Madya

Two thrones made of wood, elegantly carved and gilded with glittering gold and lined with crimson silk velvet stood side by side in the throne room of the castle. One for the king, and one for his queen. Raised from an elaborate pomp with red velvet covering the steps that lead to the thrones, they are also covered by a canopy raised up to the ceiling. They were made hundreds of years ago, and they've seen dozens of monarchs of Madya sit upon them.

Frederick entered the sacred room unapologetically. Every candle on the ceiling lamps were lit, showcasing the room in all its glory. The floors were red with designs of the royal crest, and exquisitely decorated mirrors covered the walls. The vast ceiling fresco was painted by Tiepolo, an Italian painter who had completed the rococo painting just months earlier as one of his earliest works. Bronze sculptures of lions guard the thrones, as if protecting their monarchs from any harm.

Frederick slowly walked up the velvet steps and turned to face the empty room as if he was the most important thing there. He lowered himself to the throne that once belonged to King Victor IV, and rested in the chair.

Frederick placed his arms upon the gilded armrest which was engraved with intricate swirls and designs. The reality of his plan working had finally set in. A smirk pulled at his thin lips.

He had stolen the crown that belonged to King Victor IV, delivered to him straight from the basement. It sat on his lap. This wasn't the crown used for coronations, that crown was locked in a vault that Frederick was more than eager to find.

He placed his fingertips on either side of it and he raised the kings crown above his head. He slowly brought it down to his head with his eyes closed, crowing himself as the king. The blood on that crown was dripping, but all Frederick cared about was controlling the kingdom.

Frederick opened his eyes and a fire burned within them. His judgement had been clouded by the feeling of betrayal that the royal family gave him. Frederick still believed that he deserved to have Idina be his wife, and that he was now entitled to their kingdom. Little did they know that this mistake would make each of them pay. It cost them all their lives.

The massive doors to the throne room burst open. Frederick saw one of his guards enter the room while he shouted, "sir!"

"King," Frederick spat.

"Your Majesty, there's a problem," he said as he approached the dictator, out of breath.

"Whatever it is, it can wait." Frederick tried to shoo him away while leaning his head back and closing his eyes to bask in the glory that was his own doing.

"It cannot, your Majesty."

"Why not?"

"It's about the family—"

"Their bodies are buried, are they not?" Frederick asked casually without opening his eyes.

"Yes, but—"

"But what? Spit it out."

"One of them is missing."

Fredrick's eyes immediately opened and he shot his burning gaze to the guard. His heart leapt into his throat and he gripped the arms of the chair until his nails dug into the antique wood. Through his gritted teeth he asked, "which one?"

"Princess Idina, your Majesty."

Frederick's stomach dropped to his feet. "She escaped?!"

"It appears so, sire. We have searched the entire kingdom, she is no where to be found."

"How could you all let this happen?!" He shouted similar in the way to how a toddler throws a tantrum.

The guard remained calm. "One of the ships is not accounted for. We believe she escaped with that."

Frederick was lost in his thoughts of pure panic and anger. If just one member of the royal family remains alive, they could foil his plans. He was still enraged that Idina had gotten away, and he tried to figure out how.

Finally, his red eyes gazed at the guard and he shot up to his feet and demanded, "find her. We must find her, even if we have to burn down all of Madya. I want her at my feet by dawn. Expand your men's search. Go up as far as to England, she couldn't have gone far. I demand an executioner at once, she will be beheaded. I want to see her head delivered to me on a silver platter and her heart roasting on a spit."

"Right away, sire."

"I need her gone. I don't want her to live to see the sunrise."

The guard ran out of the room so he could deliver the orders to find the runaway princess. Frederick stiffly sat back down in the chair. Even if she died at sea, he would never feel comfortable until he saw her lifeless body presented to him like a gift.

Frederick was certain that she would be found. He knows that the royal family grew up rather sheltered from the world, and would not last long outside of the comfort of their palace. She was weak. All she knew was the luxury of being royalty, he couldn't imagine Idina adapting to the life of a commoner, or surviving at sea alone for that matter. He imagined how sweet revenge will taste once Idina was certainly dead, even if it means her nightmares will come true once again. He anxiously drummed his fingers against the gilded arm, his teeth gritting with the thought that she very well may someday come home.

Softly, Frederick smiled and said to himself, "oh, sweet Idina, beware. They're looking for you, and they won't stop until you are dead. You will end with a rush of blood."

"Goodbye, Your Grace, farewell."

****************************

Idina's POV

Somewhere in the Caribbean Sea

The foreign creaking of wood stirred me awake. I slowly came to my senses as I felt a rough fabric upon my fingertips and a stench of salt in my nose. My hand instinctively came up to rub my burning eyes. I let my finger drag my eye bags down, allowing the sun to briefly blind me as it shined into the cabin through the clean port window.

Last night I had a rather pleasant dream considering the circumstances. There was a man there, and I saw him on a white sandy beach, and we were walking hand in hand together. I could feel his hand in mine, the way his fingers fit around mine like a perfect puzzle. I can't recall what the man looked like, but I could remember feeling warm, loved, and special when I was with him. It almost felt like a memory.

My head was pounding, but I could feel myself tilting ever so slightly. It wasn't until I immediately sat up with a sharp inhale that I realized that last night was not some terrifying nightmare. My heart was pounding harshly into my throat as I lifted my head up to look around the cabin. My hesitant gulp burned my throat, but it didn't hold a candle to the fear I felt when I truly came to terms with the fact that my family was dead, and I was abandoned in the middle of the ocean.

I slowly swung my legs over the cot and placed my bare feet upon the rough wood. When I stood up, I could feel the waves push against the ship, causing me to sway like the wind. I noticed a desk beside the cot, and lots of books stacked in the bookshelves that were firmly attached to the walls of the cabin. When I spotted the door, I marched to it and twisted the golden knob to head out to the deck.

The sun was blazing above me, beating the wooden deck harshly. When I took my first step out, it burned my dainty feet. I quickly ran to the railing, where an old bundle of linen lay. The fabric protected my feet against the burning wood, and I was able to make my scan.

The deck was rather large, but empty. Just some old fabric draped out, with fraying ropes as well as decaying barrels that were scattered around the edge of the deck. In front of the door to the cabin was a grate, which I assumed lead to under the deck. On either side of the cabin were staircases that lead up to a higher deck towards the back of the ship where I saw spokes of a wheel.

I slowly tilted my head up to study all the ropes, cables, and chains that were holding the sails up to the masts that I didn't have a chance to cut down last night. The wind was blowing my hair in front of my face, so I ran my fingers back through my hair to push it away from my eyes.

I placed my hand upon the smooth railing and looked out toward the horizon. I saw nothing but brilliant cyan waves and the clearest blue sky. Did I cross the edge of the water? There were the sounds of the waves crashing against the wooden body of the ship, but there were no other signs of life to be heard or seen. There was no sign of land. No sign of hope. How far does the ocean go?

I looked down into the dark, deep water directly below me. I couldn't see my reflection, but I did see the ship reflecting in the shimmering waves. I truly felt alone. It was really sinking in that I had no home, no family, and no plan. What is wrong with me? Why couldn't I have just been able to stay like I was supposed to? I felt the stab of guilt from leaving my kingdom behind and never being able to return. I wished I could just turn into a mermaid and swim far away from here.

Without much hope, I cupped my hands to my mouth and screamed out into the abyss, "hello?!"

All I could hear in response were the crashing of the waves against the ship. The glassy water was not too choppy, but it was enough to still make me feel queasy. I screamed out again, "can anybody hear me?!"

The unsavory creaking of the ropes and metal contraptions answered sneakily.

"Help! Somebody, please!"

I received little echoes of my pleas for help, but nothing beneficial to my horrific circumstance. I dropped my tired arms and gazed out to the endless horizon, feeling empty. The sky and the sea met together with no end.

I looked up and over my shoulder to inspect the series of ropes and sails that swayed above my head. I noticed ladders made of ropes made to access the sails, dozens of feet over the water. I realized that I was going to have to control this vessel on my own with no guidance, no help, and no place to go. I am not a sailor, I am just a princess. I cannot do this.

For the first time in forever, I truly felt alone.

Why did my life spiral into madness? I would like to wholeheartedly believe that I am in control, but I cannot convince myself that none of this was my fault. Out of paralyzing fear and dreadful heartache, as well as seasickness, I took advantage of leaning over the railing to vomit last nights supper into the water.

As my stomach was purging any last nutrients it may ever receive, I was trying to think of my options. At this moment, there was nothing more I wanted to do than let myself fall off the edge and be lost to the bottom of the earth. My heartaches would be over, and I'd be in the embrace of my beloved family once again. They are now in the hands of God.

I gathered some saliva in my mouth and spit it out into the water to get the sour taste of bile off my tongue. My eyes fixated on the waves, almost entrancing me to join them. I grabbed a hold of the nearest rope and leaned down over the railing, gripping the rope tightly. Like an opiate, it dulled my senses, the serpent bit me with the addiction that death would be the greatest release... and all I'd have to do was let go. I quickly took a step back and away from the railing, letting the rope slip through my fingers. I shook my head and rubbed my temples. I thought I was going to go through with it.

I immediately retreated back into the cabin and shut the door. It eliminated the possibility that I might do something regrettable. I may not have all the answers now, and my entire life may be over as I know it, but that doesn't mean my life has to end. I survived this long, that must mean I'm meant to do something more with it. I'll get my answers, I just have to be here long enough to find them.

The only times I have been on a ship was to go to France with my siblings when we would stay at the Palace of Versailles during holidays or summers. I had never dreamed that I'd be stranded on one by myself. My older brother, Peter was far more interested in sailing than I ever was. He used to read me stories all the time of swashbuckling pirates, because he adored adventure as well as studying ships. This soon graduated him to more sophisticated reads that prepared him for sailing around other countries for when he became the king. I sighed softly. I wished he was here, he would know what to do.

Almost as if he had told me himself, my thoughts sparked an idea in my own head. I turned around and once again saw the impressive bookshelf that was up against the cabin wall. It was filled with a beautiful assortment of green, red, and brown leather bound books. I figured that whoever captained this vessel must have been a well educated man with a lot of time on his hands.

I walked up to the bookshelf and my fingers gently grazed the spines of the books, feeling the engraved titles under my fingertips. I was searching for anything that sounded like the book would be about ships and anything about maritime sailing.

Once I gathered a little collection, I sat down at the captain's desk and placed the stack of books by my feet. The desk was already cluttered with piles of Spanish coins, a couple of maps, a few miscellaneous keys, a tobacco smoking pipe with teeth marks on the used stem, a sundial, a brass spyglass, a few white candles with burnt wicks, a pistol, a compass caliper, as well as a couple of empty jugs and a tankard.

I pulled up the first book from my stack and placed it on an empty spot on the deck. A bit of dust had collected on its leather cover, so I carefully brushed it off with my thumb and I opened it to the first page to begin reading.

The amount of times I would have to reread pages was astounding. The authors would use sailing terminology that I was quite unfamiliar with, without explanation. Fortunately there was only one book I picked up rather quickly where the author thoroughly explained the different terms and objects and parts of the ship that made the rest of the reading far easier. Along with the dreadful heat and my severe lack of food and water, it made it difficult for me to focus on really anything.

I stayed in that cabin all day, not only to read but to also stay out of the unforgiving sun. I was slowly going through all the books, trying to quiz myself throughout my treacherous readings to retain the information I was stuffing into my overheated brain. It was either this, or a very unpleasant and slow death.

Despite this nightmare I have endured, I do believe in angels and that there is something good in everything. I have yet to find the good in this situation, and I'm not even sure that it is coming. My family had become my guardian angels, but it didn't help me feel like I had a specific path to follow anymore. I just need to push through the darkness, just for a short while longer. I know that the destination will make this all worth the while, whatever that may be. It has to. I had to cling to this thought, otherwise I'd have nothing.

I finished another book and let my heavy head roll towards the port window. The golden sun was slowly disappearing below the horizon, casting its lovely golden shimmery light against the sparkling waves. It was the only spark of hope I had, because the single most important thing I learned in every single book was that one inexperienced individual cannot sail a ship like this by themselves.

I had very few options, and none were pleasant. I could stab myself and bleed out in this very room, or I could lay out on the deck and allow the sun to beat me to the afterlife. Another option is that I could take the pistol, aim it at my temple, and pull the trigger. I could also throw myself into the ocean with no other choice but to drown in the saltwater, or wait for a creature from the depths to swim up and pull me down for supper. Or, I could try to sail this ship to land... any land... and take on a new identity. That option was probably the best choice. If not, then at least I died trying to survive.

I yawned, and found that my mouth was quite dry. I glanced around at the cabin again with my tired eyes, and I saw a globe in the corner of the room, an abundance of lamps and a coatrack.

I took advantage of the last bit of daylight I had left to rummage through the desk to see if I could find anything that would help me survive. In the drawers I found a few more navigational charts, another compass, and a few scrolls of trade records. None of which were very useful to me at this moment. I guess I was hoping he'd have some food in there.

I gathered the books that I had completed so I could put them back on the bookshelf. My stomach was growling loudly, so I knew that I really needed to eat before I died of starvation. I weakly turned around, hopeful that a banquet would magically appear on the desk. Instead, I noticed the large ring of skeleton keys. I grabbed the ring, and remembered that there was a door in the ground that led underneath the deck. Hopefully one of the doors down there led to a kitchen of some sort that wasn't cleaned out.

I took a few steps onto the deck to grab the door in the floor. The warm wind was sharply blowing my hair and chemise back, with the fabric fluttering harshly in the wind. The wood upon my feet was much cooler than it was in the morning.

I bent down and laced my fingers through the grate and I tried to hoist it up, but all it did was clammer down and the sound of metal banging together was harsh. I froze from the sudden noise, but I tried again and found the same outcome of no success. It was locked, so I grabbed my key ring and one at a time I stuck every key into the lock until it finally clicked open. I twisted the massive lock off, but I still struggled to lift the rusted grate. Finally, I got the heavy metal grate up enough to rest it on my shoulder, my shaking legs extended and I managed to topple the lid over. It hit the floor with a sharp bang! that made me jump. Once I collected myself again, I walked down the creaky wooden steps and explored the berth deck.

My nose tickled with the stench of rotting fish, sea water, and metal. I quickly noticed that the shoulder of my chemise was now stained from filth and rust, and it bothered me until my mind drifted back to the other pressing matters at hand.

The belly of the ship was so dark, I ended up retreating back up to the cabin to grab a candle. Deepening shadows gathered a sense of calming splendor as the day was finally done, with the stars blinking awake. There were candles on the desk, and I found a candlestick holder as well as a tinderbox to light the wick.

I headed back downstairs, using one hand to hold the candle and another to lift up my chemise so I wouldn't trip. I held the candle out in front of my face to allow the yellow glow to fill the room, but I really could only see what was directly in front of me.

This deck was eerie in its own way. The way the candle shook slightly from the tilts of the ship made the shadows from the barrels and hammocks that were scattered everywhere. I kept thinking someone was down there with me. Despite knowing that I was alone, my muscles still twitched and the hair on the back of my neck still stood on end. There was this hauntingly horrid stench that has lingered from the sailors who were here before, so I held my breath during my venture.

I went room to room to room, not only to explore but to also find anything to aid in my survival. Some rooms were empty, and others were full of provisions which made me relieved. Some rooms were filled with dirty hay and smelled like grotesque manure and barnyard animals. I even found a few barrels of water. I put the candlestick holder in the ground and rushed to get them open. My lips were sticking to my teeth from dehydration. I dunked my shaking hands into the water and brought my makeshift cup up to my lips. The water may have been warm and stale, but it was water. I tried desperately not to think about how mold was likely swimming around in it, but I was so parched that I didn't care.

Once I drank my weight in water, food was now all that was on my mind. I was too tired and too hungry to even think properly. I felt like a wild animal, ready to do whatever was necessary to feed myself without much thought to anything else.

Everything that I prayed I would find were all perishable items. I was imagining them with considerable enthusiasm, but it may be worse to find them rotten than to not find them at all. I could imagine sailors enjoying them with a gusto that I envied in that moment. Instead, I found dried meat, dried plants, beans—lots of beans— and hardtack. Not exactly the fine-dining experience that I am used to, but it will do for now.

I gathered a few of the things that seemed appetizing to me and brought them up on deck. I didn't bother to shut the trap door, so I glanced around to see where I wanted to eat my supper. My eyes landed on a barrel, so I placed my items on top and used it as a make-shift table, and found a little box nearby that I turned upside down to become my chair.

With the sun gone, the night gave the world a blanket of darkness that the friendly moon could dance in. The stars were shining brightly, twinkling as I tried to pick out the different constellations. Dinner with a view.

With my first bite of beans, I immediately gagged from the texture and the cold, slimy consistency. The beans were dense with an earthy taste that insulted my tongue. I tried to imagine it as roasted lamb, one of my favorite meals. I forced a swallow, and tried to rid the taste in my mouth by eating the hardtack. It was so dry and hard, I was afraid that my teeth were going to snap. I dunked the pathetic excuse for a semi-salty biscuit in water to try to soften it up. It helped a little, but it remained dry and tasteless. At least I could chew through it now, but I could not imagine eating this for months on end. The flavor was nonexistent, I might die if I had to survive off this from lack of spice alone. I couldn't even chew it unless I dunked it in water. Not the decadent foods I was used to eating.

The dried meat was the highlight of my supper. It wasn't venison, like I would have preferred, but it was new and not as bad as the rest of the supper was. It was rich, dense, and surprisingly flavorful with a nutty and smokey taste. But this was all I could find. With this, I had months worth of food, which I hoped I wouldn't have to eat for long.

As I chewed my food, over and over and over, my mind began to wonder to what is to come next. Now what? My entire family was executed right in front of me. By now, Krozar certainly knows that I had escaped and are probably sending out warrants for my arrest at this very moment to send me back to Madya. My fate will be sealed if they find me. I must find a place to gain salvation and freedom.

Not only me, but for my people. Many of them were executed themselves just for showing support to my family. Tears filled my eyes at the thought, and the dreadful memory. I will forever be tormented by these memories.

For the first time in my life, I didn't know what to do. I was helpless, and I was scared. Everything had been always planned out for me, from birth to death. I was now free from the torturous constraints of society, but at what cost?

With some food settling in my stomach, my gaze went up to the mast. The main sail I had already cut down was the only thing moving the ship. I had no idea where I was going, but I remembered that that guard told me to travel north. I needed to steer the ship north.

I stood up and fetched the compass from the captains desk and walked straight to the wheel. For the first time, I put my hands on the wood and gripped it tight. I looked down at the compass, and saw that I was facing the west. I spun the wheel, and I turned to the south. I quickly spun the wheel the other way, turning the ship to the north.

I recalled what the books told me, and knew that I couldn't just stand here and hope that I drifted to some nearby port. For all I know, there is no land nor ship around for hundreds of miles. I need to put in the work if I want to get out of here alive.

When I let go of the wheel, it would spin in whatever direction it wanted. It travelled in the direction of the waves, but that was not acceptable to me. I inspected the deck for any resources and came upon a few wooden boxes. I fetched the boxes and filled them with some books to increase their weight. I placed them on either sides of the wheel to keep it steady.

Once that was secure, I took a look at the other sails upon the main mast, and sighed softly. I walked over to the rope rigging, and began to climb. It was like a flimsy ladder made out of rope, and with the wind and unstable surface I kept wiggling. I was utterly terrified of falling. My long hair kept whipping in my face and at one point I stepped on my chemise and nearly slipped.

I hugged the rope tight to myself, squeezing my eyes shut until I realized that the wind on my face was from the wind, not a fall. I slowly opened my eyes and my breathing slowed. I gulped, and gave myself a moment before I continued.

That is another way I could kill myself, I guess. I could jump off this rigging and splat onto the deck: if anyone were to ever find me, they'd all conclude that it was an accident.

Once I finally got to the top, I hugged the ropes to my chest so tightly, my knuckles were cramping and turning white. I took a breath and let go of one of my hands. It was shaking as it reached for the nearby knot of ropes. I tried to reach for it a few times, each time my fear took over and I retreated my hand back to the rigging. Once I finally convinced myself that I was going to die anyways, I leaned to the side and grabbed a hold of the end of the knot. I tugged it down, and the rope flew out of my hands, sending the sail flying down.

I laughed triumphantly, using my hand to brush my annoying hair out of my face. I carefully climbed down, and I was more than relieved to be back on the ground. I shook my cramping hands out and navigated around the ship to find the next rigging that I needed to climb to release the last sail.

After the first one, it was much easier to climb up the second one and release that knot. The sail came down, and the wind filled the sails and began sailing me faster through the frigid Atlantic waters.

I finished all that I could for that first night. I had a sense of proudness in myself for accomplishing something so incredibly daunting. By the end, my wrists were tight and sore, every single one of my muscles were tired, and my palms were red and burning. My feet hurt, so I just wanted to rest in bed.

With this exhaustion, I promptly fell asleep on the captain's cot.

This became my pattern for weeks. I watched the sun rise and fall so many times that I lost count. And in between, I was reading and studying more and more about this fascinating ship. Throughout the day and sometimes through the night, I would ensure that I was still sailing in the right direction. With the wind and the waves, I was constantly having to adjust course.

It got a little easier as time went on. The sun was so cruel, it turned my sweat into dust, and I was out of tears. But still, I was not strong enough nor experienced enough to be doing this by myself. I was growing physically weaker from a severe lack of nutrients, but I also felt like my muscles were growing just a little stronger from all the tugging, climbing, pulling, and tying I had to do for the ship.

I even took the time to take my corset and rip open the fabric to collect all the beautiful gems and jewels that my mother tried to hide. Gold, silver, rubies, diamonds, and sapphires spilled onto the desk. Once I knew that I had everything, I took the captains coat off the coat rack and used a dagger to slice a little hole into the seam. I used thread from the fabric of my chemise to sew little pockets inside of the coat, and I filled the holes with the priceless jewels. As soon as I sewed it back up, it was as if they never existed. From that moment on, I knew that this coat was to never leave my sight. This coat now inhabited the most valuable jewels in my family's name, but it was also the last piece of my own identity.

More weeks had gone by, and I still had not come across anyone else on the endless sea, and I had yet to spot any sign of land. I was waiting, but waiting for what? Death? A knight in shining armor? I haven't even come across any sea birds flying in the air. The only friend I had was the moon, giving me comfort in times of great pain and it was something to talk to while I was alone so I wouldn't go mad.

Are you there, God? It's me, Idina. Aren't there rules and strictures to this sort of thing? Princesses shouldn't have to wait this long. Why is everything against me?

One morning, I woke up rather early. I got up to adjust course, and I stopped to look out to the beautiful sky. The sun was beginning to rise, giving the sky a brilliant red hue. The clouds danced around in reds and purples, the sky was ablaze like it was on fire. It was breathtaking.

If only I knew what horror was to come.

It didn't take long for the wind to pick up. It kept twisting the sails in all sorts of directions, keeping me at the helm and the wheel for the majority of the day. When the fingers of night surrendered the setting sun, along came the rain. The blacked sky was menacing, and dealing with the wind and the rain by myself, I was terrified.

I had spent weeks reading those books over and over, but nothing could have prepared me for a hurricane. I put my faith in the waters of the deep blue sea, but I was uneducated to see the devil in the darkness up ahead.

Lighting was the only source of light I had on this night. The dark clouds covered the friendly moon and the glowing stars, making everything pitch black. Even the unforgiving waters below me looked black as tar. I could barely see anything in front of me. Heavy raindrops were bursting on the deck, and I could feel the wind like needles against my aching cheek.

The wind was so strong, it blew my long, heavy hair back. After weeks of not being able to wash my chemise, it was very dirty, ripped in many places, and smelled rancid. The fabric turned sheer and it stuck to my skin like glue. My face felt like thick leather from sunburns, but the rest of my body was protected by my long sleeved chemise which was why I refused to part with it.

The rain hit my skin like it was gnawing through my burning muscles. I was trembling like a frightened child. The mist alone was blinding, I felt like I couldn't see anything. It sounded like the buzzing of angry bees, interrupted by the rumbles and booms of thunder and cracks of lightning.

With another strike of lightning, I ran to the rope that was flying through the air. I needed to secure it to keep a beam from swinging around in the air. I jumped and grabbed it, and once I landed on the deck I gave it a tight tug. The rope whipped back up into the air, but my grip on the wet rope wouldn't budge. It dragged me across the ship to the pulley system that was attached by the taffrail.

I screamed as my body dragged across the deck, creating bruises along my thigh and hip. I suddenly felt a tight grip on my hair, and I screamed out in pain. I tilted my chin to look up and saw that my hair had gotten sucked in through the pulley, and with every harsh motion the wind blew the rope into, my hair got caught further and further into the pulley.

My tears were mixing with the rain that streamed down my face and soaked through my chemise. I had one hand on the rope above my head and the other wrapped around my hair to try to keep it from being ripped out of my scalp. Water was being sprayed at me from all directions, but once the lightning lit up the sky again I saw the massive wave building up above the Golden Skye, dangerously looming over the ship. The bow dipped down as if bowing to the wall of water right in front of it.

"Oh, Lord, just take me now," I mumbled under my breath. I was tired of fighting for my life, and I seem to be the only one who cared about it anyway. I knew that this wasn't the life for me; a life on the run and fighting for survival.

Water rushed into my nose and down my dry throat when the wave slipped over the taffrail of the ship, completely submerging me in the salt water. My legs curled up to my chest while hundreds of pounds of water rained down on me. Once the water drained through the railings, I pried my stinging eyes open and coughed the water out of my lungs.

I thought I was out on these waters all alone, but then I heard my mothers strength inside the wind. This magnificent sky and sea seemed to have no end in sight, but I prayed up to my mother and she answered. I could hear her in the rising wind while the black waves called for me to join the bones of ships on the ocean floor. She was like a sea nymph, here to protect me. If I was going to survive, I needed to put my trust in the light that I could not see.

I didn't have any time to think. I reached for anything that I could use to cut myself free, but all I had on me was my tattered chemise. That bolt of lightning made me catch a glimpse of a nearby dagger, it's light reflecting off the blade.

I held my breath as I stretched my leg out and used my foot to kick it towards my hand. I grabbed a hold of the blade, cutting my palm in the process. I hissed from the pain and readjusted the grip to the handle. I looked up at the terrifying wave that was just about to crash down onto me and the ship.

My chest heaved as I hyperventilated in an attempt to remain composed so I didn't panic. With my one hand that had a hold of my hair at the base, I pulled the hair taunt and pressed the blade against the strands. I kept my eyes on the wave, watching helplessly as it continued to build. With a few skillful swipes, I cut myself free.

I gasped and I fell to the deck. I rolled out of the way as quick as I could. I crawled backwards frantically until I was halfway in the safety of the captains cabin. I watched in horror as the wave crashed hard right into the deck, sending one of the smaller masts straight into the taffrail I was pinned against, destroying the wood to mere splinters.

My shaking hand reached up to my hair, feeling the jagged ends by my shoulder. My scalp was throbbing like my heart was located in my skull, and I could feel blood soaking into my wet hair, mixing with the rain that was pouring down on me. Hair holds memories. This felt like a step further away from my family. An invisible wave took me by surprise as it crashed over the deck. It snapped me out of my daze, and reminded me of what I had to do.

I turned into the captains cabin and grabbed the compass. The ship tilted significantly so I grabbed a hold of the doorframe to steady myself. I looked at the compass and it said that I was facing the west. I ran out of the room and up the steps to get to the wheel. The boxes had slid away so the wheel was spinning out of control. I grabbed the wheel with a fierce slap on my palms and gripped it tightly. My elbow crashed into my thigh as I tried to stop the wheel from moving, and I screamed as I used all of my muscle to get the ship to steer in the right direction.

I wiped strands of my wet hair off of my face. My hair was as black as coal, and the salt water made my now short hair hang in ringlets by my shoulders. Since breaking out of something that was certain to kill me, underneath the roaring of the storm I could hear the breaking of the dawn. I swore I could see the broken rays of sunlight that beamed through the dead of the night. This gave me hope that the storm would be over when morning broke. All I had to do until morning was survive.

I felt lost, but I imagined seeing a lighthouse through the mist. The salty wind mixed with the water paired with my delusions caused by dehydration, I thought I saw the silhouette of my father. I swear I could see him standing on the left side of the deck, watching me. We locked eyes, I exhaled in the comfort of his presence. Similar to how a child stops crying when their mother embraces them after scraping their knee, I was soothed when I saw him. It was like he was giving me a hug, telling me everything was going to be okay. Just as quickly as I saw his ghost, the wind whisked him away.

"Come back!" I screamed, knowing full well he wasn't coming back to me. I began to cry with tears streaming down my face as I cried out, "don't leave me here alone!"

More waves crashed onto the deck, and the lightning would still make my heart stop but I appreciated the light it gave me. I could have filled the sea with my tears. The ocean was begging for my life. I didn't want to just survive, I wanted to live. They say to keep your eye on the horizon, but I can't find the horizon. There was nothing else I could do but steer the ship, wait out the storm, and pray.