so like the Hylians, and yet so deficient-there was no magic in these people.
Then Zelda noticed the bowed head of the Hero of Time. Link was taking it hard, and unlike her, he did not retreat into himself-he cried. His tears cut into her heart.
No, Zelda thought. I must not become attracted to Link. I have to send him back to being a child. I can't keep him. But he's so attractive...and-oh, shit Zelda, admit it! You're in love with him and you'll be heartbroken when you send him back. Why bother distancing yourself? Love him. Have something to remember!
Zelda walked forward and held Link's head to her shoulder, burying her own face in the soft locks of red-gold hair that tumbled about his ears.
"Um, maybe the two of you would like to rest?" Bridger offered.
Zelda looked up from Link's shoulder and nodded. Kristin stood up, having recovered sufficiently to discover that these people were not ghosts, but merely the product of a different culture with different sciences who had arrived through a theorized and conceivable way.
"I'll round up some other clothes for them," Kristin volunteered. She had noticed that the Link and Zelda were definitely in love, but reluctant to admit it. She and Nathan had been the same way when they had firs fallen for each other. It had taken a long time for both Kristin and Nathan to admit that they were in love, but once they had admitted it, life had become bliss. Kristin felt that the two Hylians needed a little shove in the right direction...
4. Interludes
Sweet dreams are made of these;
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something-
Link and Zelda had been given adjoining quarters, accessible through a door. After a meal that Lieutenant Kreig would have described as cooked packing crates when in a charitable mood, the duo were settling in for the night.
Link sat comfortably in his cabin, preparing to sleep. He had pulled off his boots and hat earlier, and now he took off his green tunic and gloves. Ordinarily, he would have chosen to sleep clothed only in the loincloth traditional to Hylian men, but Zelda was in the next room over, so he left his shirt and leggings on.
He lay down, daring to indulge in a fantasy about kissing Zelda. He wouldn't kid himself; falling for her was foolish. He'd have to return to his own time and leave her-and anyway, she was the princess! He was just an ordinary Hylian peasant.
Link thought he heard a tapping at the door between his room and Zelda's. He sat up and looked about, straining his pointed ears to hear. Nothing. He lay back down.
Link fell asleep, his dreams troubled by the terrible idea of never returning to Hyrule. Suddenly, he woke. He could feel the silver ring in his right ear moving as though someone were gently fingering it. He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes.
Like a vision, Zelda stood over him. Her golden hair flowed unbound over her creamy shoulders. She wore the "little push" that Kristin had contemplated earlier. Kristin had left a low-necked cream silk negligee among the clothes for Zelda, and hoped that the Princess would take a hint. Now Zelda stood over Link, one long leg showing through the high slit in the skirt.
Zelda flushed and turned to flee when she saw Link's eyes open. Link gently reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"You look...beautiful," he said in a sleepy voice.
Zelda flushed brighter and tried to pull away, then ran her fingers daringly through Link's hair, feeling the soft, long locks run through her fingers. Link smiled and kissed her hand.
"Do you mean that?" Zelda asked, slightly frightened.
"Of course I do," Link said, sitting up and cupping her cheek.
Zelda smiled and brought her lips close to his. Link finished the task and pressed his lips to hers. Slowly their kiss deepened, until Link broke the kiss. Shyly, the handsome young warrior lay back down.
"You'd better go get some sleep," he whispered.
Zelda nodded and got up off his bed, returning to her own room. Her breathing was still slightly ragged, but she felt incredible.
***
Kristin joined Nathan in his cabin. Nathan was sitting on the bunk, waiting for her to arrive. He swept her into his arms and planted a kiss on her nose.
"Those poor elves!" Bridger said. "They were tossed out of their own time and dumped here..."
"You heard what they said..." Kristin replied. "She was trying to send him back to his own time, and you could see how much she loved him. It must have been a terrible decision to have to make."
"Mm," Bridger said, nuzzling her. "They were so much in love with each other, and yet neither admitted it. They remind me of us."
"Yes," Kristin laughed. "That's why I left one of my old nightgowns for her. They need a push to get together."
"Let's forget about all those elves and Lucas and the universe for tonight," Nathan suggested.
"Sounds good to me, Captain," Kristin laughed.
Meanwhile in Hyrule...
Saria sat worriedly on a rock at the edge of Hyrule Field. Ganon was defeated, and Zelda was to have sent Link home to his childhood. Saria had hunted all through the woods, looking for the Link who had grown up after being sent back. Nowhere. All the Sages had scoured the world for Link and Zelda, and neither could be found.
Nabooru settled on the rock beside Saria. "You miss Link, don't you?" she asked.
"He was so handsome." Saria murmured.
"You're tellin' me!" Princess Ruto bellowed, appearing out of the river. "It was worth waiting seven years to see him."
Saria gritted her teeth. Ruto could be annoying at times, and she bragged that she'd actually gotten Link to agree to marry her. Link had flirted with so many girls that it nearly broke Saria's heart. He'd broken Ruto's, Nabooru's, Zelda's, and Malon's hearts too.
Saria wondered who Link would choose to love. Secretly, Saria knew that he would never choose her or Ruto, and Nabooru was unlikely to say the least. That narrowed the contenders to Malon and Zelda. That Malon was insanely jealous of the Princess, Saria knew.
Malon stormed up to Saria, as though Saria's thoughts had conjured her. "Have you found them?" Malon asked.
"No," Saria said simply.
"Ooh! It's all her fault!" Malon stormed. "That good-for-nothing princess convinced Link to run off with her!"
"I doubt that," Impa stated. "Zelda is not a wanton woman. If she wished to pursue Link, she would not do it by running away with him."
"Anyway," Ruto called from the river, "if they were still in Hyrule or any of the neighboring kingdoms, we'd have located them."
Saria bowed her head. "Because of this, we can't rule out the fact that there may have been a freak magic accident when Zelda tried to send Link back so he could grow up naturally."
"Magic accident?" Malon asked.
"Yes. The Ocarina might have sent them someplace unknown, beyond anywhere a Hylian has ever been," Rauru said. "There's also the possibility that they may be dead, due to a similar accident."
"Dead?" Malon asked, turning white. "Link can't be dead! He was mine, MINE! You're all conspiring to keep Link for that fish woman!"
Ruto looked offended, but said nothing.
"Or you, Kokiri girl!" Malon screamed, slapping Saria. "You know that you can't compete with me! You've snowed all these other Sages into helping you keep him!"
Saria stood, the mark of Malon's hand reddening on her pale cheek. "Take that back," Saria said, her voice hissing. "I would never abuse the power of a Sage, not even to gain Link's love."
"Or what? You'll call you mommy, kid?" Malon retorted.
"Let her be," Ruto said.
"Yes, I think I will. She's no competition...but YOU ARE!" Malon bellowed, and leaped at Ruto.
The Zora princess easily dodged and Malon fell in the mud, hitting her head.
"I'll take her back to the ranch," Nabooru volunteered, picking up Malon and carrying her off across the field.
Saria bowed her head. They were all worried, and the Sages could only cover for Zelda for so long before her absence became news.
6. Seaquake!
2/11/99
In the early morning hours, Captain Bridger was wakened by a sudden jolt. The whole seaQuest shook violently, causing him to fall out of bed and hit the floor with a loud thump.
The sound of Nathan hitting the floor woke Kristin, who promptly looked over the edge of the bunk to see her companion lying spread-eagled on the floor. Kristin giggled.
"This is not funny, Kristin," Nathan stated, picking himself up. "There was some sort of seismic disturbance in the area. There are no currents that would make seaQuest buck like that here."
"Oh, all right, Nathan," Kristin said, stretching herself lazily.
Nathan grumbled as he pulled on his uniform. Why this kind of stuff always had to happen at night was beyond him. And Kristin was not helping the situation by goosing him as he attempted to get dressed.
"Why don't you make yourself useful and get to seadeck and start analyzing the seafloor for unmapped faults?" Bridger asked mock-irritably. "You're the science officer."
"Oh, fine," Kristin said, taking Nathan's tease in good humor. "I'll go, and I think I'll make a pass at that male elf while I'm at it."
"I didn't know that skinny blonde elves were your type," Bridger bantered back.
"They aren't. This blonde elf that you've picked up on his interdimensional hitchhike is attractively muscular, however, and the guy who happens to be my type is kicking me out of bed," Kristin laughed as she got dressed.
Nathan turned and pressed a kiss to Kristin's forehead. "Get to work, sweetheart. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner we can have some quiet time together again."
"Quiet time is a rarity on this tub," Westphalen shot back.
Nathan laughed as he walked out the door, then called back, "Which means that it's all the more precious!"
Kristin chuckled and headed for the seadeck. Early morning seismic research was not her favorite thing to do, but discovering an unknown fault line in the seafloor was still quite important. Kristin grinned. It was for this that she had made special request to come aboard the seaQuest. Discovery and adventure.
Of course, the latter was not always particularly welcome. Kristin sighed and sat down in front of the console for the sub-bottom penetrator/sonar. She began poring over the formation of the rocks below the seaQuest's hull and tracing their geological lineage.
7. Rude Awakenings
2/12/99
I won't disturb the slumber
Of feelings that have died
If I never had loved
I never would have cried-
I am a rock-
I am an island.
Link felt the jolt in his bedroom too. But he did not fall out of bed. From the next room, he heard Zelda cry out in pain.
In an instant, Link was out of bed and dashing through the door. He found Zelda laying on the floor-she had evidently fallen out of her bed when the shock wave had hit. She was rubbing her shoulder and looking decidedly upset.
"What the hell was that?" Zelda asked him, following it up with some language Link hadn't expected the Princess to know.
Link stood still, not sure what to make of Zelda's profanities or the sudden jolt.
Zelda noticed the expression on Link's face and correctly interpreted it. "Link, don't look so shocked! I wasn't raised in a glass bubble, you know! I was out and mingling with the average Hylians since I was a child!"
Link laughed. Zelda reached up and pulled his head down to hers. She kissed Link straight on the lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth.
Link pulled back from the kiss as though he'd been shocked.
"Come ON, Link! You were interested enough last night!" Zelda exclaimed, irritated at her companion's sudden unwillingness to be affectionate.
"Well, now is not the time!" Link said more savagely than he intended, and swiftly noted the tears forming in Zelda's eyes. "It's not that I don't want to, Zelda! It's just that I want to find out what that shockwave was." He concluded his statement by kissing Zelda in the hollow of her throat.
Zelda wiggled against him, grinning at her sweet golden-haired warrior. Link replied by helping her to her feet. Zelda sighed and picked up a black jumpsuit.
Link laughed at the disgusted look on her face. "Well, Zelda, you could always wear your gown again if you dislike it that much."
"It's just that I hate black. And my gown was filthy from running down the tower," Zelda said.
Link pinched his nose and backed away from her to tease her.
"I don't stink, you moron!" Zelda yelled, but it was good-natured. "But there's a big bloodstain on the skirt of my gown-your blood, as a matter of fact."
"Look, if you wear one, I will too," Link said. "That way we can both be miserable in black ... personally, I prefer green."
"Sounds good to me," Zelda said. "Now get out of my room while I change."
"I think I'd rather stay here while you and I change," Link said.
"Not a chance, fairy boy," Zelda retorted.
"Hey!" Navi piped up from her vantage above Link. "That was an insult! It's an honor to have a guardian fairy! Link,you aren't going to let her get away with that?!"
"I have to, she's the Princess-and anyway, I'm three-quarters of the way in love with her, I can't hurt her if I wanted to," Link replied.
"Only three-quarters in love with me?" Zelda inquired, kissing Link on the lips and then trailing up to nip the end of his ear.
"Umm, if you keep that up, I'd have to say that I'm totally in love with you," he replied.
"Good. Now get out so I can get dressed," Zelda shoved him out the door.
Link sputtered as he was physically shoved out the door.
***
Fifteen minutes later, Link and Zelda met in Zelda's room. Both were clothed in the black, military issue jumpsuits provided for all visitors to the seaQuest. Zelda's fit well, clinging to her slender, feminine body nicely.
Link was having more trouble, however. The jumpsuit was determined not to fit him, being a little bit too tight in the shoulders and slightly too wide in the waist.
Zelda was doing her best not to laugh at Link's continued attempts to adjust the bulky jumpsuit. She eventually couldn't help herself; she simply burst out in laughter.
Link glared at her. "What's with you?" he asked.
"You...were..." Zelda dissolved in giggles.
"Aargh...Ganondorf I could understand," Link muttered. "Women escape me."
"No we don't," Zelda said. "In fact, I think that once you grow up for seven years after I return you to your time, we'll be flinging ourselves at you, because then you'll be the Hero Of Time who's just saved the world."
Link smacked his forehead and looked panicked.
"One might think that you dislike the idea," Zelda commented.
"One might be right. I don't like the idea of having to wait seven years to marry you, and I don't want to have to deal with girls throwing themselves at me and making you jealous," Link muttered. "Plus, I run the risk of losing you to a prince."
"Princes are muddleheaded dolts," Zelda said. "You would do a better job as King than one of them would."
"Is that an insult to princes, or a compliment for me?" Link asked.
"Both," Zelda said. "It's really cruel for me to think this about my father's death, but if he were alive, he would force me to marry a prince. But, without him, I'm free to marry whomever I choose."
"And that would be?" Link asked, a grin teasing the corners of his usually grim mouth.
"Are you being deliberately thickheaded?" Zelda asked. "I'm not talking to you, Link!"
"Zelda, come on, it was only a joke. Anyway, I want to find out what's going on here," Link replied, putting his hand on the Princess' shoulder.
"Fine!" Zelda bellowed, trying to hide how deeply Link has unintentionally hurt her.
Link decided to ignore Zelda's mood and managed to convince a passing scientist to tell him what was going on and why they were shaken out of their beds...
8. This has no real title...
3/12/99
Kristin Westphalen sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Three hours had gone by, and she had yet to discover the reason behind the seaquake. There was no faulting or volcanic activity nearby, and no other subs, research stations or habitats nearby.
Kristin picked up her PAL. "Nathan?" she spoke into the device. "There's no cause that I can discover. Whatever it was, it was not natural activity."
She heard Bridger sigh. "First elves. Now this. We can't find anything out from here, either. The UEO has no records of any weapons testing by the confederations. They are treating it as a nuke test which the UEO was not informed of-an act of aggression."
"I hope not," Kristin said.
"I hope not what?" Bridger asked.
"I hope it's not what the UEO brass thinks. I've had enough war," Kristin replied.
"I hope it won't come to war either, sweetheart. I'm not up to battle anymore," Nathan said.
"I've got a hunch. It's crazy, but it just might work. Those elves popped out of their warp here, on seaQuest. What if something followed them and is lurking outside? They might know about it," Kristin said.
"If they really did come from another dimension where fairytales are true," Bridger said, "they might well have been followed by something nasty."
"Should I go and talk to them?" Kristin asked.
"Give me five minutes and meet me outside their quarters. Security informed me that they were wandering around outside, so I've had them confined and disarmed. No one comes or goes from those rooms without my say-so," Bridger said.
"All right. Meet you there," Kristin said, switching off the PAL.
9. Accusations and Acrimony
3/29/99
Link paced angrily. Zelda merely watched, feeling highly invaded, after they both had been thoroughly searched for weapons. All of Link's arsenal had been confiscated, including the Master Sword.
The duo were confined to their rooms after they had been found wandering in the hall. Now they were under guard, and the gray-haired Captain of the vessel was the only one who could let them out or let anyone else into the room.
Link finally gave up and sat down. Zelda walked behind him and began rubbing his shoulders, feeling the smooth muscle rippling under her palms. She bent and placed a kiss on Link's neck, revealed by the collar of his jumpsuit.
The touch of Zelda's hands on his shoulders sent Link's thoughts immediately down other paths. He stood, turned and pulled Zelda close against his lean chest, but he was unsure of what to do with her after he had her there.
Zelda gave a quivering sigh and snuggled against Link's body, feeling the firm, lean muscles of a practiced swordsman flowing under his clothes. Realizing that Link was too shy to take any further action, she pushed him back against the bunk and began pulling down the zipper of his jumpsuit.
Link stared, more than a little frightened. What he had intended as a playful embrace was quickly spiraling out of his control. Zelda turned her attention to nipping at Link's long, pointed ear. He was relieved that she was leaving his clothing alone-for now, at any rate-but he wasn't sure what to think of the way his body was responding to her closeness.
Link was spared any more thought about how to escape from Zelda's advances by a sharp rap on the door. The pair pulled apart, swiftly arranging their clothes into the semblance of propriety, even though they both felt far from chaste at the moment.
Captain Bridger entered the room where Link and Zelda sat on the bed. Link leaped up immediately, anger flushing his pale face. "How dare you imprison us like this? I am the Hero of Time, and she is a Princess, soon to be Queen of Hyrule!"
"This is my ship and my world, and here you have no rank. Here, you are merely a pair of elves, a scientific curiosity, no more. You are in no position to make demands," Bridger growled. "Why were you wandering outside your rooms, armed no less?"
"I was looking to find out the cause of the disturbance that knocked me from my bed," Zelda said, gently pulling Link back beside her.
"Well, that just blew my theory. They don't know either," Kristin said. "It's back to mapping faults in the seafloor for me."
"Wait...You thought we caused that quake?" Link asked.
"Not necessarily you. just maybe something that might have followed you through that portal that you came through," Kristin said.
"Oh great, now they think we're evil on top of everything else, and we'll never see Hyrule again," Link growled pessimistically.
Kristin and Nathan made quick excuses and left, sensing Link and Zelda's need to be alone. They met back in the hallway and headed for the seadeck together, intending to work together to discover the source of the seaquake.
Kristin sat down on a stool and picked up a new seafloor chart that she had made earlier that day to show to Nathan. Nathan leaned in, resting his big, strong hands on her shoulders and giving her a soft rub as he looked.
"There's nothing there, sweetheart. Just a solid slab of ancient basalt covered by silt. No faulting, no volcanics. So what's doing this?" Nathan asked, semi-rhetorically.
Kristin shrugged. "There's no logical explanation, so maybe you should put Ortiz's WSKRS on duty looking for an illogical one."
"Wait...you want Ortiz to spend his time looking for sea monsters that could have caused that quake?!" Nathan asked.
"Well, just because those elves didn't know about anyone following them doesn't mean that someone didn't." Kristin stated firmly.
"Good point," Nathan said. "I'll tell Ortiz to get right on it and start searching for a sea monster."
"Are we still on for dinner tonight?" Kristin asked.
"Sure thing," Nathan said. "I wouldn't miss dinner with you for the world. You know that, although, it will be half an hour later than usual, OK? I'm gonna stop by the elves' quarters, try to foster their romance a little, help them have a quiet dinner together."
"You're turning into a sappy old romantic, Nathan," Kristin said, giving him a quick hug. "It's amazing what a little love will do to a military man."
"At least you still love me. That's one thing that hasn't gone insane in this world yet," Nathan said as he headed out the door. "The rest of the world is poised to tumble down the instant there's any quiet aboard this boat."
10. I wish I was homeward bound...
4/3/99
After Kristin and Nathan left, Link continued pacing. Zelda just watched, admiring the way his lean body moved.
"Don't say things like that, Link. You know we'll get back to Hyrule," Zelda said, doing her best to hide her fear that they might not.
"How do you propose to do that?" Link said, anger boiling just below the surface. "There's no magic in this place. The Ocarina doesn't do anything, and our spells don't work. And anyway, they took the Ocarina away."
'We'll have to see, something is bound to happen-the goddesses wouldn't leave me here while Hyrule is in trumoil," Zelda said.
"How do you know? If we are beyond magic, then we are beyond what Din, Nayru and Farore created, and probably beyond their power," Link said, his voice gaining a sharp, cruel tone.
Zelda paled. Link had never snapped at her before, and his statement didn't reassure her any, especially since it might very well be true.
Link noticed Zelda's pale face and trembling hands, and felt sorry for snapping at her. He clutched Zelda's small, delicate hand inside his own larger one, desperate to stop the trembling.
"I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to snap at you like that, and I didn't mean to hurt you," Link whispered, and nuzzled her softly.
Zelda sighed. "It's just that I worry so. And," she paused. "I'm going to miss you, you know. I'll have to find you after you've grown up, and then, you may not love me anymore." Zelda pressed her face into Link's chest.
"What if I told you I didn't want to go back?" Link said. "I've lost seven years. Do you have any idea how hard it will be to go back and know what will happen?"
"No," Zelda said. "I thought that was what you wanted. To go home, and return to your childhood in the forest."
Link shook his head. "I have no home. Not anymore. I'm not a Kokiri, so I can't live in the forest without living a lie. How would a kid get a house in any of the towns? No, Zelda, the only home I have is wherever you go-I will always guard you, but I have no place in my childhood anymore."
"All you want is to be my guard?" Zelda looked disappointed.
"Zelda, I love you, but you need to marry someone fitting your station..." Link said.
Zelda cut him off. "Who could be more fitting to my station than the Hero of Time?" She said. "Let me tell you, Link, were my father alive, he'd say that ordinary maidens were less than worthy of you. Of course, he'd pick someone else to marry me, but that's beside the point. If you want me to let you stay, you have to agree to stay...as my husband!"
"Zelda, I don't think I'm cut out to be the King..." Link said nervously.
"You'll do fine...The Hylians love you, you saved them after all," she said.
"You imprisoned Ganondorf!" Link exclaimed.
"Yes, but you're the visible one, the one they look up to," Zelda said. "If we marry, the people will follow us as a strog union of two good leaders, and besides, I want to marry you. You're too much fun to pass up, Link."
"I suppose I can accept that," Link said, pulling Zelda in for a kiss. Zelda guided him back until they lay on the bunk, cuddled comfortably close.
"Now, how about entertaining me with a tell-all session," Zelda murmured, running her lips over Link's ear.
"What do you want to know? I wasn't exactly an angel among the Kokiri. Where should I start?" Link asked.
"Hmm," Zelda thought for a moment. "What most embarrassing thing happened to you?"
Link flushed. "Well, there was this time when I went swimming in a pond in the Lost Woods and left my clothing on a rock nearby. I didn't plan on Saria and Fado deciding that they needed my help at that time. They literally pulled me out of the water..." Link trailed off.
"I bet you were cute," Zelda said.
"Embarassed as hell is more like it," Link said. "They wouldn't stop giggling."
"Mmm, wanna hear mine?" Zelda asked.
"Sure thing," Link said, flicking his tongue over Zelda's creamy throat.
The duo lay happily on the bunk, exchanging horror stories of their childhoods. Until another sharp knock sounded on the door and the pair drew guiltily apart. The door opened wide and Link feared who would enter and what questions would be forthcoming this time...
11. Rumble in Atlantis
New things come, and old things go,
But all things look the same to Joe.
Wars go on, and some folks die,
The rest forget the reason why.
I keeps laughing, instead of crying,
I must keep fighting, until I'm dying,
But Old Man River,
He just keeps rolling along.
Bridger pushed open the door, lonely for Kristin, but also wanting to help the frustrated elves. Nathan could see the tension between them. If only Kristin were here. She would know what to do, Nathan thought.
Before he could say anything, though, the floor bucked beneath his feet, flinging Nathan, Zelda, and Link to the floor.
Link was helping Zelda up from the floor, when Zelda backed him into the wall and kissed him. Bridger grinned as he got up. The elves didn't seem to be in need of help after all.
Bridger's PAL beeped. Turning his back on the elves, Nathan replied to the call.
"Captain, I think you need to come to the bridge," Ortiz said. "Now."
Bridger faced Link and Zelda. "I'm sorry that I never got to speak to you, but there are more urgent matters I must attend to. As it is, I wish you the best of luck in your relationship. A good loving relationship is one of the most rewarding things there is." Nathan exited, hightailing it for the bridge.
Link turned and looked at Zelda. "I thought we were more discreet than that. How would he know the way we feel about each other?"
Zelda giggled. "He's old enough to know what two people in love look like."
***
"What was so urgent, Mr. Ortiz?" Bridger asked. "Did you find the cause of the quake?"
"No, sir," Ortiz said. "But I have found something else interesting. Ruins, sir. Ancient ruins and a trapped air pocket, three thousand feet down."
"That's impossible!" Bridger said, watching as Ortiz guided a WSKR through the cave in the nearby rise in the seafloor.
Majestic ruins rose inside the cave, their architecture a combination of Greek and Egyptian. Half immersed in the water but nearly intact, they presented a haunting appearance.
"What the..." Shan muttered. "Who built that?"
"Nobody," Nathan said softly. "At least no one that we know about."
Nathan watched the images scroll across the main viewscreen. Magnificent temples and palaces came into the view of the beam of light from the probe.
"Captain! We're recieving an urgent transmission from UEO headquarters!" O'Neill called.
Bridger reluctantly tore his eyes away from the spectacular find. "Put it on the main screen, Mr. O'Neill," he ordered.
Admiral Noyce's face flashed onto the main viewscreen. "Captain, satellite tracking has picked up a spaceship emerging from a spatial anomaly. They seem to be losing control and their flight path seems to indicate a landing on Norri Island, near your position. Meet the ship and ensure peaceful relations. If their mission is not peaceful, deadly force is authorized."
Nathan nodded. "We will observe precautions...but my old friend Commander Keller, has he been notified?"
Noyce nodded. "Yes, and he was none too pleased that extraterrestrial life was contacted while he was on Mars!"
Nathan chuckled. "Did you tell him who was going to meet the aliens?"
Noyce shook his head. "He didn't need to know that, Nathan. And I wasn't going to worsen your rivalry for the fun of it." The vidscreen blinked off.
"Set course for Norri Island," Nathan ordered. "O'Neill, Ford, Crocker, go to Seadeck and have Dr. Westphalen get you ready to make contact with these aliens."
The trio nodded and dashed off the bridge. Nathan returned his attention to the viewscreen that now showed the rising seafloor as the ship speeded toward Norri. He worried about the possibilities it represented, that Earth was not the only haven for life, that mankind was not alone.
***
O'Neill shouldered the main camera as the others adjusted the recording gear and personal cameras they had been forced to carry. He was not looking forward to this. If those aliens were not friendly, they'd be the first to experience it.
Ford carried on in his usual professional military mien, really not sure of what to make of this turn of events. Elves arriving by magic was bad enough; mystery seaquakes and aliens on top of it were not helping.
Crocker was simply incredulous. He wasn't sure whether he liked the idea of meeting the aliens, and he knew he didn't like the idea of mysterious portals just randomly dumping people about.
The wary trio piled into the
sea launch to go to Norri. They would find out about their interstellar
neighbors soon enough. Too soon for some of their liking.