[b]Chapter 3: A New Land[/b]
Link, Linebeck and Tetra raced across the island, carrying Joanne''s bloodsoaked and lifeless body. Their faces were as white as Joanne's as it drained of the little colour it had left. Mako, looking inland from the mast of the repaired SS Hyrule, stared intently in their direction. He gave a frantic cry at the sight of the three people, and the bloodstained figure in their arms. Niko and Gonzo raced out to meet them, without a word, they carried Joanne onto the ship, as Link raced for the medical cabinet in the crew's quarters, and tore back onto the deck carrying some fresh bandages. He passed them to Tetra, who tenderly wrapped them around the wound on Joanne's back.
Meanwhile, Jolene stood at at the mouth of the cave, thinking hard. After a few seconds she turned and darted back inside. She entered the chamber where the Gerudo's bodies lay, and took from the pocket of the chieftainess an old and tattered book, which she then gently placed in her own pocket, and then kicked the chieftainess' body hard, in the back. She then sped back through the cave, through its mouth, and out into the bright sunlight, headed for the coast and the mast of the SS Hyrule that was just visible above the crest of the hill. The group saw her approaching, Link and Linebeck rushing to meet her. They beckoned her to Tetra's cabin, where Joanne was lying unconscious on the bed, being tended to by Tetra and Zuko, who was the ship's doctor. "How is she?" Jolene enquired of him. "She should be okay" came the reply. "She was incredibly lucky, she hasn't lost a lot of blood as her wound was staunched in time, however, had she been stabbed an inch higher her heart would have been pierced and it would have been fatal. As it is, she'll need to rest for 2 days and she will have a permanent scar." Jolene breathed a sigh of relief and began to sob. Tetra put her arm around her as she began to howl hysterically.
Link turned and went out of the room. As he expected, Linebeck was waiting outside the door. "Is she gonna be okay?" Linebeck whispered to Link. "Yes, she should, once she's rested, she'll be okay." Link replied. Linebeck looked immensely relieved. "Thank God" he said. "It was my fault, all my fault. When I returned to the Light World, I regained my memories of being Hylian. I'd been so long in the Realm of the Ocean King that I'd forgotten where I came from. I'd been one of those who followed you and Tetra when you left in search of a new land, I was caught in a storm and blown to who knows where, I remember seeing the Ghost Ship and a load of purple cloud, then all of a sudden I woke up on Mercay. Anyway, after returning here, I set off sailing in a random direction. After I'd been sailing for around half a day, I came across a capsizing ship. I thought there was no one on it, before I saw Jolene and Joanne break the surface and climb up onto the mast. I took them on board, and they've been travelling with me ever since. The fact that I saved her life meant Jolene forgave me for the incident where I... y'know...stole her treasure. Anyway, after a while, we began to fall for each other. Jolene was concerned because of the Ancient Laws of the Gerudo forbade us from being wedded. We decided to elope, but Joanne did not wish to travel for much longer, and we dropped her off here 2 months ago. After sailing for a bit, we came across an old map that told of a huge land 2 days west of here, which is where we were headed when we were captured by Gerudo patrols yesterday. Anyway, here is the map, since we owe our lives to you...and also...I no longer have a ship..." Linebeck finished sadly. "I was right then...so, the explosion was...THE SS LINEBECK BEING BLOWN UP?" exclaimed Link. "That's right..." Linebeck said despondently.
The awkward silence was broken by Tetra opening the door. "Joanne is awake." she informed them. "She wants to talk to you both." Link pocketed the map and followed Linebeck inside, and the both of them approached the bed, in which Joanne was sitting up, one hand resting upon her bandaged torso. "Thank you Link." she said weakly. "You just saved all our lives, we are all in debt to you." "I was only doing what any decent person would have done." Link said modestly. Joanne smiled at him, before turning to Linebeck. "And you, don't think it was your fault. Blame the twisted Gerudo Laws passed down for generations, it had nothing to do with you." Jolene got up from the other side of the bed, took out the tattered book she had taken from the chieftainess. "Take this." she said to Link. "Take it as some repayment for saving our lives. It is an ancient book chronicling the history of the Gerudo, how a small group of us survived the Great Flood, and our history to this day." Link took the book bearing a moon and sun crest, and placed it in his pocket.
2 days later...
The group had now been following the map since that day. On the dawn of the second day, a vast coastline began to appear on the horizon ahead. A new land...could it be the New Hyrule they were searching for?