Seagulls flew in the sky, and dolphins splashed among the waves; it was a beautiful, warm, sunny day out on the open seas. Link stood on the bow of the S.S. Linebeck as the captain and Ciela were below deck, navigating the ship. Today was the day they were going to forge the Phantom Sword and save Tetra! Tetra was a close friend of Link's and after a series of misfortunate events, he was separated from Tetra and her pirates, and landed in a sticky situation himself. Luckily, upon finding what was called the Ghost Ship, he was able to find her … however, she was completely turned to stone. Now, from the help of a friendly fairy and a greedy sailor named Linebeck, they're going to do everything in their power to change Tetra back!
Link turned as he heard a tingling in the air, Ciela had flown up from below deck and whirred around Link's head. He gave her a smile and a wave. Ciela bounced around Link happily and fluttered beside him as the duo watched the ocean together.
"Linebeck kept bossing me around," Ciela explained, "he kept asking me to do a bunch of things that are impossible for a fairy! He's insane with the requests he asks sometimes!"
Link let out a small chuckle, that's Linebeck for you.
"I know he tries, and I know we must be hard to keep around … I mean he could have kicked us off of his boat at any time, but instead he keeps us and I don't understand why. All I've been is ungrateful to him …'
Link looked at Ciela sadly and she turned to him. "Oh, no, don't worry about me Link! I'm fine! I'm just ranting is all. No need to be sad about me!"
Link smiled and nodded at Ciela. They both looked out to sea and Ciela looked to Link. "Do you ever think about your family?" Link replied with a nod, and looked down sadly. "Is Tetra your family? Like a sister or something?" Link shook his head. "She's just a friend?" Link nodded again to the smaller fairy and she beamed happily.
"That's so nice that you'd go out of your way to help her, and you're not even related! That's some true courage if I've ever seen it! She's gonna be happy to see you again, Link!" Link turned away, blushing a bit. He had been sailing with Tetra and her pirates for over a year now, and she really did feel like an older sister to him .He couldn't wait to go back to them, however, he was having a lot of fun sailing with Ciela and Linebeck too. Choosing between the two would be hard for sure.
Suddenly, the boat hit a current in the ocean, causing the boat to bounce. Link lost his footing and fell to the deck. He'd never be able to get used to the sensation of being on the water; It's always so bumpy and it's easy to lose grip. He stood back up and looked up at Ciela, laughing a bit.
"That clumsy idiot! If he's not careful, he's going to send you over the railing and into the ocean!" Ciela cried. "He needs to be more careful!"
Link shook his head, insisting that it was fine. He looked over the bow to see if there was a current they were stuck in. Suddenly, there was a big thud, and the boat jerked backwards, sending Link flying over the railing. He landed with a loud splash in the water, and Ciela looked overboard, calling out Link's name.
"What on earth is happening out there?!" Linebeck yelled from below deck. These two were becoming quite the nuisance.
"I don't know, you tell us! You're the one driving this thing! You sent Link overboard!" Ciela replied back.
In a moment, Linebeck was on the deck and saw Link making his way back to the boat. Linebeck rolled his eyes at him and crossed his arms.
"Going for a swim? Come on kid, we're burning daylight!"
"You're the one who sent him over, Linebeck!" Ciela exclaimed.
"We hit something-" Linebeck insisted, "Probably a reef or something. My ship better not be damaged!"
Ciela barked back at him, "You were the one driving!"
Link laughed. It was honestly pretty funny hearing them bicker. They could never make up their mind and agree on something. They sounded like an old married couple, although Link dared not say that to either of them. He'd be dead for sure if that came out of his mouth.
Once Link was within reaching distance, Linebeck kneeled down and reached his hand out to grab Link and pull him up. Before Link could grab hold, he felt something tug at his arm. Before he could realize what it was, his eyes widened and he was pulled beneath the ocean.
"What the- kid!" Linebeck cried out. "Link!"
"Link!" Ciela screamed.
Link resurfaced, a good distance away from the boat. He frantically looked around at the ocean to see what had done that. Suddenly, he felt a searing pain in his arm. The ocean around him began to turn a crimson red and he was pulled beneath the waves again. A few seconds passed and he'd resurface, screaming and looking to the boat for help.
Linebeck's eyes widened. "Oh goddesses ..."
"What are you waiting for?!" Ciela cried, "Get in there and save him!"
Linebeck stood completely still, shaking in fear. What was he suppose to do? He couldn't swim! What's worse, whatever was attacking Link was still out there somewhere. For all he knew it could be a giant Gyorg attacking Link. He gulped and looked into the water, it's beautiful blue turning a dark, terrible red.
Ciela rammed into Linebeck's back and he lost his balance, falling forward into the water. He let out a scream as he was flung forward and tossed in, hitting the water with a splash. He resurfaced, splashing about frantically, coughing up water that he had swallowed upon impact.
"Listen! You're the only one who can physically get him, Linebeck!" Ciela cried.
"You stupid fairy!" he cried, "I can't swim!" Linebeck struggled to stay afloat as he flailed towards Link. He looked to be dead weight in the water. That Gyorg could be anywhere now, and here was, flailing like an idiot out on the open sea, and a near unconscious Link laying there helpless.
He reached Link finally, and Link, with all of his might, grabbed hold of Linebeck's shoulders with his unaffected arm. Honestly, seeing Linebeck trying to struggle to swim would have been a funny sight … if the circumstances were different. Now both of their lives were in danger.
Linebeck swam for his life. Not knowing how to swim, and keeping both him and the heavy kid on his back afloat was proving to be a struggle. Link opened his eyes and saw the beast coming up right behind him. With the hand he held onto Linebeck, he tugged at Linebeck's coat weakly, trying to get his attention. Linebeck turned around and saw a Gyorg coming right at them! Linebeck screamed and without thinking, kicked his leg right at the beast's snout. The Gyorg roared in agony, and this gave the duo time to get away.
He finally reached the edge of the boat and began to pull himself up onto it. Link began losing grip and slid back into the ocean. At this point, he was unconscious. Both Linebeck and Ciela quickly grabbed hold of him and yanked him back onto the ship. Linebeck sat there, completely out of breath, he looked out into the ocean and saw the fin of the beast circling the boat before it disappeared into the water. They were finally safe.
"Linebeck … l-look at him …" Ciela said, shaking. Linebeck looked down at Link and they both stared in horror.
Blood was seeping from Link's arm, or, at least where his arm once was. All that remained was torn flesh and all the gruesome parts from the inside of his arm poking out. The wooden deck beneath them began to turn a dark mahogany color. Linebeck stared in awe at Link, and he shook in fear. He couldn't believe this. How could this have happened. He was convinced that this was all his fault this had happened.
"Linebeck, what are you waiting for!?" Ciela shouted, ramming into his head, "Stop the bleeding! Take off your coat and wrap it around his arm!"
Linebeck, one to usually argue back at the fairy, could only bear to nod. He removed his soaking big blue trench coat and began to wrap it tightly around the stub that remained. The coat was thick enough, so perhaps it would stop some of the bleeding from happening. However, since it was already wet from water, how well would it soak up the blood. He loved this coat, it was something that his father had passed down to him, but right now, he had to set those feelings aside. Once he tied off the sleeves and made sure it was tight, he backed away from the scene and looked down. Link and himself were sitting in blood. It was getting everywhere.
He didn't know what else to do. What could he do? There were no doctors that he knew of. If he didn't get Link medical attention, he would surely die. He panicked and picked Link up frantically. He brought him below deck to the hub of the ship and set him on one of the bunks in the room. Ciela followed suit.
"What're you doing?!" she cried, "Linebeck, answer me!"
"I- I don't know!" he replied, frantically, "We'll take him to Mercay or something! If we can get him there quick enough, he'll be ok!" Linebeck said, rushing frantically about the small cabin. He walked over to a small bucket filled with water. Inside was a wet rag. He picked it up and chucked it at the small fairy, hoping she would catch it. She dodged it and became furious with the sailor.
"Hey!" she cried, "What are you even doing?! Link is going to die! You're worthless!"
"I don't know the first thing about this, Sparkles!" Linebeck yelled back, "Stop yelling at me for once and let me think! You want the kid to live? Then help me by shutting up!"
Ciela became really quiet. She never heard him raise his voice that much. It scared her. She flew over to the rag and then over to Link where she shook the rag off of her face, perfectly landing on the boy's forehead. Link definitely looked worse for wear, and they were running out of time. She looked back at Linebeck, who had finally gone to the steering wheel. The boat jerked aggressively and they were on their way to Mercay Island, where they could hopefully find someone to help Link.
Ciela left Link's side and flew over to Linebeck. She saw a look of worry on his face. No, a look of regret. The poor man trembled and looked as if he was going to fall apart. Ciela looked between him and Link, unknowing of what to do.
"What do we do once we get to Mercay …?" she asked quietly.
"We find someone to fix him up. If not we bring him to Oshus. He'll know to do." Linebeck said sternly, and matter-of-factly.
"Grandpa wouldn't know how to fix something like this …" Ciela said sadly. "This is beyond any of us …"
Linebeck's grip on the steering wheel tightened. They were going to Mercay. They were going to find Link a doctor. He was going to be alright.
"Sparkles," Linebeck started. His voice sounded angry. He paused for a moment and let out a sigh. Not an angry sigh, or a sigh of relief. It sounded like he had been defeated. "Just … go make sure the kid's gonna be ok … Please."
"Ok, Linebeck …" Ciela replied, fluttering away to keep an eye on Link. She looked towards him once again, a tingling noise echoing through the room.
"You know … I'm sure Link really appreciates all of this. You … you've really stepped up and took charge. You're a hero. It's nice, Linebeck."
Linebeck opened his mouth, ready to reply with a witty retort. However, nothing came out. He closed his mouth, sighed, and nodded to Ciela. That's all he could muster. For now, they had to get Link to Mercay Island.
The ship pulled into port and nearly slammed into the dock. Ciela flew on ahead to tell Oshus they were coming. They had decided none of them knew where to find a medic on the island, and going to him would be the best bet. Linebeck carefully picked Link up and, careful not to undo the coat around his arm, and they ran off towards Oshus' house.
Oshus was inside his small house, The Ocean King had made his true appearance known to the others a while back. He was sure they were on their way to forge the Phantom Sword by now. Soon, they'd take Bellum's power back and peace would be restored to the world. Or, at least, that's what he had hoped for. He heard panicked voices calling for him outside and wondered what it could be. The closer they got, he recognized the voices - it was Ciela and Linebeck. He rushed out the door and saw them running down the dirt road towards his house, and what looked like to be a sleeping Link in Linebeck's arms.
"Ciela, Linebeck, what's all the ruckus about?" the Ocean King asked, "What happened to the lad?"
"Linebeck sent Link flying into the ocean and he got attacked by a monster! His … his arms gone!" Ciela cried.
"Sparkles!" Linebeck screamed at her, "Instead of blaming me for what happened-"
Oshus stepped closer, examining Link, and the two stopped their bickering. Linebeck looked down sadly at the kid, as Oshus peeled part of the coat away to examine Link's arm. Linebeck felt a burning sensation in his arms from having carried him for a while. He looked at Oshus with worried eyes.
"Is he going to be ok, old man …?" Linebeck asked, "I … I came to you because I figured-"
Oshus turned away, waving his staff for them to follow. "Enough of your babbling, Linebeck. Bring him inside. You too Ciela."
Linebeck and Ciela nodded and followed Oshus into his home. Ciela would've loved to be home, but right now, she needed to help however she could. She followed Linebeck and Oshus into one of the bedrooms and saw Linebeck set Link down on one of the beds.
"He's lost a lot of blood, Linebeck," Oshus said worriedly. "You're lucky he's still breathing."
"I didn't know what else do to!" Linebeck argued back, "I hoped the coat would stop the bleeding but …" Linebeck sighed angrily, "I try to help and I don't get any appreciation."
Oshus turned to Linebeck, "You want appreciation for saving the lad? It should be a given that you'd do this for him. You're his caretaker now. If he dies, his blood is on your hands, Linebeck." he said in a serious tone.
In a huff, Linebeck turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Ciela watched as he left and then flew over to Oshus, who was preparing bandages and everything he needed to save Link.
"Is he going to be alright, grandpa?" Ciela asked. "He doesn't look too good …"
"Perhaps." Oshus replied, "Right now, I need some room to work, Ciela. You and Linebeck go wait for me to finish, please."
Ciela nodded. Oshus opened the door for her and she flew out, hearing the door lock behind her. She looked around the main room and saw Linebeck nowhere. She checked the extra rooms and saw no sign of him anywhere. Finally, she looked out the front door and saw him sitting on the front stairs, head buried in his arms. She flew over to him, a tingling noise let him knew she was coming.
"Are you okay …?" she asked. "Linebeck …?"
Linebeck kept his head buried in his arms. He didn't respond to her. He seemed motionless. She had never seen him like this before. It was definitely strange and saddening seeing him like this. She flew in front of his face and bobbed her body against the top of his head.
"Linebeck, please, answer me." she said quietly.
"Go away, Sparkles." he mumbled. "Don't you want to help Oshus?"
"He sent me away. He needs time and quiet to help Link." she explained. She fluttered next to him, ignoring his wishes for her to leave.
Moments passed in silence and finally, Linebeck uttered words.
"It's my fault," he croaked, "This happened because of me. It's like you said before, I'm worthless."
"I … I didn't mean-" Ciela's stuttering was cut off by Linebeck.
"You didn't mean to say it?" he asked, raising his head from his arms, "Well, you did. And you know what? You were completely right."
"Linebeck …"
"All my life I've been stingy and a coward," he explained, "I finally show courage and save the damn kid's life, and what do I get? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"You … you wanted something in turn for saving Link's life?" Ciela asked.
"Yes? I- I don't know." Linebeck buried his head again and sighed, "No. I don't. I just want him to be alright …"
"We all do … it's not just you." she sighed, "You know, I stick by what I said earlier-"
"About me being worthless?" Linebeck asked.
"No!" she yelled, "About you being a hero! You saved Link's life, and I'm sure he'll be extremely grateful."
"If I hadn't hit that Gyorg, then this wouldn't have happened in the first place." he replied. "If I …"
He sighed and brought his head up. He shook his head to the side and stood up, walking off, away from Ciela.
"Where are you going?" Ciela asked, "Linebeck!"
He didn't answer. He had to get away for now. Ciela's constant whining was giving him a headache. He couldn't stand to be around any of them right now. And the thought of Link dying because of him filled him with so much regret. He needed to be ok. He had to.
Hours passed and stars dotted the night sky. Mercay Island was at peace, After spending some time at the ship for some well deserved peace and quiet, Linebeck started on his way back to the house, He felt tired, and every part of his body ached from attempting to swim. His eyes felt like they would close and he would pass out in the middle of the road. He was exhausted.
Eventually, Oshus' house came into view, and he saw a bright, yellow light on the steps, presumably Ciela. He got closer and saw Oshus sitting next to her. The duo heard footsteps coming up the road and looked over to see Linebeck.
Everyone was quiet and Linebeck assumed the worst. He's dead … He thought, a lump growing in his throat. He's dead and it's all my fault. He stared at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with either of them.
"You can rest easy, Linebeck," Oshus said in a calming voice, "The lad is alright. He could be better, but, he'll live."
Linebeck suddenly looked at Oshus. A small, relieved smile overcome his face, "Really?"
Oshus nodded, "He's asleep right now. You can go inside and see him if you want."
Linebeck nodded and began up the stairs. Suddenly, Oshus spoke up as Linebeck got to the door.
"There was no way I could save his arm …" Oshus said quietly, "It was completely torn off." The Ocean King shook his head, "The child is going to be an amputee for the rest of his life."
Those words hit Linebeck like a bullet. Oshus could have just left it at what he said prior. Things would've been fine, but now the guilt was eating away at him even more now. He nodded and walked inside the house.
"Grandpa, how's Link going to defeat Bellum and save Tetra now?" she asked quietly. "That was his left arm … the one he used his sword with …"
Oshus closed his eyes, "I do not know, my dear. We can only hope for things to get better for the lad."
Ciela nodded, her wings drooping a bit. Oshus put his hand beneath her and gave her a warming smile. "Let's head back inside, yes?"
"Ok, Grandpa …"
Linebeck froze outside of the room. His hand hovered over the doorknob, but he couldn't bring himself to open it. He didn't know if he'd be able to see the kid in the state he was in. He sighed, and finally gathering up what small amounts of courage he had left, he walked inside.
He closed the door behind him and saw Link laying in the bed. His heart sank. He was just a kid. He didn't deserve any of this. He found a nearby chair and pulled it up next to the bed. Linebeck saw the stub of an arm that remained attached; it was covered in clean bandages. Link lay there, looking to be sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, something caught his eye. The box frame of the bed had Linebeck's blue coat draped on the side. He brought his hand to feel it. It was wet, but there weren't any visible blood stains anymore. Old man Oshus had washed it for him. He smiled, knowing Oshus meant well after all. That smile slowly disappeared as his eyes moved back to Link.
Linebeck looked at Link, and sighed. He felt horrible. His face looked pale, his tiny body was broken. He really messed this kid up. He crossed his arms on the side of the bed and buried his face in them. Seeing what he had caused, seeing what Link has to go through from now on, and it was all his fault. He felt like crying. Suddenly, he felt someone grab a hold of his shoulder. He looked up and found a smiling Link looking at him, tired, but still smiling.
Seeing him smile like that, even considering the amount of pain he must've been in made Linebeck break down. He hugged Link, careful not to hurt him in any way. He was warm, the kind of warm someone feels like when they're sick. Linebeck's grip on the child tightened and he trembled, holding him in his arms. Link went to wrap his arms around the crying man when he noticed, he couldn't move his left arm. He looked down and noticed it was gone. His eyes became cloudy and filled with sadness. Not only because of his lost limb, but also because he could feel Linebeck shaking. The man who boasted about how brave he was- the man who was actually really selfish and care for no one but himself, was breaking down over him. He wrapped his right arm around his back and hugged him back.
"Kid- Link- I'm so sorry …" Linebeck said, his voice cracking, "It's my fault that this happened. It's my fault that your arm is …" he sighed a shaky breath, "I'm sorry …"
Link parted from the hug and Linebeck went back to a sitting position, wiping his eyes free of any tears. Link sighed and smiled, shaking his head. He knew it wasn't Linebeck's fault. Linebeck, looked away unable to make eye contact with Link. In an effort to show Linebeck he didn't care about all this, he placed his hand on top of the other's. He was fine, he was alive. Linebeck brought his other hand over and cupped the younger's hand in his own.
"Link, I promise," he said shakily, "I'm going to change. Well, I'm going to try at the very least …"
Link let out a quiet chuckled and rested his head against the pillow behind him. He felt tired, and his arm was hurting. He closed his eyes, and even though he was in pain, he felt content. He was alive. Suddenly, he remembered; Tetra was still a statue in Linebeck's ship, the sword still needed to be forged, Bellum was still on the loose. Link shot up, immediately without warning, scaring Linebeck. Link had moved so fast that his wound reopened and the bandages started to become damp with blood. Link took hold of his stub, and grunted in pain.
"Kid, why the hell did you do that?" Linebeck asked, reaching forward, "You opened your wound …"
He looked around the room to see if Oshus had left the bandages laying around. He finally found them in plain sight, sitting on the bedside table. He took the pin out that held Link's current bandages in place. Linebeck unravelled the old bandages and finally removed them. What he saw shocked him.
The stub from where his arm once was, was admittedly an ugly sight to see, but Linebeck couldn't say that to the kids face. Stitches were lined up that sewed his skin back together. One of the stitches had come loose, and blood began dripping again. Linebeck cringed, not wanting to do this anymore, but Oshus was away. He had to. He wrapped the bandages as neatly as he could around the wound, doubling over in some areas. Once done, he pinned off the bandages and set the extra aside.
"Listen, kid. I know you wanna get a move on, but you need to rest …" Linebeck said, "Trust me, I don't like staying in one place for very long either. But, you're hurt. We're staying here for as long as you need."
Link shook his head vigorously. He tried sitting up, and flinched as pain shot through his whole body. He sighed angrily and lay back down, feeling defeated. He looked up at Linebeck, almost pleading for them to leave as soon as possible.
"Don't look at me like that kid. We're staying and that's that." he said sternly.
A sad look came over Link, and he turned away from Linebeck to face the wall. It felt weird not to be able to bring his left arm over his body. Instead, the stub sat there uncomfortably.
Linebeck sighed and pulled the sheets up over Link. "Just try to get some rest." he said, "Tomorrow we'll see how you feel."
Link didn't respond. Not even a nod or anything. Great, Linebeck thought, now he's pissed at me. Linebeck stood up, and walked over to the candle at the bedside table. He blew it out and walked towards the door, opening it quietly.
"Night, kid …"
He closed the door, and as soon as he left, Link broke down. He wanted to help Tetra. He needed to get that sword forged. He HAD to defeat Bellum! How could he do all that when he's missing an arm. He knew Linebeck was miserable about what had happened, and he felt awful that Linebeck felt that way. How could he be a hero though, if he doesn't have the arm he fights with? He buried his face into his pillow, and although it took a while, he finally found the sleep he desperately needed.