Note 3: Chivalry is not dead, and neither am I!

"Damn it."

Linebeck sat upright in his hammock and rubbed his aching eyes. Though dawn was just arriving, the S. S. Jolene seemed to be moving. The oddness of that idea didn't even register to the disheveled Linebeck, who couldn't help but feel…

…worried.

He should have had a drink last night; maybe that would have suppressed the horrible nightmare he had witnessed in his subconscious mind. All he could do was replay the frightening scene his imagination had produced: the storm attacking the ship, items flying everywhere, Link being knocked out by a barrel and plunging into the ocean where he lay unconscious and…

"Urgh..." Linebeck shook the thoughts away. The sea captain had seen some wild things in his time, which had an influence on his weird dreams. Even though he tried to tell himself that Link could not have been hit by a flying barrel, it did not calm the man's anxiety.

The kid was alive. He had to be. Link and Sparkles were probably somewhere on a nearby island, hanging out under the palm trees, sipping a drink from a coconut.

And if they were, Linebeck was going to smack the kid upside the head for making him worry.

Chores. He ought to go to the upper deck and immerse himself in chores in order to pass the time, because sitting around doing nothing would only drive him even more insane, if that were possible. Not only that, but there was absolutely nothing to do on the ship, since the she-captain's eye was on him every moment they sailed together. Besides, maybe they could talk…er…non-violently. Way back in the day, Jolene was the only person who was ever able to make him forget his worrie-

Chores! Go do some chores, Linebeck!

Stretching, he yawned and began getting dressed. It was barely even morning and yet here he was, up and about. Usually Ciela would fly into his room and attempt to wake him up so they could continue sailing, but Linebeck would protest until she mentioned letting Link steer the ship, to which he would be on his feet in an instant. No matter how much experience the kid was said to have had with sailing, there was no way the S. S. Linebeck would be left in the care of a kid. Not unless Linebeck had finally fallen off of his hammock.

Ambling upstairs, the weary sailor caught sight of Jolene steering with one hand and gazing through a spyglass with the other. For some reason she had been extremely focused on the horizon, however this did not stop her from seeing Linebeck make his way up to her.

"Uhm…g-good morning?"

"Hm?" Jolene lowered her spyglass, "Oh…Linebeck." She nodded in acknowledgment and then quickly returned her eyesight to something she had spied far off in the distance.

Was this it?

"J-Jolene…how long have you been out here?" Had she wanted to get rid of Linebeck so badly that she woke up early to sail and cut short this unexpected adventure of theirs?

"I woke up five minutes ago."

This was a complete lie; ever since their awkward conversation the previous night, Jolene could not sleep. Counting treasure couldn't even place her in a slumber. Instead of rolling over in bed for the rest of the night, the woman simply stayed up and sailed in the moonlight. They had gotten pretty far too; Jolene was almost certain they were a few hours away from reaching the Isle, should the wind continue to be on their side.

But that Isle wasn't what she was focused on.

"What are you looking at?"

"Hush, Linebeck!" Her pupils widened at the sight. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen! Sure, there had been times where she had come into contact with sea monsters (not willingly, of course) but this time avoiding it would been nearly impossible. Even though there was a vast distance between them, that distance was closing quickly, for it had a single eye as enormous as its slimy head which it used to spot them…

…and it had ten arms which it used to propel itself quickly towards the ship.

"Linebeck, come here." Her voice was a deadly whisper, which Linebeck knew from past experiences meant that she was preparing for something perilous. He shivered as the air suddenly began to grow colder. Jolene had her eyes glued to the spyglass; in a minute or so, she would not even need it to see the monster headed their way.

"Is something…going on?" Linebeck asked uneasily. Jolene gritted her teeth.

"Of course something's going on! Now, you better listen to me Linebeck, and you better listen well, or else both of us will wind up like Link." Jolene finally pried her eye away from the sight in order to throw her serious expression at the trembling seafarer, "In my cabin there is a closet across from my bed. Inside there should be a couple of harpoons. I want you to take this key, go into my cabin, and come back to me with only a harpoon and no treasure. If I catch you with anything other than a harpoon, I will throw you overboard for that sea monster. Am I clear?"

Linebeck's face had drained of all color, and he stood stone still.

"I said am I clear?"

No words came out of his mouth. His head creaked up and down as a petrified nod, and he grabbed the key and rushed to the lower cabins.

Jolene kept a steady grip on the wheel, all the while watching the evil sea monster. The distance had cut in half as it whizzed her way, and all she could see were the slimy green tentacles that were at least the length of her ship and the giant eye that held malice within them.

"Stay calm. Think. What can I use?"

Torpedoes. She had been meaning to upgrade her launching mechanisms, which had begun to wear out (mostly from chasing Linebeck) but her machinery had not failed on her yet, so it was the way to go. She made a hard right, in order to be directly facing the monster, and her hand shot out to the lever beside the wheel. A whooshing sound was heard as a torpedo flew out of the ship and raced towards the monster. A small smirk grew on Jolene's face; maybe there would be no need for the harpoon.

However, that smile did not last long, for it immediately fell off and hit the floor as a shocked Jolene witnessed the monster snatch the torpedo with one tentacle as if it were a miniscule piece of debris, raised the yet-to-ignite weapon, and then flung it full speed at the ship.

"I got the harp-GAH!" Linebeck, who had just returned from the cabins, toppled over as the torpedo struck a blow on the S. S. Jolene. The captain herself nearly fell over, but her grip on the wheel did not loosen. Whatever happened, she could not lose control of her ship.

Smoldering pieces of the partially burning hull were sent flying onto the upper deck, where Jolene pulled herself to her feet. "Linebeck! Get up here!" She growled as she sent a menacing glare at the nearing sea monster. If it could just pluck the torpedoes out of the water, how would she be able to defeat the monster?

Linebeck scampered up the stairs to her with a wild, scared look in his eyes. He had seen monsters much bigger than the one attacking them, but he usually had Link there to fight them off. This time it was just him and Jolene.

And he hoped Jolene had practiced using her sword.

"My torpedoes can't hurt him, so using them is not an option. However…" Her eyes narrowed, "It only has one eye, so if one of us can distract him somehow, the other one can stab the eye and ward him off. It won't attack what it can't see."

"Who is going to d-distract him?"

"I think we both know who that is." She glared at him to emphasize her point, "I'm locking the wheel, so we can fight while the ship sails straight. Just run around to keep its eye on you. Oh, and don't be a coward, Linebeck." The pirate yanked two metal clamps down on the wheel just before the ship lurched forward.

It had come.

Everything around them grew dark as the waves started thrashing around. The vicious monster let out a roar that seared the air as it began wrapping its arms around the ship in an effort to snap it. Jolene nodded at Linebeck, and in an instant she brandished her scimitar while he wielded his harpoon, both with their gazes upon the monster.

"NOW!"

Jumping down to the lower deck, Jolene stuck the hilt of her sword in her mouth and leaped onto a swaying rope tied to the mast. As she began climbing, she heard the petrified shrieks of Linebeck, which caused her to glance quickly over her shoulder. A tentacle swooped across the upper deck as it tried to catch Linebeck in its hold, however he did what he did best: run in the opposite direction.

"AAAH!" The arm missed Linebeck, who zoomed to the lower deck and screamed, "HURRY UP, JOLENE!"

A million curses went through her mind as adrenaline rushed through her veins and she climbed faster. The arms of the sea monster rocked the ship, tipping it dangerously to the right, where the monster's eye fixed itself upon an unknowing Jolene. Linebeck, who started losing his balance as the ship tipped, tried to avoid the barrels on the deck that fell over and began rolling towards him, only to end up falling flat on his back. It wasn't until he opened his eyes from the impact that he noticed that Jolene had been dangling right over the monster, which opened its mouth to reveal a set of sharp teeth and a green, pointed tongue.

"JOLENE, WATCH OUT!"

A tentacle came out of nowhere and flew towards Jolene, who caught sight of the massive arm and almost instinctively freed one of her hands from the rope, yanked her sword from her mouth and slashed the appendage in half, causing a screech to erupt from the monster. Green ooze gushed from the wound as the arm lashed violently at the rope, causing it to whip Jolene off. She slammed onto the lower deck and her sword flew out of reach.

The threatening glare of the angered monster was now upon the weakened Jolene. The disoriented pirate just barely sat upright, placing a hand on her throbbing head, only to feel a warm, thick liquid trickle down the side of her head. There was nothing but darkness; no thought existed anymore. The monster didn't exist, Linebeck didn't exist, the ship didn't exist.

"I-I'm sleepy…"

Slumber was beckoning to her, and her eyelids drooped drowsily. Even as the menacing beast raised its tentacles before her, ready to crush the pirate, she could not register any threats. There was just her and the isle of slumber. That was it.

"JOLENE!"

Within the darkness that crowded her thoughts, a shriek pierced through, like a light arrow. All of a sudden, a connection to reality was made within her mind, and the brunette slowly raised her glazed eyes to meet the terrifying, oozing tentacles that surrounded her.

"J-Jolene! Get out of the way! Get out! Jolene!"

Each scream resounded faintly within her mind. It was as if the world around her had been silenced, and all that really mattered was her and the monster that was about to crush her. The ominous whooshing noise caused by the raging waves filled this silent world, and time seemed to slow before Jolene's unclear gaze. She could feel her pulse beating ferociously within her veins, as if her heart would not allow her mind to sleep. Jolene locked her eyes on the monster, and with every heartbeat her hand crept closer to the sword that was just barely within her grasp.

The tentacles swarmed around her, blocking Linebeck's view of the pirate.

She was so close…

"Jolene? JOLENE!" Linebeck frantically yelled. His eyes widened as the monster's arms closed in around her.

The tips of her fingers touched the hilt…

"AAAH!"

Jolene let out a cry of fury as a fiery rush of adrenaline caused her to valiantly face the monster and begin to fight passionately. She had swiped the sword into her hand and fearlessly dodged the tentacles and sliced them with all her might. The monster screeched in pain and continued to attack Jolene, but those screeches turned into an unbearable scream, wherein the monster stopped combating Jolene and retracted its tentacles. Jolene stood with what little strength she had left and peered up at the twitching, yelling monster.

In its eye was a rusty harpoon.

And dangling on a rope by the mast, just above the monster, was Linebeck.

The monster's cries were drowned as it plunged back into the ocean and sank to the depths utterly defeated. The dark clouds corrupting the skies immediately began to clear, and the waters slowly began to calm.

Jolene couldn't believe it. Never in her whole lifetime did she ever think she would see the day when Linebeck, the most cowardly man to have ever sailed the seas, would save her life.

Said man was holding onto the rope for dear life. The ship had finally stabilized itself to a mostly level position, yet Linebeck shook as he glanced at the deck, which suddenly seemed so far away. As he scanned the ship, however, he glimpsed a nearly lifeless Jolene, who had limped to the upper deck, unlocked the wheel and draped her arms over it in exhaustion. Her breathing was heavy, with every gasp for air acting like a gulp of blue fire; icy and burning.

Her eyes flickered up to Linebeck.

"W-Well? Are…Are you…just going to stay up…there?" She said breathlessly. Linebeck attempted to descend the rope, though he stopped about halfway through.

"What's the matter? Does…the great Linebeck…have…a fear of heights?" Jolene scoffed, "Y-you defeated…a sea monster…yet you're afraid…of getting down from a rope?"

Gulping, Linebeck closed his eyes and scurried down the rope, hitting the ground before he even knew it. Somehow, they had managed to work as a team and ward off the monster. Somehow, in some way, Linebeck had felt the same adrenaline rush as Jolene and in their darkest moment he had scrambled up the rope and flung his harpoon into the malicious eye of the monster.

"L-Linebeck…" Jolene's voice trailed off to a whisper as she slumped over the wheel, with her head bobbing up and down like a buoy in water.

"A-are you alright?" Linebeck started towards her, but she shook her head.

"N-no…get potions…"

Linebeck stopped. Usually, whenever Link was hurt, he would send the kid to lie down in bed before tending to his injuries. Jolene had blood dripping from her head and bruises forming all over her left arm, where she had hit the deck. No, potions alone wouldn't help.

Without a word, the tired man pulled Jolene's arm around his shoulder, ignoring the half-conscious mutterings that escaped her, and carefully brought her down to her cabin. Once there, he laid her down upon her bed and began rummaging through the room. As he searched, his face met up with his reflection.

"Geez…"

Though he wasn't as bad as Jolene, he was still cut up pretty badly. There were scuffs as red as his nose decorating his face and hiding behind the tears in his clothing. For a moment Linebeck admired this fearsome, manly look he achieved for himself, but Jolene's voice brought him back to reality.

"T-the bottom dresser…" She could not finish her sentence, but Linebeck figured it out. He yanked open the last drawer in Jolene's dresser to find an array of different colored potions, from red to blue to purple. Next to them were emergency essentials, such as gauze, disinfectant, needle and thread (eh, Linebeck wasn't one for stitching). The man yanked out a red potion bottle and some bandages and rushed back to Jolene, nearly tripping over himself in the process.

The ship was currently in a dangerous position; the captain was injured, it was locked by Linebeck so it would only sail straight and hit who knows how many rocks in the way, and it was damaged by the sea monster. If Linebeck didn't hurry up and patch up Jolene, this ship would sink before reaching the Isle of Ember.

Maybe from seeing Jolene in danger or because taking a swig of rum when finding the harpoon earlier had caused an instant feeling of determination to pin into his chest. "There's work to be done…" He thought as he yanked open the potion bottle and handed it to Jolene, who weakly grasped the bottle and began to drink. As she did, Linebeck hesitantly pulled out some gauze and glanced at her head.

"Just give it to me." She spoke bitterly.

"I-I don't think y-you can-"

"You think I'm too weak? You don't know me at all, Linebeck. Give me the gauze." When Linebeck gave her a look of uncertainty, she grabbed his sleeve with all the strength she had left and glared at him.

"Listen, 'cause I'm only saying this once! Get yourself up to the deck and steer my ship towards that damned island!"

"B-but-"

"Do you want to find that kid?"

Linebeck froze for a moment, staring at that scary expression on her face that could rival the monster's frightfulness. He nodded and rose slowly, with Jolene watching his every step. Linebeck crossed the room, and with one last peek at her over his shoulder, he disappeared to do what he was told.

He wanted to tell himself that it was bravery, not fear, what caused him to save Jolene. But how could he explain bravery when he couldn't even explain his own actions? Why did he not run when he saw the monster? Perhaps he felt he needed to defend the ship, because he needed to go find Link and continue their journey. No, even this could not be true, for Linebeck had only been thinking of one thing when he saw the monster tentacles: Jolene. All thoughts of the kid and their adventure and his ship went out the window as he saw the dark clouds, heard the scream, and bolted for the rope. For some reason, he felt he needed to save the she-pirate.

Yes, fighting the monster was scary. Yes, Jolene was also scary. These were already confirmed things in Linebeck's book, but it was not the monster or Jolene's angry disposition that made the man so troubled. Seeing Jolene nearly becoming devoured by a monster had instilled the strongest sense of fear within Linebeck that he impulsively jumped up the rope and did his noble deed. It was that fear that had driven him to do it. At that moment, Linebeck had truly realized what a strong and intense emotion fear was; that it was so powerful it had forced him to do something he himself never believed was possible for him to do. And that was what scared him. He was terrified during the whole ordeal, yet even the vastly different dread of Jolene's wrath had always caused him to do something he shouldn't do. Truth be told, he wanted to be brave. It was just that fear manipulated him into doing things differently.

The captain sighed as he unlocked the wheel and stared at the seagulls hovering above the ship.

Linebeck hated fear.