Saved From The Ocean

Eric doesn't know what he wants. As he looks to the wide blue ocean he thinks that he can see his future, it is an abyss. His blue eyes get drawn to the ocean like there is some long lost discovery waiting to be found. A storm overhead breaks his attention, and he lifts his eyes to see the eye of a tornado staring at his boat like it wants to devour the whole entire ship. "Storm!" he yells to waken his drunk and stumbling men. some of his crew grow attentive and as they look up they see clouds as dark as the darkest dark. They gasp and take to the ropes to try and let the sails down as Eric grabs the steer to turn the boat around. Eric grits his teeth as he tells the boat to turn, and it does make a turn but a bump and a crash make all the men stumble. Eric falls from the steer onto a plank of wood, and he bangs his fist before he jumps up to take the steer once more. A flash of lighting and all the crew drive. The sail only half down become lit - the boat is on fire. The men scurry to the side life boats and they stumble in before lowering them down. Eric stops trying to steer the boat, and he grabs a chest of money and some maps before he attempts to jump into a life boat himself. One flash of lighting hits the boat, and he stumbled dropping the items he has been carrying. He looks at the barrels near him, they have the words gun-powder on them; he looks at the sky and a lightning bolt is sailing towards him. He gasps. The barrels are hit, the side of the ship explodes, and he is tossed from the boat into the water which is cold and dark, as dark as a grave. Eric managed to hold on to drift wood, but his grip fails and he sinks into the depths of the black water. He is doomed to drown. But on the way to his grave a mermaid offers a hand and she swims him to shore. Eric feels the sun on his face. He opes his eyes, it is morning. He shakes his head as a splash is heard. He looks around, and he finds his dog racing towards him happy to have found him. Eric laughs as he suffers the lick of a doting dog, and then he looks at Phillip, his caretaker and adviser. Phillip smiles. "Eric we thought you drowned!" he claims. "I thought I had too!" tells Eric as he stands. "but the sea must have washed me to shore;" he tells before the sound of a voice wakens his memory. He sees water, red, hair, a hand, and feels the sand as he crawls from the ocean. He lays on his back exhausted as though he had just swan the length from ocean to shore. His lungs ache, his muscles shiver, but then a voice calls to him - it is a lovely voice, a golden voice, and it tells him that he is safe. Eric smiles, and then he coughs into his hand. He can't remember what he has seen, but he thinks he may have been helped. "Let's go back to the palace and eat;" advises Phillip. "Oh yes!" cheers Eric with a laugh. But Eric can't eat. He just thinks of his dive into the ocean, trying to remember what has happened. He nibbles on food good enough to swallow, and then he gives up. He can't remember anything, he just wishes he could. Phillip looks to Eric. "Many a year and not a single lost boat, until now;" he tells. "Oh yes;" mutters Eric distracted. He can't even bother getting involved in conversation, so he gets up. "I might go take a walk;" he tells Phillip. Phillip nods. Then he watches as Eric leaves. Eric wanders around the market place. He looks at store after store. His mind is alert and he stares at people like they could offer him something, but many stares he doesn't want to offer anything, so he smiles and moves on by. Eric grows distressed. He is only weeks away from turning the ripe age to take kingship and he cannot find a bride. The bump on his head has not made him forget that he should find someone to marry. Eric bites on his finger, and then he moves on. He is offered cheese, wine, and bread, all of which he takes a morsel and after nodding he walks on a little further. After a pitcher of beer he finds a flower girl with basket in hand. He looks at her flowers, and then he looks at her. He thinks he sees a flower inside of her stare and so he asks her name. "Trudy;" she mutters with a grin. Her teeth are crooked, and Eric feels his interest slide away like a snail slides away from a road. He knew it could be too good to be true, and so he turns away. He walks a distance and then he looks back to the girl with the flowers. He stares at her a short time, and he wishes he had a flower to pick so that he could count its petal to see if his day might bring him luck. "Trudy;" he mutters as he smiles to himself. Then he picks up his shoes and walks away. "Maybe for dinner but not a dance;" he mutters before he walks on to inspect the boats which take a eager ferry-man down a river to where the trees fall to make a kind of temple over the water. He thinks of going on a boat, but his mind is not that interested. "Maybe some other time;" he mutters before he moves on. Back in his palace Eric stares out at the ocean. It has only been a day since his ordeal and he can't stop thinking about it. He wishes he knew, he wishes he knew his rescuer, he is sure it was a girl. Eric blushes. He could easily fall in love with someone who has rescued him from an ocean grave, and he thinks that if he sees someone like her then he might offer her a ring. However he can't recall her - all he can remember is her voice; it was made of gold. Eric closes his eyes as he tries to remember, but he can't recall much. Annoyed he bangs a fist on the window. "Who was she?" he asks. "Where could she be?" A couple of days later Eric meets a strange girl by the ocean. She can't talk, and she looks a wreck, so he offers her some shelter until he can find out more. She nods her assent, and he takes her to the palace. He leaves her with his servants to clean up, and then he takes a walk. Back at the village Eric looks at the flower girl. He stares at her with interest as he plucks one of her flowers in his fingers. She is not even selling the flowers, just giving them away like it is right to give flowers away. Eric shakes his head. He knows she should be selling them but everyone seems to enjoy taking them for free, so he scolds himself for enjoying the look of a poor person. At sundown the stalls are packed and everyone returns to their homes. Eric smiles as the village turns quiet, and then he swallows hard as he approaches the flower girl who is packing up the last of her flowers. "Hello;" he calls. "Hello;" she replies. "would you like to come to ocean - it is a warm night and fit for a stroll along the shoreline;" "No, I'd rather not;" tells Trudy before she picks up her baskets and places them on the empty stall table so that passers by can pick up the left over flowers when they wake in the morning. Eric takes her arm and he smiles at her as she turns to face him. "Then come for a walk to the ocean;" he tells her. "You can't refuse;" Trudy sighs. She would rather go back home, have some soup, and go to bed. But if she can't refuse she guesses that she can suffer a walk. So she nods. Eric laughs and then he puts an arm around her and together they being their walk. "We're walking to the ocean as well;" he adds before they wander off. At the shoreline Eric talks of his defeat in the ocean, and he tells Trudy of his faint rescue. She listens, then she laughs as he tells her about a voice he can't get out of his mind. She can't understand his fascination with his rescuer, but then he tells her that he would like to marry whoever rescued him and she finally understands he has fallen in love with whoever has saved him. "Well maybe you'll see her again;" she mutters as they stop at the edge of a jetty. "Maybe;" mutters Eric as he looks at the ocean and sees only a light tide. "The wind is still;" he mutters as though in a trance. "You were right it is a nice night for a stroll;" tells Trudy before she yawns. She could make a bed and fall asleep on the deck of the jetty if he would let her lay down. She feels so tired, all she wants to do is sleep. However Eric is not tired, he is awake, and as he stares at Trudy he sees someone he wants to get close to. She is not a princess, she will never be his wife, but her has her in his interest. Maybe it is her eyes, maybe it is her face; but there is something he enjoys. 'Let's take a swim!" he cheers before taking his shirt off. "A swim?" asks Trudy with a stammer. she cannot tell Eric she cannot swim, that would make him want to taunt her and so she shivers as she watches him undress. "You too!" he mutters as he flicks at her dress. Trudy blushes, then she turns away. "I don't wish to go for a swim;" she mutters as she feels a cold that makes her fear a dark doom just as dark as his tale of his own near death. Eric walks up to her and helps loosen her dress before helping take it off. Trudy shivers even though it is not cold. "Come on!" mutters Eric before he leads her to the stairs that take any eager person into the water. Trudy gets pulled down the stairs and as her body meets the water she cries out before a pull takes her from the stairs into the water where she sinks. Eric rolls his eyes as he realises fast that Trudy can't swim. So he dives into the water to find her. He frets when he can't. Worried he resurfaces to take some air, and then he dives deep down into the ocean until his lungs feel as though they are being punished. He finds nothing and so he fast swims back to the top of the ocean where he calls out her name. Trudy smiles as she hides behind the long that supports the deck - she managed to grab a hold of it and return to the surface for hair. She looks at Eric dive into the ocean and to the surface many times, then she shivers as he catches sight of her shadow and as he swims towards her she crawls to the other side of the log. "hiding from me!" he gasps as he joins her. Trudy shrugs. "I managed to hold onto the log and come up for air;" she mutters. "Why didn't you tell me you can't swim?" asks Eric as he calms his racing heart down. "Only a bit;" corrects Trudy as she circles the log a little more to stay a short distance away from Eric. Eric follows her and they circle the whole log before he catches her hand. 'Why are you wanting to be so far away?" he asks before he takes hold of her so that they can be closer. "I don't know you;" mutters Trudy as Eric scrapes his chin cheek against hers. "I am your Prince;" he mutters before he offers her one salt kiss. The water rises up and slaps them both in the bath. Trudy and Eric both sputter and cough, before another wave drowns them. The bottom of the jetty is flooded and neither can find a spot of space to breathe. So Eric grabs Trudy and takes her back to the stairs of the jetty, where he helps her out of the water and back to where it is safe. Trudy gasps as tears lick her eyes, she was frightened and she feels shaken. "I'm don't really like the ocean;" she mutters before she reaches for her dress. It is time to put the dress on, and so she dries herself with the outside of the dress before pushing it back on. Eric watches her and then he re-dresses himself. "Too bad about the tide coming in;" he mutters. "I would have liked to have stayed;" Trudy smiles, then she walks back to shore where she feels a lot safer. Eric joins her. Then he takes her hand and walks her back to the village so that she can go to bed. Eric spends the next morning thinking about Trudy. He eats breakfast with her on his mind, but his thoughts are broken by the strange girl who looks like a princess as she walks into the room. Eric raises his brows and then he smiles. Phillip looks to Eric and sees he is entranced. "She looks a vision;" he comments. Eric invites the girl to sit. She sits and when sitting she brushes her hair with a fork. The spell covering Eric's eyes is broken and he moves to look at a newspaper to stop the hammering in his chest. For a moment he felt real love, but in a second it was taken away. He feels pained, and then it happens - a crush makes his heart stop for a second before it returns with a blush as a temper rages through his blood as fiery as the blast that came from the barrel of gunpowder before it was smacked by a lightning bolt. Eric clears his throat - his heart has just broken and he feels as though the fierce black storm has returned. "Did you hear what I said Eric?" asks Philip. "Sorry what was it?" asks Eric. "Perhaps you would like to take this young lady for a walk around the market place;" he tells. "Oh yes;" mutters Eric as he raises his brows. "Get the carriage ready;" he orders Phillip. "Very good;" tells Phillip before he gives orders for the carriage to be prepared for a day in town. As usual the town gives Eric his share of samples - wine, bread, flowers, candy; he packs all in a basket he is given and then he returns to the horse and carriage. He takes the young woman to the lake, where he hired a row boat to take to the water. Down a stream they travel, and surrounded by trees, flowers, reeds, and silence, Eric stops. He looks to the woman - she is most attractive and he leans back to stare at her. He feels charmed, and as the birds sing he forgets the world as he gets drunk on her looks. The woman smiles, and when she drops her chin the air picks up her hair and blowing it around. It flags in the wind as the red head flags in the water as he almost drowns in the depths of the ocean. Eric shakes his head, and then he straightens up. 'Are you her? Could it be?" he asks. The woman looks at his vacantly with large blue eyes. "Were you out at sea? Did you save me?" he asks. The woman smiles - no sound comes out on her laugh and it is then Eric realises she can't speak. "I guess not;" he sighs as he rolls his eyes. "Never mind;" he mutters before he looks away. The moment is gone and for a moment Eric lets his mind slip; he thinks about Trisha and their night by the ocean, he wishes he had her again and he contemplates the night and the kiss that was drowned by the ocean. Eric feels breath on his face, he then realises it is the wind; his daydreams stop and as the leaves fall around his shoulders he swears he hears a name 'Amille'. "Amille;" he mutters as he rubs his chin. The young woman perks up and she smiles. Eric glares at her. "What?" he asks. "Amille?" The young woman nods and then she takes his hand in excited flurry. "Okay;" mutters Eric. "Nice to meet you;" he adds. The wind turns into an ice cold breeze and Eric shivers. "Time to get back to the castle;" he mutters before he turns the boat around. Eric paces the grand dining room. He is warring in his thoughts. He likes the woman named Amille a lot, she is as pretty as a princess, however she can't talk and that annoys him. SO he looks to himself as he glares. Philip has already hinted Amille has the good looks to keep, but he can't marry her; she can't talk and in the long term that will be more then dull. So he glares at his own reflection as a storm brew outside and darkens the windows. He can see himself, a prince; but what he can't see is a bride for him. He thinks of Amille, he thinks of Trudy - both are hideous brides; Amille is a mute shipwrecked person and Trudy is just a common girl - he needs a princess, and he doesn't have one; so he looks to himself. "What would you do?" he asks. Eric looks at the ocean down below, it is spraying over the rocks sign that the waves are coming in hard and fast. Eric sighs - he wishes he were at sea, the boat would be rocking in the most alarming way. Eric rolls his eyes and he sees Amille staring at him from the staircase. He smiles. She looks perfect and he bothers to wave; but he doesn't want to be with her and so he orders her to bed. "The night is going to be a storm, best go to bed;" he mutters. Amille nods and retreats upstairs with a smile on her face. Eric looks at her hair - it is red, as red as the girl who rescued him. He nods and agrees - she is possibly the girl who rescued him, but he isn't sure. "Maybe I should take a walk;" he mutters. So he pardons himself to his reflection and leaves. Eric reaches the village - everyone has closed their stalls and are locked inside. He feels a cold chill when he realises the village is lifeless when no-one is outside. Eric turns his head - up the road a long rider is struggling with a horse, he moves to it and helps calm the horse down; the rider thanks him before moving on and Eric smiles. Behind the horse a group of villagers cheer Eric. He nods gratitude and then he sees amongst them Trudy stares at the horse and watches it walk away. Her shoes and dress are filthy, as are the shoes and garments of all the people. It is obvious they got a little muddy while helping the rider and his disobedient horse. Eric approaches Trudy. "would you like to take a walk?" he asks. Trudy shakes her head and tries to move on, but Eric takes her arm. "You will take a walk with me;" he tells her. "But there's a storm!" gasps Trudy as the others leave her alone. "I am aware it will most likely pass over;" tells Eric in lie. Trudy grimaces as she hears thunder rolls in the clouds above, and then she sighs. "Oh very well then;" she mutters. "Great! the ocean looks like fun!" tells Eric before he drags her towards the beach side stretch. However the ocean is not fun - the water rising over the rocks and splashing over the beach make the beach in-accessible. Eric grimaces as he holds on to Trisha to keep him warm. "Maybe I mis-judged the weather!" he gasps. "I think you did!" tells Trisha as her hair whips over her face with a sing. "We'd better head for some shelter!" tells Eric. Trisha nods. They both walk up the rocky hill-side and up the next road. Then they walk to the palace where the gates shudder from the fierce wind. Eric looks behind - a tornado is forming in the distance, he and see its tail dipping playfully towards the ocean. Eric gasps. "Tornado!" he shouts. Trudy looks behind and she sees a twirling tail turn into a monster of a problem. She screams. Eric looks behind and he feels a chill before he unlocks the gates and lets himself inside. The wind howls through their ears, and he grabs Trudy and helps her head for the castle. It is a windy crawl, but within minutes they are stumbling through the doors of his castle and shivering as servants bolt the doors with a log. Trudy feels ice cold and she shivers - Eric touches her face and then her hands. "Best warm ourselves by the fire;" he mutters before he takes her to the reading room to rest. "Are we safe now?" asks Trudy as she sits in front of the fire. "Oh yes, safe;" tells Eric as he sits next to her. "I've never seen a tornado that big!" she gasps. "I'm usually inside when the weather turns bad;" she adds. Eric nods before he continues warming his hands. He feels silly for having had invited her to the ocean - it was a long walk, and he had dragged her there for nothing. "Look I am sorry I dragged you all the way to the ocean; I just wanted to spend time with you;" he tells. "I knew the weather was bad, the water was too rough;" he tells. "I hope you can forgive me;" he mutters. "Oh yes!" cheers Trudy as she feels tingles on her skin. "of course!" Eric nods. "I shouldn't be bothering you;" he tells her. "You're not even worthy of my attention, and here I am telling you to take a walk with me;" Trudy nods. "I agree;" she mutters. "It's just that... I like you; despite the lower class;" he mutters as he smiles. "Oh..." mutters Trudy as she raises her brows. "Look I know we can't be together.. but I enjoy you..." he mutters. Trudy nods. She doesn't know what to say. His words are a mix of romance and vacancy, and she has trouble listening to them, so she nods. "Look I am a Prince;" tells Eric. "i can tell everyone what to do;" he mutters. "It's what I do;" he adds. Trudy nods. "You look at me and I tell you to do something, you do it;" tells Eric. Trudy blushes - she wants to leave, but the tornado threatening the coast-line stops her from racing outside, so she sits and puts up with Eric's words. "So... come to my room with me I am sure we can have some fun;" he mutters quickly, so quick he needs to catch his breath at the end. Trudy leans away from Eric. "I'd rather just wait for the storm to pass, and then leave;" she mutters as she feels a skip in her chest. "Well I'd rather you come to my room and there's nothing more to be said about it;" he mutters sharply and speedily. Trudy gets up from the carpet. She quickly paces her steps, and Eric follows. He catches her arm, and then he pulls her back the way she has come. Trudy objects by pulling away back towards the door, but Eric grabs her, tossed her over his shoulder, and carries her kicking and screaming to his room where he drops her on the bad and slaps her hard. "That's what you get for being rude!" he gasps as Trudy shivers. Philip enters the room. "i couldn't help but hear a fuss!" he tells before glaring at Trudy who stares at him with big wet eyes. "Who is this young woman?" he asks. Eric rolls his eyes. "A guest!" he mutters with a scoff. "Then why not invite to dinner?" asks Philip. "I'd rather be left alone;" tells Eric. Philip shakes his head. "I'd rather you invite her to leave;" he tells Eric. The windows blow open and Eric feels the wind slap against his face. He wants to yell, but a sound catches his ears and he races to the window. Out by the sea a young woman can be seen walking, and as he glares at her he hears a voice and he knows she is singing. Eric feels his mind widen as his heart lifts a beat. "That's her;" he mutters as he glares at the figure. "That's her!" he cries out. "Get rid of everyone! That's her!" he gasps before he leaves running. The next morning Eric shows his new bride to Philip. He feels some aggression, but his mind his pure - he is in love. He commands a wedding before sun-down, and Philip does as ordered despite the protests inside his head. On the boat Eric steps to the stage where he is to be married. All his servants gather around crying as well as clapping. Eric mutters a sound, he thinks it is 'I do', and his new wife does the same before a rock hits her chest and crushes the necklace she is wearing. His bride Vanessa offers a scream before a bolt of gold light hits Amille in the chest. Amille sings - her thrown rock has done its job and she has her voice back. Eric feels the warmth in his mind grow weak and he shakes his head. He looks to Amille and he jumps as she turns into a mermaid. He looks to Vanessa and she turns into a squid. Vanessa grabs Ariel and both fall off the boat and into the water with a splash. Then they are gone. "It's best to let go;" mutters Philip, but curious Eric dives into the water as well. He tries to see through the deep abyss but all he can see is black. He can't find either one of those women who could have been brides. When a rope is lowered to guide him towards safety he takes it, and he returns to the ship. Back at the castle Eric paces to and fro. He seems victim of a cruel ocean joke, and he doesn't like it. His face is red, his mood is dark. "Those ocean witches made a fool of me!" he gasps to a mirror. "They're going to pay!" he seethes. "Someone is going to pay!" he adds before he storms out of the castle. Eric walks up to Trudy and he takes her arm. She drops her basket in a fumble, and then she follows Eric to the ocean. Eric moves her to the jetty where they had gone for a swim and he pushes her onto the boards. He is through being alone, and so he rips her skirts open and he bothers to rape her. She screams inside of his mind, but her throat he holds to stop from yelling. he has had a wicked day full of crashed romances, he doesn't need anything more to come out and pull his world apart. Eric offers a sigh as he grabs her fingers tight. He loses himself, and with it he hears a splash - he has just fallen into a deeper ocean and he feels weak. Trudy pushes away, and she crawls back and falls into the water. Trudy feels herself sink as her dress grows heavy, and she freaks out as she misses the log which she had grabbed on before to save her. She feels herself being pulled by the current, but then Eric takes her hand and he moves her back to where their romance had begun. He smiles at her as they both recover from their dive. "i wanted to be back here;" he mutters as he holds her firmly against him. "Start everything over;" he mutters before he offer her a kiss. Trudy kisses him back - she doesn't know why but she gives in an offers him a kiss. Eric takes it and they move onto a romance as the ocean stays calm and still around them. It feels good, but Eric feels damp inside of his head - he still needs a princess to marry, and he will need to find a bride himself. He shakes his head and then he continues kissing Trudy - She will have to keep warm with her for the moment, and then he can fill his dreams later on.