Queen of The Sea

Lion and the Lamb

War was a terrible thing, the youngest child and the wisest elder could agree upon that. Rin hadn't seen it close up in his sheltered life. He had seen scrapes and cuts. Rin had never even seen more than a few drops of blood. After the battle with the White Squid, most of the crew were spread out among the main decks of the ship, cleaning their own blood and patching their wounds. Some were worse than others. One of the worst, was Leona. Her wound caused the frail girl to lose to much blood, she was out cold, and she was going for be for the near future. Rin amerged from the captain's quarters after patching the gaping hole on her stomach. He held his medical supplies close to his chest as his eyes laid on the horror of battle. The metallic scent of blood was so strong, Rin could almost taste it. His insides curled and knotted in disgust. The once fine and polished wood, now had crimson blood oozing into the cervices of the decks. 

The crew members who could stand, were offering each other help and fixing the damage that the canons had created. Craters appeared were canons had drilled into the wooden side. One harsh wave and the entire bottom of the ship would flood and the ship would go under. Rin knew he was the only one with an advanced medical knowledge, probably the only one as well. He scanned the area for who was closest who needed aid. The prince's weary eyes fell to the old man who called Rin and Leona out back in Black Sand Reef. Rin gave a weak smile. He was surprised to see him. Making his way to him, he kneeled beside the blind man. 

"A man of your age has no right risking his life out here." Rin stated as she assessed the situation. The old man's sagging skin was riddled with scars. Some were white and faded, others brimmed with blood. The major injury was a deep cut down the left hip. 

"That may be so, but ya ain't have no right either." The old man groaned out as Rin fiddled with his tools, getting a cloth the clean out the blood. 

"I beg your pardon?" Rin asked. Softly dabbing the thick liquid from the wound, he got a better look. The gash looked as if the weapon that created it was barbed. The flesh around it was torn horribly. Loose pieces of flesh hung from his side. Rin had to take a moment to swallow the vomit was that swelling in his throat. 

"Yer posh. Royalty? Nobleman? Ya speak like ya have an education." The old man gave a harsh chuckle, but it only lead to blood spewing from his rotting mouth. Rin hesitantly laughed and whipped the vital liquid away. 

"I am Prince Rin Crovan. The second heir of the Drolux throne." The words flowed out of Rin's mouth without him noticing. His brain was hot wired to say this every time someone asked for his name. Being a royal, it was important for people who know who you are, Rin had said this line countless times. 

"Better keep yer mouth shut with a title like that." He warned. Rin remained silent as he worked on the wound. By the time he was done, his hands were covered in blood. Now he was getting used to the sight and the smell. Hopefully it would make his job here more manageable. Seeing the old man was resting easy, Rin rose to his feet and looked around for another person to help. On the opposite side of the ship was a young man and a woman. The woman dabbed the forehead of the sickly looking man. 

As Rin drew closer to them, it was made clear that the boy was dying. He had a deep gash cutting his throat. He choked and gagged on his own blood as the young woman tried to comfort him. Seeing the two, the atmosphere shifted. Rin knew people were going to die when The White Squid but he didn't expect to see someone so young. When he approached, the woman looked up. 

"I've done all i could." The girl's voice cracked as she spoke, tears choking her every word. 

"I may be able to help more." Rin offered eve though he knew the lad wouldn't make it. As he kneeled down beside the boy and examined his body. The girl had done an actual good job patching the main wound. "This is impressive work, what is your name?" Rin asked