The next day, Stella was lying down on the sand, looking up at the birds circling the island. "Thinkin' about your crew?" Stella looked to the side to Jim sitting down beside her. "Can't help it." Stella sighed, "I'm worried. What if they sank during the fight? What if they got marooned somewhere else?"
"Well, accordin' to what you said about Icebreaker, it's able to find you after it sinks, right? So that means it hasn't sunk, right?"
"That's true…" Stella looked back up at the birds, "I envy those birds, right now. I could fly off and make sure they're ok."
"I'm sure they'll be here any day now. They sound like good people. They wouldn't just leave ya."
"I hope you're right…"
Stella closed her eyes, imagining what the island would look like if she was a bird in the sky before feeling herself drifting off to sleep.
"WHAT IN THE SEVEN SEAS?!"
"W-w-what?! What's going- GYAH!"
Stella's eyes snapped open upon hearing Jim exclaim but things were different. She was looking down on the island from the air. But she could see her body sleeping on the beach with a terrified Jim looking between her in the sky and her body.
"What did-? H-how did you-? WHAT?!" Jim exclaimed.
"I...uh…this is new!" Stella glanced around worriedly.
"You're a giant, blue, floating head!"
"Seriously?! Is my body ok?!"
Jim knelt down to Stella's body and placed a finger on her neck, "You have a pulse, so you're not dead."
"Oh, thank the ancients. I was worried that I suddenly died, and this was the Ferryman's cruel idea of a prank." Stella bobbed her head around, "Hmm…this must be another power or something…"
"How'd you even do that?" Jim asked.
"I dunno! I was just lying on the beach thinking about the island, and this happened!" Stella suddenly perked up, "Wait a sec…I have an idea! Lemme try something real quick."
"Uh…ok?"
Stella closed her eyes and tried to focus as hard as she could on the Icebreaker. She was snapped out of her concentration by a surprised yelp but not from Jim.
It was Ali's voice.
Stella opened her eyes and saw the Icebreaker anchored in the middle of the water with a terrified Ali sitting on the deck, looking like she fell back in surprise. "Ali! Oh, thank the stars you're ok!" Stella sighed in relief. "D-did you die and become a ghost?!" Ali squeaked, "Oh no, Stella, I'm sorry! I should've been paying attention and now you're-!"
"No, no, no! I'm ok!" Stella reassured, "I'm here on an island with other people."
"Phew…" Ali sighed, "But wait. How are you doing that?"
"I think it's a new power. I think I unlocked two of them now. This and healing people."
"Wow! W-well, where are you? We've been looking all over for you."
"I think the island's between Castaway Isle, Fools Lagoon, and Twin Groves."
"Ok, I think I have a map of that area. I'll go wake up Koa and Zhen and we'll get there as soon as possible. We should get there around daybreak tomorrow."
"Awesome! See you soon. Now how to get rid of this…" Stella closed her eyes and tried to focus on herself.
Stella sat up with a gasp, back in her body. "There you are!" Jim sighed with relief, "Thought I lost ya for a sec. What happened?"
"I found them! I found my crew!" Stella beamed, "They'll be here tomorrow morning."
"That's great news!" Jim helped Stella to her feet, "Gonna miss ya, though. Don't get me wrong, I love the time I spend with my beloved, but it was nice to meet a new face. Even if it started with mine being punched."
"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"
"Nope!"
"Fair enough." Stella laughed.
"Well, then. I might have something to celebrate your last night on Best Pirates Isle-"
Jim's attention was grabbed by his beloved knocking the handle of her paintbrush on the side of a tree before holding up a piece of paper that read 'Reaper's Hideout'. "Alright, but I still think Best Pirates Isle sounds better!" Jim yelled over, causing the masked stranger to just shake her head and go back to painting. "As I was saying, I might have something to celebrate your last night here on Reaper's Hideout, buuuuut…" Jim continued before shifting to a dramatic tone, "I buried it somewhere on the island! I sure wish I had another pirate to help me dig it up! Maybe one with magic powers, preferably?" Stella couldn't help but laugh at Jim's ridiculousness but managed to gain her composure, "Well then, I suppose this magic pirate will have to come to your aid, Stitcher Jim! Lead on, good sir!"
Jim led Stella across the island, Stella laughing as Jim made it as overly dramatic as possible. At one point he wrestled an imaginary "land-megalodon" and fell into the water in the process, causing Stella to laugh so hard, she fell in after him. Finally, they arrived at the spot and Jim tossed Stella a shovel, "Ready?"
"Ready!"
The duo began digging into the sand before Stella's shovel eventually hit something hard. "Found it!" Stella announced before the duo hoisted what seemed to be an old chest tied shut with rope. "So, what's inside?" Stella peered over Jim's shoulder with a curious expression. "Only the best treasure a pirate can have, friend!" Jim replied as he opened the chest very slowly and dramatically before unveiling its contents. Jim held up two bottles in his hands with a triumphant grin, "Rum!"
"Alright!" Stella cheered.
The two sat at the shoreline by a campfire with tankards in hand, laughing and slightly tipsy…ok, they were actually super drunk, but they would never admit it to anyone who asked. "A-and then," Stella managed through giggles, "Koa throws the coconut at the guy's head, and it ricochets and knocks out both of the Reapers!"
Jim was howling laughing at this point, "Y-you're serious? Did that actually happen?"
"According to Zhen it did!"
Jim fell onto his back laughing, spilling some of the rum. Stella took a breath, starting to calm down from her laughing fit as Jim did the same. Stella gazed out at the water for a bit before speaking, "Hey…Jim?"
"Aye?"
"Do…you think I make a good pirate?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
"It's just…" Stella swirled the rum in her tankard, "I keep hearing stories of my mom and how great she was. The Glacial Dragon who possessed a magic ship and went head-to-head on the regular with THE Flameheart! How…how am I supposed to live up to that…?"
"…a'ight, you listen here!" Jim hopped to his feet, "Was your mother a good pirate? Yeah. Hell, it sounds like she was a great one. But you…!" Jim pointed down at Stella, "You are NOT her. You're your own person. Having her powers doesn't mean you have to be her. So instead of trying to live up to HER legend, start making your OWN legend." Jim then pointed out to the sea, "The waves are yours for the takin', so go get it and don't look back or care about what anyone else thinks of ya. Forge your own legacy and show the sea why Stella Icewind isn't to be messed with!" Jim then sat back down beside an awestruck Stella with a thump, "And for the record, I think you're pretty great."
Stella stared at Jim gobsmacked as he took a sip from his tankard, processing what he just said before smiling, a small blush appearing on her freckled cheeks, "Thanks, Jim. I think I needed that."
"No problem." Jim replied, "And bear in mind, people tell me I'm an honest drunk, so all of that was the truth."
Stella chuckled before finishing off the rum in her tankard. "Anyways, I think I'm on the verge of passin' out so I'm going to sleep. 'Night, Stell."
"Goodnight, Jim." Stella watched as Jim laid back and turned onto his side, snores soon following. Stella looked out at the water for a bit longer before looking back towards where the masked stranger was still under her little tent, painting. Stella walked over to her, picking up a piece of charcoal from the previous night's fire as she went, "Sorry to bother you, but is it ok if I have a piece of paper?" The stranger looked up from her painting before motioning to a stack of paper in a 'go ahead' motion. "Thank you." Stella picked up a sheet before walking back to her spot by the fire and began to write. She wrote down the lyrics to the shanty Jim sang the previous night. As she finished, she thought for a little bit, thinking of how Jim acted and sounded during the song before writing a title onto the top of the page.
'Stitcher's Sorrow'
Stella let out a content sigh, rolling up the paper and sticking it into the belt of her skirt before lying back onto the sand and drifting off to sleep.
"Ship ahoy!"
Stella was abruptly awoken by Jim yelling from down the beach. She sat up and looked out towards the horizon where a blue object was making its way to the island. The Icebreaker. Stella's eyes lit up as she ran over to where Jim was and began waving her hands, "Over here! Guys, I'm over here!"
The ship got closer and closer before stopping a short distance from the shore and three figures leapt off the boat into the water and quickly made their way to the shore. Ali was the first to make her way onto the shore and rushed over to Stella, enveloping her in a hug while sobbing, "Stella, I'm s-s-so sorry! I wasn't able t-to get us out and you got kn-knocked overboard, a-a-and…"
"Hey, hey, hey…" Stella hugged her tightly while shushing her, "It's ok. I'm ok. I'm just glad you guys are ok."
"Stella!"
Zhen came darting up the shore with Koa and Nevado close behind. "Thank the ancients, you're ok!" Zhen sighed, "You are ok, right? Nothing broken?"
"Still in one piece." Stella confirmed. "Ali gave us the run down." Koa began as Nevado ran up to Stella who scooped him into her arms and gave him head scratches, "I knew you'd still be alive, but the floating head thing was something I didn't expect."
"I got healing powers too!" Stella said with a proud grin, "Oh, that reminds me! Allow me to introduce you to Stitcher Jim. He saved me and brought me ashore after finding me floating in the water."
"Pleasure to meet ye." Jim gave a two-fingered salute, "Stella's told me all about you three- oh, forgive me. Four." Jim gave Nevado a pat on the head, which the icy pup very much enjoyed. "Lemme see if I can guess right base off what she told me." Jim took a good look at each of them, "Well I definitely know which one's Nevado. Flames is Zhen, right?"
"Shì de!"
"The tall one is Koa, the Reapers' Bane."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise! And…" Jim peered behind Koa where Ali was now nervously hiding, peeking out from behind, "I'm guessing the shy one is Ali, the navigator?"
Ali didn't say anything. Jim just chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes. The Duke's mentioned Ali a couple o' times. Says your maps are pretty high quality."
"Ali's a little shy around new people. She'll warm up eventually." Stella explained as she set down Nevado who bounded around happily. Ali just scooted further behind Koa. "Thanks for taking care of our captain!" Zhen grinned, "Hope she wasn't a handful!"
"¡Oye!" Stella exclaimed with a playful glare. "Nah, she wasn't. We had a great time! We sure showed that land-megalodon who's boss, eh?" Jim gave Stella a playful nudge, causing her laugh. "Land…megalodon?" Koa raised an eyebrow. "Long story!" Stella managed through giggles, "But back to seriousness. How's the Shroudbreaker?"
"Still in one piece, nice and snug in your quarters!" Zhen stated proudly, "I have taken the liberty to polish it everyday so it's nice and pretty for when we turn it in!"
"Good. We should get that back to the outpost as soon as possible." Stella was relieved that nothing had happened to the idol during the storm. She then turned back to Jim, "Thanks for everything, Jim. I owe you big time."
"Ah, don't worry about it." Jim waved dismissively with a smile, "Just be sure to visit every now and again, yeah? I enjoyed our little misadventures. Plus, Duke's thinkin' about having me take his place while he takes care of business, so I might see you around some of the outposts!"
"Awesome! We'll definitely meet up if that ends up being the case." Stella gave Jim a high-five before heading towards the boat.
"Hey!" Jim called after her, "If you make it to the Shore's of Gold before we meet again, bring me back a souvenir!"
"Will do!" Stella yelled back with a wave before climbing back onto the ship.
Jim watched as the Icebreaker disappeared into the distance. His smile dropped as he let out a sigh, feeling the masked stranger's eyes on him, "I know, I know. But she'll find out about what really happened eventually. I'm not stupid, I saw how that navigator was lookin' at me. Don't get me wrong, I love being with you, my beloved. I guess…I just wanted to enjoy having a friend for a little while…before she hates me."
The stranger just stared for a while longer before looking back down at some of her sketches. They were filled with symbols. Some looked like the Glacial Dragon symbol, some looked like a heart with a single flame emerging from it. There were notes surrounding them along the lines of, 'eternal rivalry', 'powers beyond the ancients', 'the legendary trio', 'beast of darkness', 'a curse? a blessing? both?'. One page had only the Glacial Dragon with many scratched out notes around it.
Rival
Ally
Tool
Key
Bane
Hindrance
Below the symbol were words not crossed out, but in large bold letters and heavily underlined.
THREAT
To Be Continued…
