The Legend of Zelda: The Four Sacred Winds
Book One-The Legend Begins, Chapter I: A Real Man of the Sea
Outset Island-Roughly 3 Years after Wind Waker
It had been about two weeks since Orca's death during the shocking surpise raid. He had organized the island's defenses with crisp effectiveness, and had been a sight to behold spearheading the counterattack and the push to drive the monsters back. However, everything turned for the worse when the leader, a Darknut, turned and rallied while the monsters with him continued to retreat. The other scant few defenders had been balked by a large number of Morths that had been laid in their path, so Orca faced down the Darknut alone. It was an epic struggle-one blow Orca struck in particular managed to remove the Darknut's helmet. However...it was shortly after that that his age at last caught up with him. The Darknut disarmed him when he countered what was to be Orca's last harpoon strike, and slew him.
Aryll relived the whole thing while Orca's brother Sturgeon rambled through a slightly sardonic, though heartfelt eulogy. She hadn't been one of the defenders, but she, along with the other villagers who weren't capable of fighting had all seen that horrific moment that the Darknut's sword stuck through Orca's aged chest before it got away. Things turning for the worse had been a running theme in the Great Sea lately, Aryll thought as the eulogy reached an impassioned climax. The Moblins at the Fortress organizing again...the bizarre partial dismantling of that fortress that still seemed to be progressing rapidly was an omen of change, and not the good kind. Their island's was not the only Darknut-led raid in recent days, though it was the only one with a casualty...so far.
Aryll's face was grim. Tomorrow would be her birthday, and she would be the same age that her big brother was when he got the special outfit...and her being abducted had set a remarkable series of events in motion. It was slightly against tradition, as girls technically were not supposed to receive what had been dubbed the "Hero's Clothes" but she had asked her grandmother to make a set for her for tomorrow out of admiration for her brother. Originally, she planned to wear it just on her birthday, and then maybe a few times after that, for occasions where she could recount the tale of her rescue. Now, however, her plan was to put it on in a more symbolic way...and then follow in her brother's footsteps.
She had fashioned a wooden sword the very day after Orca's death, and practiced with it for hours at a time in secret. She had all the basic motions down, but hadn't quite mastered the Spin Attack and had no idea how to practice the Parry Attack for a lack of live targets and so could not do it at all. Of course, a wooden sword would be very little use anywhere she was likely to go-what she needed was the Hero's Sword. She was one of just a handful of Outset Islanders who knew that the one her brother left with was not the original one. Orca had fashioned a better blade that looked nearly identical, and gave it to him as a parting gift. The original Hero's Sword, he had hidden, but with all the preparations for today's funeral, there had been no opportunity to search his room for any clues. Tomorrow, that would hopefully end.
As for how to leave the island and go to others...Aryll was basically winging it and hoping a way would turn up. Quite a few people had come from other islands for the funeral-a few even came all the way from places like Windfall and Dragonroost islands. She'd pleaded with each and every one of them to stay a few days after so she could find the sword and either get permission to go with them or stow away, but it was no use. Still, one step at a time, she thought.
Orca was gone, and now buried. There had been some debate as to whether to dig a grave or send the coffin floating on the Great Sea, and in the end those arguing on the chances of the body being subject to indignities, such as the pecking of seagulls, won out. His harpoon had been converted into his grave marker. The crowd of mourners was dispersing-Aryll had no reason to remain. It was slow going back to the house-her grandmother had become even more frail over the past three years and now required assistance traveling even moderate distances from her house, or indeed her armchair. As soon as her needs were fully taken care of, Aryll dashed away from her grandmother toward Orca and Sturgeon's house, and into the lower entry, which had been Orca's room. She rummaged around in all the obvious hiding places, and a couple not so obvious ones, but found nothing. Despondent, she turned to leave-and saw Sturgeon blocking the doorway.
"Well if it isn't little Aryll. What could she be looking for? Perhaps this?" He waved the bottle with a message in it in his hand. "He said it was a clue to something important, something that should only be used by someone trustworthy. Now what do you suppose that could be?"
Aryll was having none of this teasing. "How long have you known what I've been up to?"
"Not the whole time, if that's any consolation. For the first week or so my grief prevented me from noticing a thing. Eventually though, I managed to spy on one of your little practice sessions. Of course, that was after I noticed the look in your eyes you've had lately...very much like your brother's on the day Tetra landed and he first claimed what you now seek."
Aryll blushed, taking the last remark as a compliment. "So...can I have the clue?"
"Certainly," said Sturgeon, uncorking the bottle and handing her the paper, "It may also interest you to know that a remarkably bizarre ship was sighted docking in Windfall yesterday, piloted by a man seeking this very island, among other things. At least, that's what I overheard from our visitors from there. If the time they said he departed was accurate, he should be arriving before the day is out. It seems fated to me...I'd get a move on finding that sword before meeting him if I were you-I seriously doubt you'll have a better chance to get passage to other islands than him. After all, he claims to have news of your brother, and to personally know him."
"Oh! If that's who it looks like it is...Big Brother wrote about him to me! You're right, I'll never have a better chance!" She carefully unrolled the paper-it was a map of the Fairy Woods at the top of the island, with an X marking a spot. Sturgeon, looking over her shoulder, said, "You'd better bring that wooden sword of yours along-the Bokoblins have been getting ornery ever since..." he trailed off.
"Okay...I'll be careful," said Aryll, rushing off to get her wooden sword. Once she got it, she made for the Fairy Woods. The tree barricade had been uprooted shortly after her brother left, for the woods had quieted completely. There hadn't been time since Orca's death to replant one-but now the funeral was done, this would not last. This would be her only chance.
She was harassed by a Miniblin or three along the way, but even her wooden sword had enough power to deal with them with ease. She came to the bridge, crossing carefully, and entered the woods. She unrolled the map again, and it seemed to her that the spot with the X would be easily reached. She found no resistance as she headed toward it-a fact that would have made her suspicious had she more experience. In due course, she reached a log that a person her size could crawl through-according to the map, the sword was hidden in the center of this natural tunnel. She entered, but didn't see anything-no sword, not even a rupee.
She emerged from the log on the other side-and found herself surrounded by a trio of Bokoblins. The two on either side of her grabbed her by the arms, and started carrying her off to who knows where. She struggled, but was not strong enough to break free. "Aaaaah! Big Brother!" she cried out. What am I doing? she thought, Big Brother isn't here...if I'm gonna be saved this time I'll have to do it myself. Then, she noticed something that made her mad-the 3rd Bokoblin, who seemed to be giving the two holding her orders, was wearing the missing Hero's Sword! She found reserves of strength she hadn't yet realized she had, and broke the Bokoblins' grip on her, backing away and drawing her wooden sword. Enraged, the two that had been holding her came at her-the one with the sword seemed more interested in barking orders while foaming at the mouth for the moment. Therefore, it was two on one, but their Boko Sticks were no better than Aryll's own weapon, and she was more skilled with hers. (This isn't saying much because, you know, Bokoblins.)
After a significant amount of bonks to the face each, the pair died with the usual poofs of dark magic. Only...was it her imagination, or did the color of the magic being released look different? She thought she was imagining it in the battle where Orca died, since she was seeing it at a distance then, but now she was sure of it. Before, the black smoke had a shadowy, purple tint to it, but now, that tint was closer to a deep, blood red.
She was given no further time to think on this, as the Bokoblin with the Hero's Sword now advanced on her. It was angry that its flunkies had been beaten, but was coming at her more confidently and less recklessly, its spirits buoyed by the sword in its hand and the thought of its superiority to her own weapon. Realizing this, Aryll's own spirits sank in proportion-a few too many blocks and her sword would surely break being put up against a proper one. She dodged, weaved, and maneuvered, looking for an opening. It came when her foe's confidence became overconfidence, and he readied a rather melodramatic thrust. Seizing her chance, she performed her first ever Parry Attack, and for what it was worth, she executed it perfectly, rolling behind him just as he made the thrust and striking with vigor. The force was enough to knock the Bokoblin flat. Unfortunately, it was also enough to snap her wooden sword in half. However, the Hero's Sword was now free of her enemy's grip and lay several yards away from his prone form. She scrambled to get to it before he got up. As she first picked it up, she couldn't help herself-she did her best imitation of her brother's "Item Get" pose. She thought she could almost hear a strange fanfare and a message "You got the Hero's Sword! ...But is this really the time?" in her head.
Meanwhile, the Bokoblin recovered. Now it was really steamed-it had lost its cohorts AND its shiny sword in one fell swoop. With its composure gone and a genuine sword in Aryll's hand, it was easily dispatched. Aryll quickly made her exit before more monsters would come, drawn by the commotion. Sturgeon greeted her at the place where the barricade would be. "I see you were successful-and not a moment too soon. That strange ship just docked-we'd better hurry, rumor has it he likes to make a grand entrance."
They hurried to the pier, and Aryll realized that Sturgeon wasn't kidding when he said the ship was "remarkably bizarre"-indeed, it was the oddest vessel she'd ever seen, and she'd seen one that could talk-but this one didn't even seem to have a sail! They reached the pier just as the ship's gangplank extended. The vessels owner walked out onto it-or more accurately, strode. His face was...rather unattractive, but the rest of him was not half bad, as it was totally covered in extremely elegant sailor clothes. He carried a cane that looked made of expensive wood, topped with a (undoubtedly glass facsimile of) purple rupee. "I, a real man of the sea, have arrived-do hold your applause," he said.
The reactions greeting this pronouncement were mixed at best. Aryll overheard the term "windbag" several times, as well as many general doubts to the truth of the man's rumored exploits and associations with their absent hero. At this, he became flustered...until he spotted Aryll. "Aha! You...you're his sister, aren't you? He told me a few things about you on our between temple voyages."
Aryll beamed. "That's me! Hiya Mr. Linebeck!"
At the mention of his name, Linebeck laughed gaily. "And I see he in turn has told you some things about me!"
"Yep! He wrote to me lots the first year after he left. The letters stopped for a while after the first few, but after that he told me all about his adventures in the Ocean King's realm...with you." Aryll's confirmation of this rumor quieted nearly all the gathered naysayers-and Linebeck took notice. Milking the moment, he went on, "Indeed so! I imagine I must have been mentioned in a lot of those letters. Just, erm...what exactly has he said about me?"
"Well..." Aryll hesitated, "his first mention of you said you were, quote, 'A pompous, egomaniacal buffoon who literally couldn't swing a sword to save his life, much less navigate a dungeon, and if I see any chance to hitch a boat ride with ANYONE else I'll take it'..." Linebeck looked crestfallen at this, and his detractors got a major second wind, laughing, but Aryll went on, "But his last letter said you'd changed a lot...that you only faked courage before, but that by the time he defeated Bellum, you really had it. That...you'd earned the title that you'd self proclaimed...'True man of the sea'."
"See? See?" said Linebeck to the naysayers, but this time, they weren't buying it. "But...but it's true!" Aryll said, "I still have the letter! Hang on, I'll go get it." She dashed to her room and dragged out the chest that she kept most of her treasures in-besides the entire collection of letters from Big Brother, there were a few other mementos as well as an actual purple rupee. She found the letter she was looking for, and as an afterthought, she took the purple rupee out as well. She heard another jingle, a different one, and another message in her head "You got a Purple Rupee! That's worth 50 Rupees. That's just great!"
She paused, considering, then brought out another, larger chest. This one had a treasure she valued too much to put it with the others. Light streamed from it as it opened, and when she took the contents, she found herself doing her brother's pose again, hearing the 1st jingle again along with ANOTHER mental message... "You got the Spyglass! This is your most precious belonging. Don't lose it!"
"There it is again..." she muttered, then hurried back to Linebeck. It was once again in the nick of time-the crowd now looked as though they'd be throwing rotten fruit at Linebeck if there had been any on hand. She opened the letter, and a hush fell as she began.
"Dear Sis,
I'm so glad to be writing you this letter, because it means that my latest quest is over, and I can finally send you all the letters I've stored away while on it. This is the final chapter of the story.
Linebeck piloted his ship, going toe to toe with the Ghost Ship, which was even more fearsome since Bellum had possessed it, at great risk to both his ship and himself, while I manned the guns. I would never have been able to handle piloting and shooting at that thing at the same time all by myself, but since we worked together, we managed to win and scuttle the Ghost Ship. But what happened next...I never expected it. Bellum had been weakened, but not destroyed. It latched on to Linebeck, and a final act of free will before being possessed, he threw the Phantom Sword over to me. Ciela, with her true powers awakened, lent me her power one last time, and I was able to vanquish Bellum once and for all. With that done, the Ocean King's power was restored, and he resumed his true, glorious form.
And so the time came for Linebeck to claim his wish as the Ocean King promised. Ciela, ever the snarker, assumed he was going to ask for treasure, and honestly I did too-he could've gotten piles and piles of it. But see...his ship had been sunk during Bellum's final ambush...and Linebeck wished it raised from the depths. It was then that I finally saw that this adventure had done him a world of good. He always said he was a "Real man of the sea"...but now, starting at that moment, he really was one, for a sailor's ship is his soul, and he finally saw that. Before, I would rather have had anyone else alongside me on an adventure...but now, there's no one else I would rather have...except maybe Tetra. If Linebeck ever hears about these thoughts, tell him...that I miss him, and I hope that whatever he's doing, he's doing it well and with the courage he found."
The signature was smudged. Aryll could have filled in the blank, but she was too choked up. This was nothing compared to Linebeck's reaction-silent, a veritable river of sentimental tears streamed down his face. When he eventually recovered, he said "Aryll...I don't suppose I could...be a guest of you and your grandmother tonight? I'd very much like to know what your brother was up to up until the point where I heard news of him."
"Of course, Mr. Linebeck." Linebeck stepped through the awed crowd, and followed her to her house. Once Linebeck and Aryll's grandmother had been introduced, Linebeck and Aryll went upstairs, where they stayed up half the night reading her brother's letters together.