Kingdom of Power, of Courage, and of Wisdom

Interlude - Lessons Learned

A few minutes later Link marched into the warrior's abode. Most of the warriors were asleep. The rest were either drunk or lazing about. At first he was not noticed, but after one elbowed another, he was. He met the anger coolly and waited. Before long the centurion marched in at the behest of a messenger, walked right up to Link, and slapped Link to the floor. Link spit out blood and rubbed his jaw. The blasted fish's skin was like sandpaper.

"You dare return after attacking one of our own!?" The centurion hissed in Qin's tongue.

'Careful.' Link reminded himself. He could not lose his temper or lose control of his tongue, not at least do so and hope to make it out of this. He needed to speak as Prise told him to. "Yes." Link said. "I attacked one of your men -err- warriors. I bit off a piece of his shoulder. He was drunk and crude and insulted my pride. So I took it back."

It was naturally a half-lie. Link did feel his pride insulted, but the trigger was seeing an innocent person hurt. Unfortunately these Zora understood pride, but would not be able to relate to the latter.

The centurion scoffed. "So you did." He looked to another warrior. Link recognized him as the one he bit. The Zora was clutching his shoulder where he was bandaged in a skin. "Is it true, were you dishonourable?"

The warrior in question replied in Zora-tongue, and Link could not understand the conversation any further. But he could tell by the warrior's hint of fear and hesitation, that he was either lying or caught in a lie or was making excuses for some part of this.

When the centurion rounded on the warrior and roared in his face, Link knew it was working. These people's currency was blood and honor. The warrior backed down. The centurion returned to speaking in the tongue of Qin, "He will have to live with the dishonour of challenging and losing to a child-huma. Your duel is accepted as a victory, such as it was. However... I cannot merely allow this taint to go without recompense. It was not a sanctioned duel, despite your response to insult. Two lashings for you."

'Great.' Link sighed. He despaired of the lashings, but hoped that he had drawn the attention of the matter away from Ruto.

"Is that alright with you, Siren?" The centurion asked. Link looked up to see Prise and Ruto were both in the entrance. Ruto yawned inside her face-clamp and rubbed her head sleepily.

Prise nodded.

Link did not resist as warriors took him and put him up against the wall. Warriors presented the centurion with a whip, and they tore his shirt. Everyone gasped, and Ruto squeaked in horror.

"Have you already whipped him?" Prise asked.

"I-no. I haven't." The centurion replied. Link turned around to note the centurion's surprise and shock.

"Have you now? Because that was not there before when he arrived. It looks to me like you have already made an example out of him." Prise walked up and touched Link's back. Link hissed in pain as the Siren dug a finger directly into a wound. "The blood is fresh, and the scabbing has only started."

A few of the warriors whispered amongst each other. Openly shocked, the centurion yelled something in Zora, then said in Qin, "Boy, did you sneak in and whip yourself?!"

"Why in the realms would a huma child whip himself?" Prise asked in reply. He looked around the room and spoke in Zora.

The talk was brief, and after he had spoken, the warriors looked to each other and backed down. The centurion nodded and handed off his whip. The warriors who held Link up let him go. Link rubbed his shoulders, for they had lifted him off the ground by his shoulders.

Ruto immediately rushed to his side and stopped. From how close she was to touching his back, as well as the open horror and fear in her eyes, she wanted to touch his back but at the same time didn't want to hurt him. It was quite a dilemma. Ironically, seeing it amused him. Link laughed. "Princess, I am okay! I'm okay! I mean, it hurts like Din fire, but it's all good now. Right?" He asked Prise. "Did you actually use your Gift on them?"