#nexus skipper

@livvylupus

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

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⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

Mirage walked with his arms wrapped around one of Skipper’s.

Skipper talked idly with Armes as they walked, holding Mirage’s hand in his and letting the boy cling to him. It was a bit more difficult to walk like this, but he wouldn’t dare push the kid away. He clearly started to see Skipper as some sort of anchor (haha) so he wanted to provide that stability.

The first to notice the large monster camp was Mirage. He tugged on Skipper’s sleeve and pointed out the large platforms built close to the road. Skipper looked over, frowning as he saw a blue-colored Bokoblin sniffing at the air. He rested his hand on the hilt of his cutlass, but Armes spoke up before he could draw it.

“If we keep a good distance away they won’t come after us. Not many travelers pass through here, and tonight is the blood moon so most travelers will be at the stables,” Armes explained, looking over at Skipper.

“The blood moon?” the sailor asked, tilting his head as he looked over at the other.

“Oh, right. You guys aren’t from here,” Armes said, chuckling sheepishly. “Well, once a lunar cycle, when the moon is full, all of the monsters that were killed in the precious month come back to life. So you’d be risking injury for a monster that will be back again tomorrow.”

Skipper frowned, but nodded. “Okay, we’ll keep our distance. But walk on the other side of Mirage, so at least if they do come after us I’ll be between you guys.”

Armes nodded and did as asked, moving to walk on the far side of the road from the monster camp. Skipper kept his eye on them as they kept walking, letting Mirage guide him. The younger boy made sure Skipper stayed in the middle of the path, so he could keep his eye on the monsters as they walked by. They stayed quiet, just in case they caught the attention of the beasts. His hand gripped the hilt of his cutlass, but once they passed the camp without incident, he allowed himself to relax.

⋆.ೃ࿔⛈ ݁ ˖*༄

Not long after they passed the monster camp, they entered a tropical rainforest. The temperature rose a few degrees, but the humidity increased significantly. Birds chirped and sang in the distance, the underbrush rustling on either side of the path as small critters moved through it.

Mirage looked about curiously as they walked, taking in the strange environment. He knew forests, of course, but this wasn’t like any he had experienced. The trees were tall, with broad leaves and thick trunks that looked almost scaled. The underbrush was dense, full of ferns and vines of various sizes. He could see animals moving through, but most were too short for him to see. Not that Mirage was very tall himself, but in his defense he hasn’t had his growth spurt yet so he’s probably going to be super tall any time now and besides-

Skipper suddenly jumped, pushing Mirage further across the road and moving to shield him from whatever had startled him.

“What is it? Is there a monster?” Mirage asked, looking around him to see what in the world could have startled him like that.

Beside the road were three massive owl statues. They towered over the roadside, ornately carved from huge blocks of stone. In front of each statue was a simple pedestal- clearly designed to be offering plates. Centered on two pedestals was a bunch of bananas, laid across giant leaves.

“Why is there just a bundle of bananas on the ground??” Skipper gasped, looking anxiously toward the pedestals.

“Um, I’m not sure? There are a lot of offering stones around the country travelers pray at, so maybe that’s why?” Armes said with a slight shrug, clearly clueless himself.

“Skipper, are you afraid of bananas?” Mirage asked, looking up at him with a glint in his heterochromatic eyes.

Skipper recognized that look. It was the look of a younger sibling discovering something tease-worthy. He had seen it in his little sister’s eyes way too many times.

“I’m not afraid of bananas,” the sailor asserted, straightening but still shooting an anxious glance towards the bananas as they walked by them. “Bananas are just a bad omen. They’re harbingers of bad luck. That’s common knowledge to a sailor like me,” he huffed.

Mirage giggled, patting his shoulder. “Uh huh, sure. If that’s what you want to call your phobia that’s your business,” he said playfully.

“It’s not a phobia! Just you wait, something bad is going to happen later. Make sure you stay close to me, alright?” Skipper said, poking Mirage in the side.

The younger boy yelped and jumped, but still held onto Skipper’s arm. He leaned his head against the taller man’s shoulder and nodded. “I will,” he said, making sure to sound sincere.

Skipper smiled, ruffling the younger boy’s hair before turning his attention to Armes. “Are we getting close to the stable?” he asked.

Armes nodded, pointing out across the bridge they had just stepped on. “Yeah, it’s right on the other side of this bridge. The merchant should already be there, I’m guessing.”

“That’s some speedy service,” Skipper said with a smile.

He let himself be distracted by the sound of the waterfalls beside them, turning his head and gasping at the sight. Towering over them was several colossal waterfalls, spilling unfathomable amounts of water into the lake basin below them. The cliffs holding them were almost sheer, with beautiful red stone. The wind carried mists from the waterfalls over the bridge, providing a relieving cool after the humidity and heat trapped by the forest. Admittedly, it did make the bridge a bit slick, but as long as they didn’t run across it it would probably be fine.

☀︎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The sounds of the stable reached them as they crossed the bridge. Skipper could hear the distant chatter of people and calm, soothing music. There was other noises he didn’t recognize that sounded like some unfamiliar animal. People milled about the stable- a massive canvas tent with the towering figure of a horse head. Skipper looked up at the structure, tilting his head.

“What is that?” he asked curiously, looking toward Armes.

“Oh! That’s a sculpture of the Horse God, Malanya. She protects the stables and keeps monsters away,” he explained, smiling over at the sailor.

This explanation only seemed to confuse him more. “What is a horse..?”

Armes paused, tilting his head as he looked at Skipper. “You don’t know what a horse is?”

“Even I know what a horse is,” Mirage chimed in.

“Well, we don’t have horses where I’m from you little twerp,” Skipper said with playful frustration, wrapping his arm around Mirage’s neck and pulling him close, ruffling his hair.

Armes laughed at their antics. “Well, the merchant is probably inside. There are horses over there if you’d like to see them,” he said, pointing toward the side of the tent.

“Let’s go,” Mirage said brightly, grabbing Skipper’s wrist and dragging him over toward the horses.

Skipper let himself be dragged over, smiling at the boy’s enthusiasm. Only a few things had gotten him this energetic, so he was more than happy to let himself be dragged around. He didn’t put up any resistance, though he couldn’t help but notice a few eyes turn their way. That didn’t bode well. He thought about the bananas they had passed earlier, and immediately felt himself become more alert and tense. It could just be paranoia, but with Mirage in his care he was better off being safe than sorry. For now, though, he turned his attention to the horses as Mirage came to a stop.

There were three horses, each with their own stall. They were tall, powerful-looking animals, with sleek coats. Two of them had a dappled pattern- one brown and white, the other a bluish-grey and white, with a white mane and tail each. The third was mostly brown, with white-and-brown spotted haunches, with a black mane and tail. In front of them was a trough full of hay they were eating from. Every so often one would look up, ears flicking about as they smelled the air before huffing and going back to their food.

“Tada! Horses! You can ride them or use them to drag carriages or wagons,” Mirage explained happily.

“People ride those things?!” Skipper gasped, immediately feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

Mirage giggled, grinning up at Skipper. “Are you scaarrrrred?” he asked in a teasing singsong-y voice.

“I’m not scared, you brat,” Skipper huffed, ruffling his hair but smiling as he listened to the boy laugh.

“Did you hear? Word is two foreigners… “

Skipper tensed, his ears perking up at the sound of voices coming from the other side of the tent wall. He couldn’t quite hear everything that was being said, but if they were talking about two foreigners to this land, they could very well mean him and Mirage.

“… looking for them..”

“Night… at the stables…”

“… said to send a… if we see…”

Three voices. It wasn’t much to piece together, but if they were talking about two foreigners, a night at the stables, and sending something if they’re seen… They could only be talking about Skipper and Mirage, right? If it was so noteworthy there was gossip about it, then it was unlikely there was an entire other pair of foreigners also spending the night at a stable. But if someone was sent for just because they were seen…

Skipper thought about the eyes that had been on them earlier. He had a decision to make. He looked over at Mirage, who was distracted by a dog nearby. That boy’s safety was his number one priority. He couldn’t be sure if Armes had brought them here on purpose or not, but the fact was he had brought them here, and he was inside the same tent as the voices. Skipper went over to Mirage’s side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Do you trust me?” Skipper asked, his voice low as he looked over at Mirage. He didn’t want to take the time to explain what he heard and why he thought they should leave- he would later, but if they were in danger each second mattered.

Mirage looked over and frowned, but saw the seriousness in Skipper’s eyes. He shifted anxiously, but nodded and pressed close.

“Thank you,” Skipper said with a relieved smile. “Just walk next to me for now. Try not to draw attention,” he whispered to the boy, guiding him around one of the stone pillars blocking the band’s view from where the pair were.

There was no way out of here without walking in front of people, so they had to hope nobody would take enough notice of them to alert anybody. There was no way all of these people knew everyone in their kingdom, so maybe as long as they didn’t draw attention to themselves they would be fine.

Once they were out of sight, Skipper pulled Mirage off the path. There wasn’t much room between the path and the cliffside next to them, so there was only a narrow strip of underbrush and trees to mask their movements. He wanted to get off the trail at least, so they wouldn’t be as easy to spot from the stable. Skipper held onto Mirage’s hand as he led them along the cliff, waiting for any opening to move away from the path more. They managed to reach a short, steep hill and hurried up it. Mirage slipped on a loose rock, nearly dragging Skipper down with him, but the sailor had a firm grip on the boy’s hand and hoisted him up.

The top of the hill flattened out, but they were almost immediately blocked off by another cliff. Skipper swore under his breath but hurried along the narrow ledge until Mirage came to a stop and pulled on his hand, pointing to a hole in the cliffside.

“There’s a cave. Maybe we can hide in there for now?” Mirage suggested.

Skipper nodded, pulling the boy inside. The tunnel was long with a low ceiling, but thankfully the sailor was short enough to not need to crouch. The tunnel came to an abrupt dead end, but there was a small gap that led to another cavern. If they were in there, they’d be out of sight from the tunnel entrance. He hadn’t even seen this hole until Mirage pointed it out.

Skipper led the way in, letting out a sigh and running his fingers through his hair. “There were some people in the stable talking about some foreigners being seen recently. I couldn’t hear everything they were saying, but they said something about night at a stable, and sending for someone or something if they were seen. It really sounds like this country doesn’t get a lot of foreigners if it’s noteworthy that two showed up. And if it’s that rare, they were probably talking about us,” he explained, sitting down at the back of the cavern after unbuckling his cutlass.

“So you wanted to keep me safe, just in case?” Mirage asked, following Skipper’s lead in unbuckling his borrowed (stolen?) sword and sitting down beside him.

Skipper smiled, setting his hand on the boy’s head. “Yes, I did. Thank you for trusting me.”

Mirage leaned into Skipper’s side. “Thank you for saving me again,” he said, relaxing against the sailor’s side.

Not only had Skipper pulled him from the sea- twice- but he also carried him to someone that could help even as he was feverish and in shock, he sang a lullaby when he was scared, taught him how to make his own bag to carry his treasures in… Skipper wasn’t just his savior. He was Mirage’s guardian and protector. Skipper was his anchor. Any time he felt like he was going to get lost and drift away, the sailor was able to bring him back. When Mirage was scared, Skipper made him feel safe.

Even more importantly, though, Skipper was real. When everything felt like an illusion- like nothing more than a mirage- it was Skipper’s presence that reminded him he wasn’t just dreaming.

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆

Mirage fell asleep beside Skipper fairly early in the night.

The sailor himself couldn’t fall asleep, feeling restless as the night wore on. He attributed it to the stress of trying to keep Mirage safe in an entirely unfamiliar country. He didn’t want to stray too far from the ocean, but he also couldn’t bet on Tetra finding him here. They also couldn’t go back to Lurelin, just in case he was right.

SHE IS GORGEOUSSSSS (even if the slightly dumb game tools didn't let me do the beads or a unique Damascus forge)

hrrrnnngggg she is beautifullll

So stats wise, she has a LOT of stiffness, meaning how much stress she can be put under before breaking. She's pretty sharp, and that's going to be amplified by the self-sharpening Damascus steel. She's not very fast, BUT she's very manouverable (or however you spell that), which is very good for Skipper's environment- where there are taut ropes everywhere that you don't want to cut. The extra handling helps him avoid those!

࿐ ࿔:･ﾟ࿐ ࿔:･ﾟ

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࿐ ࿔:･ﾟ࿐ ࿔:･ﾟ

Mirage woke up with a jolt the second lightning struck outside.

He immediately felt panic shoot through his body like he had personally been struck. His breathing hitched as his pupils shrank in fear. His muscles tensed, as if preparing for a fight, despite being very much frozen in place.

The sudden motion and loud crack of thunder was enough to rouse Skipper, whose grogginess was immediately gone the moment he saw how pale and tense Mirage was. He sat up, wrapping his arms around Mirage and pulling him close.

“Hey, hey, I’ve got you,” he said quietly, trying to soothe the boy. “What’s wrong?”

Mirage was trembling despite his tension, close to hyperventilating. Thunder cracked again, causing the boy to jump and cower back. He clutched at Skipper’s shirt- seemingly not even aware of his own body. The boy was absolutely petrified by the storm, and considering the state they found him in, and the circumstances behind how they got here, Skipper couldn’t exactly blame him. No doubt this boy had an unbelievable amount of trauma from thunderstorms.

The sailor held onto him, rubbing his back slowly and whispering reassurances that he was safe, that nothing was going to hurt him here. Skipper would keep him safe. No matter what, Skipper would keep him safe.

Unfortunately for the both of them, they were in a rainforest. It was likely that this storm would last for a while, and Skipper had no idea how long they would have after this storm before another started. The sailor would have to get him out of the rainforest as quick as possible. Hopefully it wasn’t too big, but they had no way of knowing that. As much as he would prefer to stay out of sight, taking the road would be their best option to finding a way out of here.

For now, Skipper simply held tight to Mirage, resting his chin on top of the boy’s head. He could feel the boy shaking as he pressed into the sailor’s arms. He jumped and curled up tighter with each crack of thunder, covering his ears as he desperately tried to shut out the storm.

⋆.ೃ࿔⛈ ݁ ˖*༄

The storm lasted longer than Skipper had hoped. Mirage was still trembling in his arms, but he wasn’t shaking as hard. The sound of rain started to grow quieter, the cracks of thunder less frequent and further away. Slowly Mirage began to unwind himself, his muscles releasing some of their built up tension as his hands moved away from his ears. Skipper didn’t rush him, letting him relax at his own pace. It took a while, but once he was sure Mirage was calm enough he spoke up.

“We should get going soon,” he said gently, rubbing his back slowly. “Do you think you’ll be okay?”

“We have to leave so fast?” Mirage asked, tensing slightly and looking up at him. “What if it starts storming again?”

“That’s why we should get going. We’re in a rainforest, so it’s probably going to start storming again in just a matter of time. We’ll have to move quick between these storms, or we’ll be stuck here forever,” Skipper said, stroking the younger boy’s hair and looking down at him.

Mirage frowned, his mismatched eyes downcast. “Okay.. You have a point,” he said with a sigh of resignation. “What if it starts raining before we find shelter?” Mirage asked after a moment, looking back up at Skipper.

“We’ll keep an eye out for shelter as we go, and once we find another spot we’ll stay there until the next storm. We’ll just hope we can find somewhere else before the next storm comes,” Skipper replied, hoping the uncertainty wouldn’t be too much for the boy.

Thankfully, after all he’d gone through Mirage was shockingly pragmatic when necessary. “Okay.. Okay,” he said with a nod, trying to bite back the panic rising in him at the thought of getting caught out in a storm.

Skipper hated to do this to the boy, but they didn’t have much choice. They couldn’t stay here forever. The sailor supposed he could’ve scouted ahead, but he wouldn’t want to leave Mirage alone for that long. Especially not if another storm hit before he got back.

The sailor stood and helped the younger boy up to his feet. He went out first, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. It looked like a relaxed position, but he was ready to lash out at any sign of a threat.

Skipper led the way back down to the hill, glancing toward the stable to make sure no one was looking their way before they started down the road.

⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚☁︎ ˚｡⋆

Skipper was surprised and relieved at how soon they left the rainforest. It only took an hour before they were walking between two massive pillars at the edge of the forest- one with the head of an owl and one with its head broken off. At least, Skipper assumed it was a head. It seemed like the people of this kingdom- or in its history- really loved making giant carved monuments.

They reached a fork in the road, with signs pointing in each direction. When Skipper stepped up to read them, he was confronted with writing he didn’t understand. He groaned a little, running his fingers through his hair. Of course it wouldn’t be so easy.

After thinking for a moment, Skipper decided they should continue along the path they were on. It might be a bit obvious if someone came looking for them, but they would have less places to hide on a beach. They kept walking along, with Skipper keeping Mirage on the outer edge of the path. He was fully prepared to throw himself in between the younger boy and any danger.

He didn’t want to treat Mirage like a child too much- but only because he knew how infuriating it was when people treated him that way when he was Mirage’s age. Skipper was his age when he took on the ultimate evil to save his kingdom.

The Sailor glanced over at the boy and mulled over that thought. Skipper knew there were other evils out there besides Ganon- he’d even fought one of them. He saw the heavy trauma Mirage had, had seen terror in his eyes and the dissociated look of someone desperately trying to escape memories of their past. He remembered Mirage screaming out someone’s name, just as he’d done with Aryll and Tetra.

Skipper prayed to Hylia his hunch was wrong. The idea of someone else going through what he had to go through…

His heart ached at the thought.

࣪ ִֶָ☾.࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

They were walking for a few hours before Skipper saw another path branch off the road they were on. He looked down the path and saw what looked like another cave entrance. The sun was starting to go down, so he decided it might be a good place to spend the night. It would be sheltered, at least.

Skipper led the way, one hand on the hilt of his cutlass. He wasn’t sure what was in there, but if it was something hostile he at least wanted to be ready to draw his sword.

Surprisingly, the inside of the cave was more like a room. The floor was mostly dirt with some odd bricks- the same that created the walls and ceiling of the room. It was a smooth, white stone that had grown discolored with age. There were some cracks in the walls, but they were surprisingly intact for how old they must be. Against the walls were large stone storage shelves with mysterious green objects.

What really caught Skipper’s attention was a large capstan, made from the same stone the walls were made of- though it looked to be in much better shape. Directly across from the entrance was a door made from green stone bars, capped with a bronze-colored metal. Something about it triggered the same part of his brain that dungeons did on his previous adventures, but looking between the bars showed nothing behind them. That was curious on its own, but he figured he probably shouldn’t touch anything.

When he turned around, Mirage was inspecting the different objects on the shelves. His mismatched eyes had more light in them than they had since the storm passed earlier that day, which brought a relieved smile to Skipper’s lips.

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-﹏𓊝﹏

Skipper was finally feeling well enough to get out of bed, so Mirage offered to show him around. He had been around the village a few times while Skipper was still unconscious, and he seemed eager to bring the sailor around to meet people. Once they walked out of the hut that had been loaned to them, Mirage waved over to the man who owned the home.

“Good morning, Armes!” he called out, taking Skipper by the hand and pulling him over.

”Good morning,” replied the man, smiling warmly at the pair. “It’s nice to see both of you up.”

“Thank you. I hope you’re well,” Skipper greeted, walking alongside Mirage and letting him pull him by the hand.

“If you’re both hungry, Kiana is at her restaurant. She’ll be happy to whip you something up,” Armes said to the pair.

“Kiana’s cooking is the best,” Mirage said, grinning up at Skipper.

Skipper laughed, smiling down at the boy. “Alright, let’s go get some breakfast.”

Mirage waved to Armes as he pulled Skipper along. The sailor put up little resistance as the auburn-haired boy tugged him down the sandy road, taking the town in as they walked together. They passed a large building shaped like a boat with a thatched roof and a large wood-carved treasure chest affixed to the front. They rounded a curve and passed in front of another large building- the local inn- with palm trees growing up through the roof.

The sea lapped against the beach road, birds crying peacefully as they glided in circles above the water. It struck him how much this town looked like Outset Island. It wasn’t exactly the same, obviously, but the way the little town butted right up against the ocean, the thatched roofs and even the architecture of certain buildings. It honestly messed with his head a little after being away from home for so long. It must have been months by now. He couldn’t help but think of Aryll back home, and felt a pang of homesickness.

He promised himself that, once he was able to set back out to sea, he would go home and visit his little sister.

For now, however, he had a young boy to look after. A young boy that was pulling him up some steps and toward a woman standing at a counter beside a cooking pot and an open fire. A man sat on a stool close by, reading a newspaper. The woman looked deep in thought, but when she heard them coming she looked up and flashed them a smile.

“Hello! It’s so nice to see you both up and about,” she said brightly.

“Good morning, Kiana,” Mirage said happily, still holding Skipper’s hand.

Skipper couldn’t help but wonder if there was a reason Mirage hadn’t let him go since they got up. It couldn’t be out of a fear of getting lost, or someone hurting them, could it? Or was he afraid that Skipper would disappear? He would have to figure out a way to reassure the boy that he had no plans to abandon him. The big brother in him wouldn’t allow him to abandon a young person in need.

Kiana made idle chat with him and Mirage as she made them breakfast. Skipper tried to insist on paying her back somehow, but she denied the offer.

“You boys showed up here feverish and half drowned, what kind of mother would I be if I made you pay to recover?” Kiana said playfully, one hand on her hip as she pointed her ladle at them.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Skipper said with a laugh, smiling at her gratefully.

Mirage thanked the woman and took Skipper over to the boardwalk nearby to sit and eat. Mirage’s praise for Kiana’s cooking was well deserved. There was flaky fish and buttery crab, atop a bed of well-seasoned rice. Skipper did his best to not shovel it into his mouth, but Mirage didn’t seem like he could be bothered with politeness. He absolutely wolfed his food down- and Skipper didn’t think he could blame him- not just because the food was delicious, but he had no idea how long Mirage went without food before Skipper scooped him from the sea. He would have to make sure whenever they left here they had plenty to eat.

Skipper took Mirage’s bowl once he finished and brought them back over to Kiana. They were approached then by a village elder, who greeted Skipper warmly.

“I’m glad to see you finally awake,” the elderly man said, smiling up at the sailor.

“Thank you, Sir. Your village has been incredibly hospitable, I’m in your debt,” he said, offering out his hand to introduce himself. “You can call me Skipper.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Skipper. Tell me, where is it you’re from?” asked the elder- a grey-haired man with a stooped back named Rozel.

“I’m from Outset Island,” Skipper replied, unsure of what kind of reaction he was going to get.

“Outset Island, huh? I can’t say I’ve ever heard of it,” Rozel said, slowly stroking his beard.

Skipper glanced over at Mirage- who wore a borrowed shirt identical to the one from his childhood. The sailor couldn’t help but wonder where the hell they could be. Some kind of alternate universe? Or was the Goddess trying to send him on some other adventure?

“I’ve been on the sea for quite a while, so I’m pretty far from home. I’m not surprised you’ve never heard of it,” Skipper said with a slight smile- figuring it would be best to keep his thoughts to himself, especially in front of the kid.

“Well, we welcome you to Hyrule Kingdom. We cannot offer much, but we’re more than happy to offer aid should you need it,” Rozel told him with a kind smile and slow nod.

“Thank you so much, sir. I’ll forever be in the debt of your village,” Skipper replied, trying not to let his reeling thoughts show on his face.

Hyrule? How could this be Hyrule? His home kingdom was underwater, and had been for centuries. Were they on an island? They were surrounded by cliffs so it wasn’t like Skipper could see very far. Maybe he could climb up to the top of the mountain beside town to get a vantage and see where they are. He had been to every island in his kingdom, and this was completely unrecognizable.

What the hell were they supposed to do if he didn’t even know where they were?

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

After they chatted with Rozel for a bit longer, Mirage and Skipper started walking back towards Armes’ house. They saw the man sitting beside a fire, trying to untangle a fishing net as he roasted porgies on fishing spears. Skipper walked over and offered to help him out, sitting in the sand with him.

Mirage sat beside him as the two worked together to untangle the net. He didn’t seem particularly interested in the task, but he didn’t want to leave Skipper’s side now that he was awake. The villagers had encouraged him to walk around with them while Skipper was unconscious- aware of how stressful it must be to sit beside the unconscious man for too long. They didn’t know what his relationship to the older man was, and Mirage wasn’t anywhere near willing to open up to them. It was clear to the villagers that Skipper was important, so they just assumed they were family and any further information wasn’t their business until it was offered to them. What had mattered in the moment was taking care of two people who showed up in such dire health and in desperate need of help.

Skipper made idle chat with Armes as they untangled the rope net Skipper thought about offering to help Armes with his fishing, but when Mirage leaned against his shoulder he decided he wouldn’t leave him alone. The sailor’s eyes wandered a bit as they spoke, until they fell on a treasure chest under an umbrella nearby.

“Can I ask what that chest is there for?” he asked, looking over at Armes curiously.

“Ah! That is for our village savior!” Armes said happily, glancing over at the chest before back to Skipper.

“Your village savior?” Skipper asked, tilting his head as he looked over at Armes.

This seemed to catch Mirage’s attention, looking around Skipper toward the local man.

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This chapter is dedicated to @livvylupus <3

The seas they sailed were uncharted- beyond the edge of any map they had seen. The stars here were familiar, yet uncanny. They could follow the stars home, but not to navigate forward. The sun was high in the sky as Skipper walked along the deck, the warm salty breeze blowing through his blonde hair, held back from his face by a two-tone green bandana. A single, small braid hung down in front of his left ear, brushing against his shoulder in the wind. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the wind was behind their sails, steadily propelling their humble ship forward.

“Ahh.. Is there any better sight, mateys?” he said aloud to the nearby crewmates, breathing in deep.

He stood beside the railing at bow, his fists on his hips as he looked out toward the horizon. He stood there for a while, just taking in the morning. He was about to turn to head down to the galley and get some coffee when he saw something in the water.

”Skipper! There’s someone in the water!” called Zuko from his place in the crow’s nest.

The skipper jumped into action without a moment of hesitation. “Nudge, grab the other end of this rope!” the blonde yelled, grabbing one end of a rope and tying it around his waist as he ran to the railing.

He clocked where the body was floating on a raft about 100 yards from the ship. He didn’t stop to check if Nudge had indeed grabbed the rope, but he trusted his crew with his life. He leaped overboard, diving into the warm seawater. He followed the bubbles to the surface, using the ship to orient himself as he swam in the direction of the raft. He was the strongest swimmer in the crew, but even so it took a lot of effort to swim through the open seas. Jumping into the water without thinking was more than a little reckless, but they were so far out at sea something terrible must’ve happened for this person to be adrift, alone, on a broken raft. The skipper just hoped he wasn’t too late.

He made it to the raft and pulled himself up onto it, trying to get the attention of the boy on the raft. Skipper could see his chest rising and falling- just barely. His skin was red and peeling, and his chapped lips led the sailor to believe he must be severely dehydrated. The raft didn’t seem very well constructed, and it didn’t look like the unconscious boy had any supplies. What the hell happened to him?

Skipper waved his arm over his head, signaling to Mako and Niko on their way over in a lifeboat. He helped the two men get the boy into the boat before climbing in after him. They started back toward the ship, Skipper holding the unconscious boy on his lap. Niko and Mako helped the crew on deck raise the lifeboat again, Nudge grabbing onto the unconscious boy to haul him aboard.

“Bring him into my cabin. Send someone to the galley and have them bring water. See if we have any medical supplies on board too,” he instructed, following Nudge to his quarters, where Tetra was already waiting. She always knew exactly what he was thinking.

Tetra and Skipper got to work on doing whatever they could for the boy- which admittedly wasn’t much. They weren’t exactly equipped to deal with this level of exposure. By their estimate, this boy must’ve been exposed to the elements with no water for at least a few days. If they found him even a few hours later, there’s a good chance he would’ve been dead.

𓅰 𓅬 𓅭 𓅮 𓅯

The young boy groaned quietly, his head throbbing. It gelt like his mouth was full of cotton, and his skin felt like it had been rubbed raw. He could feel the gentle rocking of a ship beneath him. He must still be at sea. Still stuck on that damn raft. Still alone, always alone. His eyes started to flutter open, and he heard muffled noises around him. They sounded like voices, but he couldn’t make out a word.

As his vision slowly cleared, he saw the face of someone in front of him. His mouth moved and the boy heard something that sounded like a voice. But it couldn’t be. It was just an illusion. It was just a…

“Mirage…”

The boy slipped back into darkness.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ⚡︎ ⋆.˚

The ship pitched beneath him, waking the boy up with a loud gasp as he tried to grab onto something to steady himself. His head swam as he tried to process where he was and what was happening, a loud crack of thunder pierced his eardrums, causing him to yelp and cover them. He felt delirious as someone grabbed onto him to hold him steady.

“Hey, hey, Mirage it’s okay,” someone said, trying to offer comfort to the clearly startled boy. “It’s just a storm, you’re safe with my crew,” the voice said, holding the boy tighter as the ship pitched again. He was doing his best to keep the boy steady, shifting his weight with the rolling of the ship as instinctively as breathing.

The boy gasped out, fighting against whoever it was that was holding him. “It’s- it’s a- ! Marin! Where’s Marin?” the shouted, though his voice was hoarse and dry.

He fell into a coughing fit, and suddenly felt a bottle pressing against his lips. He started drinking whatever liquid was in it, and felt immediately soothed. His skin didn’t feel like it was on fire anymore and the throbbing in his skull dulled down. He took deep breaths, relaxing into the other for a moment. A flash of lightning outside lit up the cabin, the following crack of thunder causing him to yelp and cover his ears again.

“It’s okay, don’t worry. You couldn’t be anywhere safer than with my crew,” said the man holding him and rubbing his back in soothing circles.

All of a sudden, the door flung open. The wind whistled violently as rain poured in. Lightning flashed, illuminating a figure gripping the door.

“Skipper! We need all hands!” came the figure’s voice- seemingly unable to hide the mild panic in their voice.

“Alright, I’m coming. Stay here, kid, you’ll be safe,” said the man, who let the boy go as he stood up.

“Wait no- don’t leave me!” the boy yelled, sitting up and looking out toward the blonde man as he pushed his bandana up to keep his hair out of his face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as I can!” the man said over the din of the rain, heading for the door. He struggled to shut it, leaving the young boy alone as the storm raged outside.

The world went dark around him, illuminated only by the flash of lightning outside.

⚡︎ ⋆.˚

He didn’t know how much time passed since he was left alone in the cabin. He didn’t notice as his hair started to stand on end, trapped in a daze until he heard even more commotion out on deck. There was a strange electricity in the air right before lightning flashed, the ship shuddering as thunder cracked through the air. The man who had been been caring for him burst into the room, bracing himself in the doorway for a moment before moving forward towards him.

“No time to explain- we need to get into a lifeboat,” he shouted over the storm, his steps changing as his waist moved with the boat- keeping himself upright with practiced ease. He hurried over and lifted the boy onto his back. “Wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist, I need to be able to use my hands,” the sailor said over the roar outside.

Once the kid grabbed on, the sailor grabbed the blanket from his bed and threw it around the boy on his back to give him some kind of cover from the rain. The boy held on tight as the sailor carried him outside, his head covered by the blanket- not that the blanket did much. It was soaked before they even got to the lifeboat. The sailor slid across the water-logged deck, but caught himself from falling by grabbing onto a nearby rope. The wind whipped the blanket away from the kid, blowing out to sea before it could be caught.

“Skipper! Lifeboat is ready to be launched!” yelled one of the crew members from where he stood at the side of the deck.

Skipper could make out the figures of the rest of the crew crossing the deck. He had to time the waves, waiting for the right moment to run across the open deck. He thought he timed it right, but the ship pitched beneath them and sent Skipper sliding toward the rail of the ship. His legs went out from under him, but he managed to twist himself around so he wouldn’t land on the boy he was carrying. He managed to scrambled back up to his feet, grabbing onto the railing and pulling himself back up. Skipper gritted his teeth as he pulled himself along. He promised this kid he would be okay. He said there was nowhere safer he could be. Skipper JUST pulled him from the open ocean, he couldn’t let him just fall back in again.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side. They were overboard and hitting the sea before Skipper could even process what happened.

Skipper grabbed onto the boy, holding him tight as he followed the bubbles around them to the surface. He gasped in air and water as they surfaced, spinning in the water to find the ship. He saw the lifeboat lowering, fighting the waves to get to it. The sailor grabbed the edge of the boat, using all of his strength to haul the two of them in. The rest of the crew was still on deck, so the lifeboat could stay secured to the boat while Skipper and the boy got back to it. They started to haul the lifeboat back up, however when they were a few feet above the water Skipper heard a snap, holding the boy tight to his chest as the ropes gave way, dropping the lifeboat into the water.

They landed in the water with a crash and a desperate pray to Hylia they would make it out of this alive.

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔:⋆࿐ ࿔:･*

Skipper wasn’t sure when he lost consciousness, but he woke up on the warm sand of a beach, still sheltering the boy. He could feel him breathing, but it seemed he still hadn’t woken up yet. Skipper sat up, pulling his headband from his hair and wringing out the leftover sea water. He wrapped it around his wrist rather than put it back in his hair.

The sailor stood up, looking around the area to see if there was any indication of where he was or if there was any sort of civilization around. As far as he could see was just beach, but he saw a cluster of seabirds circling over something he couldn’t see. Skipper knelt down, lifting up the still-unconscious boy onto his back, letting his arms hang over his shoulders. Skipper hooked his arms under the kid’s legs to support him and set off.

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

Start | Previous | Next

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

After Skipper and Mirage got back to Armes’ house, the sailor had the boy get a bucket of water so he could show him how to wash the shells and line them up to dry so they wouldn’t end up smelling later on.

As those dried, Skipper asked Armes if he could have some twine, a block of wood, and some nails. He promised to pay him back for the supplies once he was able to- though he wasn’t exactly sure when or how that would happen. Maybe he’ll offer to go fishing for their host, if he could figure out how to make Mirage comfortable with it.

The boy in question sat on the porch next to Skipper, watching him hammer nails at even intervals across the top of the block of wood. He tied one end of the twine to one nail, then weaved it around the others. He showed Mirage how to knot the rope together to create a net before sliding the block over to let Mirage give it a try, helping him figure out how to tie a neat lark’s head knot in the twine and letting the boy take over.

Skipper smiled and leaned back against the doorframe as he watched Mirage tie knot after knot. The tension melted away from his shoulders as he worked, and from the slight smile on his lips it seemed he was enjoying the repetitive motions. Skipper had found a lot of comfort in knot-tying as well, finding it meditative and relaxing. The kid would need his own bag to carry his shells and treasures in, and Skipper had a feeling Mirage would find his own kind of peace in the action as well. That wasn’t accounting for the pride someone feels while holding something they made with their own two hands.

If Mirage enjoyed making the bag, maybe he would try and find somewhere he could buy his own twine. Skipper could try to get another block of wood in the same size and carve a channel down the middle to protect the nails the twine attached to. If he did it right, he could even make it so Mirage could leave unfinished nets on it and just wrap it around the two blocks to hold them together if he needed to stop before it was done.

Skipper thought it would be best if they kept their possessions light and easy to move. He had a feeling the pair of them weren’t going to get to stay here for long.

⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚☁︎ ˚｡⋆

Later that evening, his instincts were confirmed when the Village Head came strolling down the beach.

Skipper, Mirage, and Armes were sitting around the fire eating porgies Skipper caught from a shoal near the dock. Once again Mirage was close at Skipper’s side, his mismatched eyes looking into the fire as he ate- though they kept flitting toward the porch where his unfinished net waited for him. Skipper had made him take a break to eat and let his fingers rest, so they joined Armes at the fire.

Armes had been getting ready to catch the fish off the dock to catch for dinner, but Skipper offered to take over. Armes tried to deny him at first, but Skipper waved him off.

“It’s really the least I can do. I don’t mind at all,” he said, taking the net from the villager.

Mirage stayed on the beach at the edge of the water while he watched Skipper walk down the dock, net in hand. The sailor took his time lining himself up with the shoal of porgies before he tossed the net. The rope slapped against the water, startling the fish. Unfortunately for them, Skipper had them netted before they had a chance to escape.

Mirage sat almost glued to Skipper’s side as he prepared the fish to roast. Skipper hadn’t gone far out onto the dock, and the weather was perfectly clear, but it seemed the trauma from being lost on the ocean and shipwrecked in a strange country must go pretty deep. Maybe it would be best for the boy if they went inland… But what if Tetra and the crew found their way to Lurelin Village somehow?

The sailor was still mulling this over when they were approached by the Village Head, who greeted them pleasantly.

“Good evening to you all,” he said politely as he walked up to their fire.

“Good evening, Village Head,” Skipper replied, looking up at the elderly man, but glancing down at Mirage as the boy moved closer against his side.

Armes stood as the Village Head walked up to them. “Good evening! Is there something I can help you with?”

“Actually, I came to ask if you would take a trip to Lakeside Stable. I requested some supplies from the merchant there, and he sent word that he would be arriving there in two days. I was wondering if you would go meet him there. And, Skipper, I was hoping you could go with him,” the Village head explained, looking over towards the sailor when he addressed him.

Skipper blinked in surprise. “Me? I’m more than happy to, considering how much I owe you. But, may I ask, why me?” he asked, tilting his head as he looked up at the elderly man.

The man let out a sigh, shaking his head. “It seems a new monster camp has cropped up near the roadside on the way to the stable. Monsters tend to stay in their camps, but it does still make it more dangerous. A sword washed up on the beach not long after you showed up here. If it is yours, or if you’re comfortable with one, would you please accompany Armes?” the Village Head asked, producing a sword from behind his back and holding it out toward Skipper with unsteady hands.

Skipper looked up at the sword being offered to him, gasping and handing Mirage his fish as he scrambled to his feet. “Sea Splitter! Oh I’d recognize my baby anywhere,” he said, taking the blade with a grin.

The blade he held was a large cutlass, with a razor-sharp edge forged from steel with an odd, intricate design of grey swirls and spirals that was difficult to describe. The hilt was gold in color, with a handle wrapped in worn red leather. Dangling from the end was a short string of beads on braided cord- green, purple, orange, and blue. On the end was a charm with the symbol of the Rito carved into it and painted red and gold.

Skipper leaned his forehead against the blade, smiling and feeling a surprising amount of tension he didn’t even know he was holding melt away from his body. He didn’t realize how on edge he had been without his blade- one Tetra had forged custom for him after their adventure. He had grown too tall to wield the Hero’s Sword, and the Master Sword was at rest under the Great Sea in the forehead of Hyrule’s greatest evil.

Besides, what kind of pirate didn’t have a cutlass?

“I’m sorry for keeping it from you for so long. I hope you understand the need for caution when two strangers wash up on your shores. Our kingdom has been through a lot, so we must take great care to protect ourselves,” the Village Head explained, looking apologetically up at the sailor.

“Oh, no! There’s no need for you to feel sorry. I completely understand being cautious, and I’m grateful you trust me enough to return it,” Skipper said, holding his cutlass to his chest as he bowed to the Village Head.

“Lift your head, there’s no need to bow to a humble man like me,” the man said, chuckling and patting Skipper on the shoulder. “Now, the stable is about six hours away. If you leave midmorning tomorrow, you should reach there by evening. I have some sleepover tickets here. They’ll let you stay the night for free with these,” he added, pulling some purple slips of paper from his pocket and handing them to Armes.

Skipper felt something tug at his sleeve and looked down, finding himself looking into the mismatched eyes of his charge.

“Can I go with you?” he asked, his voice quiet and on the verge of panic.

“Of course you can,” the sailor replied, wrapping his free arm around the boy and pulling him close. “You’ll just have to be careful alright? I don’t want those monsters to hurt you,” Skipper added, looking down at the boy.

Mirage looked up at him, then over at the table beside the treasure chest, which held a broadsword and a short sword. He pointed at them before turning to look back at the Village Head.

“Can I use one of those? I know how to wield one. And then you don’t have to worry about me as much,” Mirage asked, looking up at Skipper.

“The Savior doesn’t often need them, so as long as Skipper is okay with it, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” replied the Village Head.

Skipper frowned slightly. He didn’t necessarily like the idea of putting the boy in danger, even if he was armed. He did have to admit, though, he would feel a little better if the boy could defend himself somehow. Besides, it wasn’t like he could really judge someone for knowing swordplay at that age. He was probably barely older than Mirage when he took down Ganondorf.

Finally, he sighed and nodded, granting permission for the young boy to pick up a blade.

At least he went for the short sword.

ִֶָ☾.࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

After they finished speaking with the village head, Skipper and Mirage went back to the porch. Skipper helped Mirage finish the net, then showed him how to fold it and knot the sides to make a bag. As Mirage finished that, Skipper braided together lengths of twine to create a drawstring, and tied it off with a simple slip knot.

Once the bag was done, Mirage loaded it with his now-dry treasures and the pair headed inside to sleep. It was still early in the night, but Skipper thought it would be best to get as much sleep as possible if they were going to spend six hours walking the next day.

☀︎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The sun rose on a cool, crisp morning. A breeze blew in off the water as it was warmed by the sun. Birdsong slowly filled the air, interspersed with the distant cry of seagulls.

Skipper woke first, yawning as he slowly became aware of the world around him. He rubbed one eye and tried to sit up, but felt a weight pressed against his side. He looked down, smiling softly when he saw Mirage tucked up against him. He must’ve moved closer after Skipper fell asleep- whether intentionally or not was up for debate.

Just as Skipper was trying to decide if he should stay where he was or if he should try and slide out from under Mirage, a seagull let out a loud, shrieking cry from overhead.

“Marin!” Mirage shouted, sitting bolt upright with a gasp, looking ready to bolt right out the door.

Skipper caught him, pulling him gently into his side. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, you just had a bad dream,” he reassured, recognizing that lost, glazed look in Mirage’s eyes.

Skipper had seen it in Tetra’s too many times- just as she’d seen it in his.

Mirage struggled at first, but slowly let himself be soothed. He leaned into Skipper’s arms, clutching at his tunic. Skipper held him, humming quietly and tucking the boy’s head under his chin. They stayed like that for a while, until Mirage was ready. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Skipper ruffled his hair- one last reassurance before they got ready.

Skipper buckled his cutlass around his waist, resting his hand on the hilt. He almost felt whole again now that he had his sword back. Almost. There was still a Tetra-sized hole missing.

He tried his best to smooth his hair into some sort of manageable mass, but ended up admitting defeat and simply pushing it all back with his headband.

Thankfully for Mirage, Armes managed to locate a sheath and belt that fit the short sword he was borrowing. Skipper didn’t like how rusted and decayed the blade looked, but Armes had sheepishly explained that pristine weapons were hard to come by after the Upheaval. Skipper would just have to consider himself lucky for having his own cutlass back.

Once Mirage had buckled the sword around his waist, he carefully attached his twine pouch to it. Skipper helped him make sure it was secure, and couldn’t help but smile at the pride and care reflected in the boy’s dual-colored eyes.

The pair walked out together and down the beach to where Armes was waiting for them at the entrance of the village. He waved to them, calling out a good morning.

“Are you both ready?” he asked, setting his fists on his hips and smiling.

Skipper nodded, returning his smile. “Yes, we’re all set.”

“Alright, then let’s go!”

Start | Previous | Next

𓅰 𓅬 𓅭 𓅮 𓅯

Armes was an excellent storyteller.

The net laid on their laps- forgotten as they became engrossed in Armes’ story. Lurelin had always been a peaceful village, far removed from the apocalyptic events of Central Hyrule- something called the Calamity and the Upheaval?- so many people considered it one of the safest settlements in the kingdom.

When the Upheaval happened, a lot more monsters appeared across the kingdom, and it wasn’t long before they came for Lurelin. They sailed up through the bay on a massive ship- bigger than they’d ever seen- and overran the village. The pirates were a mix of bokoblins and lizalfos, commanded by a colossal boss bokoblin, dancing on board and blowing a giant horn that echoed off the cliffs surrounding the village.

The Villagers didn’t stand a chance. None of them were fighters, after all. They were just simple fishermen. The village head called for them to evacuate immediately. It was so hasty none of them had any time to take any of their personal belongings without risking their lives. Most of them had never left Lurelin before, but luckily there was a stable about 6 hours West of the village. From there they ended up scattered all over the kingdom- some went to Lookout Landing or Gerudo Desert, some had family in Hateno and so went there.

Armes told them that he, stupidly, decided to try to sneak by the monsters to his home to get more clothing. Some time had passed, so he hoped maybe they wouldn’t be all over the village. He figured even if he couldn’t get to his home, he would be able to give the village head an update on what the pirate monsters were doing. He had managed to get to the Village Head’s home before he got too scared about alerting the monsters and decided to take refuge in his home, barricaded behind boxes out of sight.

From there, he was able to see some of the damage done to their village by the pirates. Every building was destroyed. Roofs were caved it, walls were ripped apart to use as firewood. There was food waste rotting everywhere, cluttered around small groups of monsters around fires. It was terrifying, and he had no idea how long he would be trapped there.

Honestly, he didn’t think he would make it out alive. If he didn’t die from lack of food or water, he would probably be clubbed by a Bokoblin, or eaten by a Lizalfos.

Just as he was losing hope, he arrived.

Silent as a fox, the savior of their village flitted between the skeletal remains of buildings and rubble. He came in the night, so many of the monsters were sleeping. A silver-blue blade seemed to glow in the dark of the night, glinting in the moonlight each time it sliced through the air. He felled beast after beast, moving methodically from one fire to the next through the village. He even climbed on top of buildings to get a vantage point to shoot arrows straight through the foreheads of the sentries so they couldn’t alert the other monsters to his presence.

The monsters were gone by dawn, and their village was saved.

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

“He even helped with the restoration of Lurelin! A construction worker moved into our village a few months before, so they worked together to rebuild the village. We all owe him a great debt,” Armes finished his story, a proud smile on his lips. “We’ll never pay off the debt we owe him, but leaving him things in the chest or offering our services for free is our way of trying.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, when did all of this happen? You talk about it like it’s recent,” Skipper asked curiously, his head tilted.

It had been a fascinating story to hear, told like old folklore. But if Armes claimed to be a witness, it couldn’t have been that long ago, could it?

Armes thought for a moment, tapping his chin. “Hmm… I think it was maybe three or four years ago now?”

Skipper looked surprised to hear it happened so recently. “So does he still regularly come around?” he asked, tilting his head as he looked over at Armes.

“Yes! Him and his companion come once or twice a fortnight,” Armes said with a nod and a smile.

“His companion?”

“He usually has another man traveling with him. I think they might be brothers but I’m not sure,” Armes explained, shrugging.

“Huh, interesting,” Skipper replied, looking thoughtful.

Mirage leaned into Skipper’s side, picking at the net as the two men spoke. He had looked interested during the story, but now he mostly looked bored. Skipper glanced down at him, catching the expression on the boy’s face. He smiled fondly down at him, figuring maybe it would be a good idea to let him run around for a bit. He watched Mirage pick a shell out of the sand before setting his hand on the boy’s head.

“Do you want to go shell hunting?” he asked the boy.

Mirage looked up at Skipper, excited at first but hesitating after a moment. “Will you come too?”

Skipper smiled and nodded, ruffling his hair. “Of course. No one hunts seashells better than I do,” he said, poking Mirage in the side.

Mirage squeaked but laughed, grabbing Skipper’s hand and pulling him onto his feet.

𓆉⋆.˚𓇼⋆.˚𓆟

Within minutes the pair were down the beach, combing through the sands for good shells.

Armes had let them borrow a pouch made from thick fibers loosely woven together- allowing sand and water to run through. Mirage walked along the edge of the water, picking shells from the sand but refusing to let his feet get wet. Skipper couldn’t help but notice this, and there was no doubt in his mind the boy must be terrified of the water. After all Mirage had been through, who could blame him?

Despite this, Skipper would consider himself a failure as a man of the sea if he didn’t do something about this. He would never force Mirage to go into the water, or drag him back onto a boat against his will, but he could at least show the boy the water wasn’t something to fear on its own. Just because a fear was valid, didn’t mean it had to be consuming.

The sailor turned from Mirage’s side and stepped into the water- his trousers already rolled up over his knees. He walked up to his ankles, looking down through the water as he trudged through it.

“What are you doing?” Mirage asked, gasping and flinching away from the water as Skipper stepped into it.

Skipper looked over at Mirage and smiled. “Well, where better to look for shells than in the water?”

Mirage frowned, dark freckles standing out against sun-kissed skin, mismatched eyes cast downward at the waves lapping at Skipper’s ankles. Skipper’s smile turned from amusement to relief. The boy was doing much better now than the first time he saw him. His skin was no longer blistered- though it was still peeling in several places. His face was back to a healthy color, and he looked less skin-and-bones than he had when Skipper pulled him from the sea. He knew it couldn’t have been more than a week since they found each other, but the emotional investment he already had in the boy’s wellbeing couldn’t be overstated.

Skipper looked down and saw something glint in the sunlight from where it was half-buried in the sand. He reached down, digging it out and rinsing off the sand in the water. He stood upright as he inspected it, then grinned and walked over to Mirage, placing a spiral-shaped shell that shimmered iridescent in the sunlight. It almost looked like it was made from opal in place of a standard shell. Mirage’s eyes went wide as he looked down at the beautiful treasure in his hands.

The young boy closed his fingers around the shell and looked out at the water again, biting his lip. He looked up at Skipper as the older sailor outstretched his hand toward Mirage. His body tensed as he looked from Skipper’s hand back to the water, then back to Skipper’s hand. After a few hesitant moments, he reached out and took Skipper’s hand, gripping it tight even as his fingers shook.

Skipper gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, holding it tight as Mirage stepped into the water with his new protector.

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅

The pair returned to the village a few hours later. Mirage’s pouch was full of shells and other little treasures he had found. He felt wiped out- tired enough to eat dinner and go to bed.