Prince of Penance

Chapter Ninteen: One Final Stand


It was a dark gaping hole in the ocean. A whirlpool with a tongue in the center that sucked the water in and sent it up and out again in showering gusts. The lightening crashed across the seas, the thunder pounded like the hammering of a drum. The boiling seas were tossing sideways in great waves that threatened to wash across the deck of the ship.

Gusto was completely, helplessly frozen in fear. His heart twisted and nausea filled his stomach. With disgust and horror he felt the bile rise to his throat and leave him in a gush; apparently the wizard's spell still allowed for him to embarrass himself completely. For fifteen long years he had been dreading this moment, and he cowered before it, hate and pain and shame for his life of misdeeds filling him.

But he was innocent. This was the spell, working its lies into his brain, trying to manipulate him. It was working.


"Gusto help! Help me! Why are you just standing there, help!"

Sunni. Her voice was calling to him through the veil of pain that had fallen over his eyes.

"Don't think that your friend can help you now, dear girl, he is in my control totally, helpless to my power."

"Fight him Gusto! Break free, use what power you have!"

Gruffi's voice broke the spell of fear over his heart. He felt his link to Zummi strengthen and finally a gush of magic that filled the wounded places in his brain and broke through the spell of the Wizard.

"Drop her, NOW!"

Sunni screamed as she fell, a scream of fear and helplessness, and Gusto moved to answer. Using all the power in his body he flung himself over the railing and off the side of the ship, reaching out with tendrils of magic, forcing himself towards her, pulling the power of his spell around himself as his body took on speeds that only magic could have given him. Magic could heal, could wound, and in great bursts could bend space and time itself.

In an istant he was at her side and his arms around her. The rope caught, the two of them jerked as it jumped from the impact, and then they were dangling like worms on a hook.

It was too close to the water for Gusto's comfort. White hot fear and horror descended upon him as he stared down into the deek dark emptiness of the beast's gaping maw. But he had to keep his head and wits about him. Sunni was in his arms sobbing on his shoulder.

"G-Gusto you s-saved me!" she sobbed. "S-s-so s-scared!"

"Shhh, shhh honey its all right I got you..."

At once he untied the rope from around himself and secured it around her waist instead. He could feel that Zummi's power was fading, and with a little little bit of magic started causing the rope to shrink in length, pulling them up, up and away from the monster.

But the line of magic between him and Zummi finally died, their spell broke, and though the rope had shrank a good deal, he and Sunni were still dangling.

"Guess we should try climbing..." Gusto said more to himself. "This rope is pretty slick. Hang on Sunny put your hand around my neck..."

Then something, like the feel of a whipcrack, lashed across the back of his brain and he clung to the rope, helpless as a great arching and draining presence filled him, sucking him dry of any magical energy and all hope. Despair filled his body and waves of hot agony and cool dread filled him. The Kraken was entirely controlled by his magic now, but with no magic left he was entirely helpless to control the flow of it.

"G-Gusto what's wrong? Why aren't you climbing anymore?"

"You fool!" suddenly a voice above them was shouting. "Do you realize what you've done!?"

"Yes!" Bryton's voice said. "Now that I've destroyed the flute you can no longer summon the Kraken!"

"But I can no longer control it! If it does not get a sacrifice it will tear the ship apart!"

Gusto felt his stomach tossing about in his belly as the Kraken, realizing that its quarry was now so painfully within reach, started lashing itself tail against the underside of the boat as best as it could. The beast wasn't very bright, and didn't seem to realize that all it had to do was jump up out of the water and grab them with its jaws. It was doing things the hard way. Maybe on purpose, for the whole entirety of the began to tip; the waves rocked the ship and tossed it about, tossing him and Sunni around like mad. At one point they were parallel to the ship and he could see the occupants of the ship clinging for dear life to the railings, and to the ropes that were keeping them tied to the ship.

"Gusto! Gusto!" Sunni cried.

"Hang on Sunni!"

The Kraken finally decided that it was tired of this ploy and lifted the ship right out of the water with its tail. This must have been hard work, for a moment Gusto could feel energy fill him again.

Gotta climb! Gotta get Sunni to safety! That thing won't let up until it swallows someone! Gotta climb!

But then he felt a lurch, and a thrill of dread filled him as Gruffi's voice shouted to him over the din.

"Gusto! The rope! Its coming loose!"

A struggle broke out on the deck above them; the waves tossed, the creature was waiting, biding its time now for somebody to fall out of the tipped over boat. It knew.

It knew.

"Gusto don't let me fall! Don't let me fall!" Sunni was screaming.

"Hush hush, baby, close your eyes...don't look down, just close your eyes," Gusto said, feeling a fatherly protectiveness fill him that he hadn't ever felt before. "I won't let you fall, I swear..."

It suddenly dawned on him that there was something to him more terrible, more frightening than disappearing, then being swallowed alive and sucked into darkness. And this was the real power of his fear; the true form of the Kraken, the true shape of his own fears.

Gusti was afraid others, those he loved, being sucked into that darkness. That was what he feared. Innocents, those above him on the ship, would die if he didn't do something quick. Karse, Bryton, yes even the pirates. Gruffi and Sunni.

A calmness filled him, a sort of peace as he realized that he had already decided.

"Sunni..." Gusto swallowed. "I need you to make me a promise..."

"Promise?" she sniffled. "Gusto?"

"Promise me," he took a deep, calming breath. "Promise me...that you'll tell Gruffi...that I love him..."

"Gusto wait, what are you, Gusto NO!"

He let go. A moment passed in time where he was falling, and his eyes met hers and for a moment he felt a true peace like he hadn't known in fifteen years.

She was young, and innocent. She would live. She would marry Prince Bryton, and they would be all right. Gruffi would live, all his friends, they would live, and survive, and they would be free of the pain his fears had caused.

He wasn't afraid anymore.

Gusto felt himself impact upon something hard, and living, and above him the stars were bright, the storm was calming, and the winds were dying. Sunni was reaching for him with her two arms, as if she could span the distance between the two of them and save him. Despair filled him for the pain he had caused her, but she would live. Gruffi would live. His lover and his daughter would both live.

Then the jaws of the beast snapped shut, and darkness descended upon him as he was swallowed deep into the darkness of his own personal hell.

-seperator-

Sunni had disobeyed Gusto. She had opened her eyes.

And she wished that she hadn't. A horrible scream erupted from her throat as that horrible mouth snapped shut around her friend and the beast sank down into the ocean.

But seconds later she felt a jerk and a snap and the line she had been connected to broke and she fell with a scream of horror into the churning waves of the ocean. She should see just feet below her in the water, maybe a meter that the beast was sinking further and further into the deep. She screamed, and scrambled in the water trying to stay afloat as the undercurrent pulled at her legs, trying to stay away from the creature before it realized there was another victim nearby to take.

"Help!" she screamed in terror, "Help me!" and she was sucked under the water.

It may have been minutes, or seconds later, but she coughed and gasped, sputtering as her lungs filled with air again. She realized then that she was looking up into Bryton's eyes. He was soaking wet, and was holding her in his arms. Clearly he had jumped into the water to rescue her; clearly he had just been kissing her, filling her lungs with his own precious life giving air, to save her.

"Are you all right Sunni?" Bryton said, pulling her towards a floating barrel nearby.

"N-no I'm not alright!" Sunni said, teeth chattering and despair filling here. "He, that it....Bryton Gusto, he..."

"I know, sweetheart I know, hold onto me. We'll stay afloat here."

"Bryton...the rope...it broke just after he fell in and the monster left. It would have got us both. He saved me...Bryton...he saved me!"

She sobbed and buried her face into his chest. Her body was shaking from head to toe; she could swear her skeleton felt ready to fall apart from the rattling. But he held her, and kissed her head, and calmed her, speaking soothingly to her in his soft comforting voice.

"Its all over now...the monster is gone. Hush Sunni...it was a very brave thing...a very brave thing to do..."

Sunni suddenly felt something hard land on her head. Bryton swore, and Sunni realized that this something was a rope.

Both of them looked up and there were Karse and Gruffi staring down over the side of the boat at them both.

"Grab the line!" Karse said. "Before this madman decides to change his mind about letting us rescue you!"

Bryton didn't need to be asked twice. With one arm around her, and both their hands on the rope they let themselves be pulled. The moment she saw that Gruffi's arms were reaching out for her she broke into more despaired sobbing and buried herself into his chest.

"Its all right honey," Gruffi said hoarsely. "Its all over now..."

"Gruffi!" Sunni cried. "He saved me! He let go to save me!"

"I know, honey, I saw, he saved us all..."

Sunni rubbed her eyes, then turned to watch as Bryton rounded on the wizard.

"So now ends your madness!" said Bryton furiously. "You've lost your monster, and the means left to control it. It will never plague the people of Monteray again. You have no power any longer!"

"We can only hope..." Karse muttered.

"No, that is where you are wrong," said the Wizard thoughtfully. "I still have pirates, and I have time; I can create another Seal Flute with time. But that is not important. What is important is that I have you my Prince. A perfect hostage. You'll be coming with me of course. Now what to do with the rest of them depends entirely on if you cooperate. I can throw them overboard, or set them adrift..."

"You madman!" Karse snarled, pushing passed Bryton to shove his nose right against the Wizard's. "You yellow bellied coward! You throw innocent people to monsters! If you think I'm going to let you take the Prince you're dreaming! Why don't you fight hand to hand, instead of like a cheating, deceitful, cowardly, no good, bald faced, lying, sonnuva..."

-seperator-

An hour later, adrift on the ocean in a boat without paddles, Gruffi laughed softly and smiled at Karse, who was snarling and mentally plotting away his plans for the Wizard's untimely demise.

"Hey, at least we have a boat..." Gruffi said. "And each other..."

Gruffi pulled Sunni closer to him, holding her against his side comfortingly and running his hand over her head. The shock of everything was still on him and he didn't want to be awake when the enormity of Gusto's death finally hit him.

But Sunni was in a bad up ways. She had been there. She had witnessed it first hand. She had fallen into the water and was frozen from head to toe from cold. Bryton had been kidnapped by the pirates and they had all sailed off to who knows where. Now they were adrift without food, water, or any medicine he could give her for her dampness induced fever.

Karse had been noble enough to give her his jacket for warmth. Gruffi still didn't trust him, but he understood now that at least they were on the same side.

"I misjudged Augustus," Karse had said to him. "He was very brave and noble."

"Yeah, you say that now after he's dead!"

Karse had been too ashamed of himself to respond. Gruffi could now only watch the bear sulk on the other end of their dingy, brooding in his own little world over the events that had occurred.

But there was no relief for the ache in his chest. Hearing Gusto's last words from Sunni had done little to help his soul. Pain was his keeper now, and a suffering like nothing he had ever felt in a long time.

Gusto...oh Gusto you brave, foolish beautiful self-sacrificing fool! I love you too...

This was worse than the day his parents had died. Much worse, and he struggled to maintain his control. Karse had become off balanced and Sunni was ill. He had to stay sane.

For her.

"At least," Sunni said, startling them both out of their reverie. "At least...he didn't suffer. It was a...quick thing. Right? He even seemed very calm about it...very b-brave..."

She broke down again a little, and Gruffi held her and ran his hands over her hair, wiping the tears from her eyes with his fingers. He didn't have the heart to tell her that in some cases, men have been known to survive for years inside the stomach of sea monsters. If there's enough air. Enough water...or some form of magic. He hoped to the Great Gummis there wasn't.

Let him die quickly...please. Don't let him suffer!

"What is that?" Karse suddenly said, sitting up. "In the distance, do you see that?"

Gruffi snapped his head up, and blinked, peering towards the distance.

"Its a ship!"

"By Gum your right!" Karse said, then started yelling. "HEY HELP! HELP US!"

The ship must have noticed them, for it started to come closer in their direction. Waves billowed around it and the sound of a bell on the main deck sounding filled the air.

"What if it's the Pirates again?" Sunni said with a squeak.

"No!" Gruffi said, feeling a momentary lifting of his spirits. "Its the Persephone! TUMMI CHUMMI! HEY!"

The ship came around beside their dingy and the two bears in question leaned over the side of the ship.

"Need a lift?" said Tummi.

"Now how in the name of fur did you folks get stuck out here?" said Chummi scratching his head.

"It was pirates Captain!" said Karse hoarsely. "Help us please!"

"Of course we'll help you. Just a moment and we'll lower a rope."

Once aboard the deck, Chummi saw to Sunni's health, bringing her some warm tea and some clean dry clothes. The sailor's pants and shirt were big on her, but at least she was warm now, and dry. Once they were all in the cabin, with tea in their hands and a bit of stew in their bellies, Karse started telling the story of what happened to them.

Gruffi let him, closing his eyes in pain with every mention of Gusto's sacrifice. He was too tired to do any talking and his throat was unbearably sore.

"Won't be long now until we reach Monteray," Chummi said quietly, after the story had finished. "We were heading to Gumlin, but I think its best we change destination."

Then there was a startled knock at the cabin door and a sailor ran in, looking thunderstruck and excited.

"Sir there's a ship a comin' off the port bow! Its the Lazenza sir!"

"My ship!" Karse snarled. "Those pirates! Probably headed back to Monteray with the Prince to take over the island!"

"Well we'll give them a good fight!" said Chummi, running from the cabin to the deck. "All hands prepare for battle! All Gummis take your juice, we'll give them a good blast then board the ship and free the Prince!"

"What about us?" said Gruffi, holding a wide eyed Sunni close to him.

"You two are in no condition for a Pirate battle, get yourselves below deck and where its dry and safe. Have some Gummi Berry juice with you in case the battle goes bad."

Gruffi took Sunni below deck, and ensconced her safely in one of the cabins.

But he still had his pound of flesh owed to him. He was going to get his own personal hands upon the miserable Wizard who had killed his lover. He was going to make him pay.

When he returned to deck battle was being joined. Canon fire roared across the ocean, swords left their hilts; the sailors of Chummi's crew were well adept to fighting pirates.

"Come to join us then?" Chummi chuckled upon seeing Gruffi. "I knew you would. Careful hard to port Mister Tummi!"

"Aye aye sir!"

"Watch out for the wizard!" said Karse. "He'll magic a spell to freeze a bear!"

"But I think he's all magicked out," Chummi laughed, as the two ships came within distance of one another. "Lookit him trying to steer the ship. Wobbly as all you please. Get his hands first and then he can't cast any magic!"

"With pleasure," Gruffi said, and on cue all members of Chummi's crew swallowed their juice and bounced over to the deck of the Lazenza.


Of course the pirates were ready with their own juice. And so they clashed in air, punching and smacking into one another. Karse seemed in better spirits now, as he tossed one pirate over the deck of the ship.

"Can't bounce on water now can you!" said he laughing, and narrowly avoided a slicing sword to his head.

Gruffi was quick to push past the aggressors he met; his blood was boiling to get to the wizard. They seemed to realize the rage he was in and bodies just flew away from him as he bounced across the deck, over the top rail and right over the steering wheel.

The Wizard had been so heavily concentrating on steering that he hadn't noticed Gruffi until he was too late; his hands were now in Gruffi's grasp and he was pinned to the deck.

"You??" snarled the wizard. "Can't I ever be rid of you?"

"I know who you are!" Gruffi said hotly. "You're Councillor Venti!"

Gruffi felt the pull of magic below him as the disguise was dropped and the aged old bear glowered up at him.

"Nearly ruined all my plans," snarled Venti. "But I'll get you yet. Still, another time, another place. Dalli!"

Gruffi turned but felt something knock him right off the wizard against the side railing. Venti and Dalli blinked out of existence right before his eyes and he slumped to the deck.

Cowardly wizards running! Well I'll track him down, I'll get him! I'll punish him for his misdeeds! I swear it to you Gusto, I swear it!

---MWAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhangers! I love cliffhangers! Love angst. But this story is far from over yet folks. Nope, far frm over. ;)---