North of Westerguard

Wind and rain hit the ship from the front, and a moment later wave crashed into ship's bow, sending spray and water over the deck, flushing it completely. A moment later sailors on the deck let go of the safety lines, checked if anybody wasn't washed off the ship, and clung stronger, as Northern Wind suddenly leaned forward and fell into the space between two waves. It straightened with a creak of her hull, barely audible in the howling wind, then cut through another wave. This one barely made a splash, compared with the previous. Another one was looming right behind it, though, ready to test the ship's solidity.

Ferdinand von Schwalbe balanced on the helm, one hand on the rail, the harness yanking him with every jerk and tilt of the vessel. In the other he held his spyglass, trying to see the keep. Another violent jerk sent it out of his hands and he was thankful for the short line that connected it to his wrist. He caught it, cleaned the lenses and resumed attempts of seeing anything through the heavy curtains of rain.

"You really think you'll see anything here?!", he heard Gustav screaming in his ear. He put the spyglass down and turned to his first officer.

"Their guns are manned!", he said, shielding his face from icy cold rain, wind and sea spray.

"In the storm?!", Gustav asked incredulously. "Paranoiacs or what?"

"Good question!"

He looked around the ship and, despite its jerks and tilts, felt a burst of pride, seeing how well Northern Wind and her crew were doing in the Stormbringer weather. He grinned to Gustav, who replied with a scowl. Both men gripped the rails as the ship slid down another wave, her bow piercing the water and lifting heavily, just in time to be up when another wave arrived.

"Isn't it fun?!", Ferdinand screamed cheerfully. Gustav clenched his teeth and shook his head, mouthing 'madman'. Then he turned and went to the helmsman. Ferdinand followed him, stepping over the safety line, and caught another rail in time for another tug. Rain hit with doubled strength, as if trying to make up for a weaker wave. Ferdinand looked forward.

"I'd rather we didn't go away from the island!", he screamed to Gustav over the wind.

"How do you expect that?! What, are we gonna change the tack in this weather?!"

Ferdinand shook his head, more somber, and caught the rail as the ship dived again. He turned and heard spray hitting his hood, a sound quickly replaced with fresh rain. He looked forward again. So far, Westerguard provided them with reasonable protection from the worst of the storm, but were they to swim straight into the Stormbringer… Northern Wind just wasn't cut for it. He started to think about how to best turn the ship in the weather like this when he heard over the wind and rain boots hitting the stairs. He turned to the staircase in surprise and froze in terror.

Anna couldn't stand it anymore. The ship was flying like crazy, throwing her from one wall to another, wood everywhere around her creaking and creaking as if it was about to break, water crashing loudly into the hull and all that in pitch darkness, because they wanted to avoid ship fire. It felt like her nightmares and finally she had enough. Thrown from wall to wall like a drunk, she managed to reach the staircase and climbed up, then caught the safety line, a thing thick like her thumb, close to the floor, vibrating in her hands. It took her a while to catch it with the snap hook and then close it properly, but finally she managed to do it and stood up, just in time for another tug to thrown her at the wall. She absorbed the hit with her hands, then pushed herself back, holding the doorframe, and looked aboard.

Outside it was nearly impossible to see anything further than three meters through the cover of rain, but she could feel the ship starting to lean forward again. She caught herself strongly and managed to stay on her feet, but the water flushed her and she ended up completely wet and shaking in the cold.

"Princess Anna!", she heard and saw prince Ferdinand, somehow standing straight despite not holding anything. He was seriously freaked out. "What are you doing here?! I told you to stay under the deck!"

"I can't!", she screamed back. "Sorry, I just can'! I'll just stand here, I won't be coming any more outside, I promise!"

He first shook his head, then coughed the rail, as if somehow anticipating the next jerk. Anna decided to do the same, and the ship suddenly leaned back. She gripped the doorframe stronger and looked at the prince again. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then shook his head again.

"But stay here, and don't let go of the…"

He didn't finish. She suddenly heard a loud THUMP! and suddenly there was a hole in reefed sail she could see. The prince turned around and grabbed the rail, then screamed something in Islander.

"What the hell just happened?!", Ferdinand screamed, looking at the hole. It didn't look storm-made. In fact, it looked distinctly…

THUMP! CRACK! He saw a hole in the wood and…

"They're shooting at us!", Gustav screamed.

"The keep?! The hell why?!"

"As if I knew! What do we do?!"

Ferdinand looked towards the ship, then towards the cannonball that rolled off the deck at just that moment. He heard a splash and saw an explosion of water when another shot hit it.

"We've got to move away from the keep!", he said.

"Into the full storm?!"

"You said it yourself, we're going there anyway!"

THUMP! CRACK! Another shot hit the ship. The hull this time. Ferdinand gripped the rail stronger, gaping at it. In this weather, a few more shots like this were a murder for the ship.

"Half sail!", he ordered. "We've got to move faster!"

…or we're dead.

Anna heard the same cracks and gripped the doorframe stronger. Was it the ship losing against the storm? Or was somebody shooting at them? Are they going to sink? I'm not going down!, she told herself. No way!

She suddenly saw white canvas of sails moving down, spreading. Why didn't they do this…

The ship jerked and creaked as if somebody was going to rip her apart, then started to gain speed, leaning and tilting to the side. Anna had to grab the other side of the door, feeling them going faster and less controllably. Main sail wasn't there, but many others were and the ship was shuddering, trembling, creaking in protest, leaning more to the waves, but going faster, and they were so low, we'll fall, she thought, we'll fall…

Deep breath. They know what they're doing…

CRACK!

This time she saw it clearly, a shape flying through the air and hitting the mast, brushing it. The entire thing started to tremble. We're under fire, Anna realized. If this masts falls… oh, dear, it holds like half of the rigging. If it falls, in this weather… She grabbed the doorframe stronger, watching the mast that didn't look all too well. She noticed the prince turning to look at her. He started to say something…

THUMP!, something whizzed by and suddenly he wasn't there anymore. CRACK! Anna stared at the place in terror, took a deep breath, inhaling some water with it, then noticed an odd sound, like a whip hitting the wood… She looked down and noticed the safety line flapping in the weather, loose, cut…

THUMP! CRACK! The ship suddenly jerked with full strength, Anna felt the doorframe slipping from her fingers, she hit the deck, I have to grab something…

THUMP! THUMP! Another jerk and she was in the air, and suddenly…

She hit the water. She barely managed to take a sharp breath before wave covered her and pushed, she felt a momentary burst of panic, I'm drowning! Get yourself together!, she answered herself and realized that she truly was drowning, heavy boots she was given pulling her down. Air escaping her lungs, eyes seeing nothing, she bent and found the shoelaces, then pulled them and tried to kick the boots off. Her head and lungs started to ache, she finally let go of one shoe, then the other, and kicked the water strongly, hoping she's swimming up…

Her head broke the surface and she took half a breath before another wave covered her, pushing her back, somewhere. Anna tried to swim up and again, she managed to get her head over the water for just a moment. She slid down on the wave, taking a breath, and looked around, then closed her eyes again as water covered her. She couldn't see the ship… where am I?

All right, calm, calm, she told herself, frantically swimming upwards. Her eyes itched, her mouth was full of salt, around her there was thunder of waves and thumps of cannonballs hitting the water. She managed to break the surface again and with a BOOM a cannonball hit right next to her, she went underwater again, they're shooting at us, shooting at us, what do I do…

She went to the surface again and managed to make a whole spin around, rain falling in her eyes and mouth, but she saw a faraway lights of the keep and the ship, like a small dark point, moving further and further… Can't go there, they won't have any way to pick me up… She took a breath just in time, started to swim to the surface, broke the surface, looked in direction of the keep again, saw a dark, bulky shadow of the island… I just have to swim there, she told herself, it can't be that far!

After the next wave passed, she started to swim. She was a mediocre swimmer in good circumstances, and those weren't good at all, but something - a will of survival, perhaps - kept her going as if there was no such thing as exhaustion. Up and down, up and down, deep breath, underwater, pushing up, deep breath, up and down, up and down… Rain and thunder of waves raged around her, making her nearly deaf, and she could barely see with her eyes teary from saltwater. Deep breath, water falling into her mouth, she could barely taste it now, darkness and thunder and rain, she was almost sure the shape of the island was growing before her, I have to make it, I can't stop so close, I've got to be close, I have to make it… Deep breath, cough when she drank water, underwater, almost without air, up and up and up, and deep breath and another wave to beat…

I have to make it, I can't stop so close, I have to make it, I can't stop so close, I have to make it, I can't stop so close, I have to make it…

Water, water everywhere, up and down, in all directions, have to push up, have to reach the surface, have to go forward… where is up?

I have to make it, I can't stop so close…

Thunder and crash and thunder and crash of waves and water and all world was water and thunder and crash and salt and growing numbness of arms and legs, I have to make it, I can't stop so close, I have to make it, I can't stop so close, how long yet? Don't ask how close, I am close, I have to make it…

Something broke over the noise, a new thunder, and it seemed more dangerous. She slowed down for a moment, on the slope of the wave, sliding down, looking forward, and her heart sank when she realized what a bad choice she made.

The cliff seemed endless and endlessly tall, and the waves crashed in it in fury as if they wanted to change that. Anything between them and the cliffs would be crashed and destroyed, squashed between water and stone, dead… No, don't think that. There's got to be a way. There's got to be port in here. I just have to swim towards the keep… The wave covered her again and spun wildly and she picked her course, going against the waves, under the waves, she started to kick herself to the surface, air was running out, lungs ached, and ached, and ached… She felt the air and rain, took a deep breath and realized she had swam towards the cliff, she tried to dive and swim alongside it but suddenly a massive force pulled her to it. She tried to fight back but couldn't, the force pulled her stronger, sucking her in, she had so few air, suddenly the sea let go, she swam forward and up, caught a breath, she was spinning, sea was boiling, she didn't know where to swim, the current caught her again and pulled and sucked, she tried to swim away but her legs were giving up, numb, numb, so numb… She couldn't fight it. In a moment she'd crash into the cliff. She curled, hands over her head, legs to her torso, trying to shield herself from the crash, she couldn't breathe, water all around…

Suddenly the thunder changed, grew louder, lower and as if with echo, I'm alive, she straightened, pushing up, grasped for air, it was darkness around, darkness and a circle of light, no rain, only water crashing all around her. I'm in a cave!, she realized, and then the water started retreating, no, I can't swim back out!, she tried to grab the wall but it was slippery and smooth, finally she caught something, held it, water pulled her, then pushed her back in. She let herself be pushed further, looking forward, and froze, noting the light gleaming on the stone wall before her, the water started retreating again, she started to slide back, I can't go out and I can't go in, I have to make it through the storm inside… She couldn't, she knew it. The water pushed her forward again and she extended her hands, the impact pulled the air out of her lungs, she looked to the side, water was drifting to the left, and… was it light? She kicked against the wall and went there, water was still moving wildly, there were stalactites hanging over the boiling surface, she caught one and gripped it tight when the water started to pull back, she couldn't breathe in the waves, the rock broke in her hands, she tried to go back, swim forward, the sea started to return and she was pushed further.

Finally she entered a huge cave and she looked around in surprise, noticing torches on the walls. It was shaped like a bowl, with part that looked like a gallery with an exit and another, much lower floor, in front of it, washed over again and again. In torchlight she noticed the stairs up and then the sea swallowed her again. I have to go to this lower part, she thought, I can climb on the gallery. The waves pushed her again and she started to swim toward the ground, she almost grabbed it, but the sea pulled her. She tried to reach it, she couldn't, she was too weak… The waves stroke again and thrown her on the lower ground, she tried to crawl forward, the sea started to pull her back, no, you won't take me, you won't take me! They hit her in the back again and she let them carry her forward, closer to the stairs, she started to crawl again, so close, so close…

When she reached the steps, she couldn't climb even the first one. Her hands were shaking with exhaustion, her legs barely pushed her forward, the sea swam to and fro, she was too weak… I won't make it, she thought. I went so far… No. No. No! She clenched her teeth and reached the first step, big and wide, with an higher edge that she could catch. She pulled herself up, slowly, slowly… Now another. Behind her she could hear the waves crashing, repetitive thunder drowning all other sounds. She could barely hold the first step with her hand when she extended another to catch the next one. She did it, moved the second hand and pulled up again, shaking from exhaustion and growing cold.

It seemed to be taking forever, much longer than her swim to the cliff. The waves crashed and crashed and crashed, bringing with them a weak wind that made her freeze, the sounds blending together into one loud thunder that took ages. The stairs seemed impossibly steep, if not vertical, and they just didn't want to end. I have to make it, she repeated in her head, I can't stop so close… One hand up. A grip. Second hand up. A grip. Legs pushing against the ground, hands bending, pulling the body up… one leg one the step. Another leg on the step. One hand up. A…

Her fingers caught air. For a moment she just looked for a step without understanding, before she realized that she reached the top. She tried to grab the ground, pushing herself up, she had to make it, she had to… With a faint scream at what was top of her lungs now, she pushed herself with her legs and was finally on the gallery, away from the water.

She was lying there for some time, hearing crush and thunder, feeling cold and exhaustion drowning her, like a tonnes put her back and above all, she wanted to sleep… No, she told herself. I'll die if I stay here to freeze to death… I have to go… She turned and looked for the exit from the gallery. She crawled that way.

Inside there were lamps and warmth and dozens of wooden crates, one of which was open. She didn't know why, but there was something inside, so she crawled in there, curled and closed her eyes.

Darkness swallowed her.

The Prince's Keep

Hans was circling his room, going from corner to corner, stopping sometimes to glare at Hauser. The admiral put on an expressionless face, hoping that Hans' anger was quick to pass. Although, judging by his brother…

Finally Hans stopped at his desk, put his hands on it and drummed with his fingers, looking at Hauser.

"So…", he said. "I believe I can't really keep it against Mousac, seeing how you practically overrode him, but let me just sum it up, alright?"

Hauser nodded, his face a wooden mask.

"Thank you. Let's start with that: twenty cannonballs. You are aware we don't have an infinite amount of those?"

He was. As a matter of fact, that was the reason Victor gave when he ordered to cease fire. I have to apologize him, Hauser thought regretfully. He'd rather not lose Weste's friendship, although he feared he just might.

"I can make up for their losses from ships' stockpiles.", he said.

"That would be wonderful, if it wasn't for the fact that navy guns and keep guns fire differently-sized shots. So that's not really an option."

Hauser nodded, concealing his emotions. I was an idiot, he berated himself. But it was this bastard Ferdinand… No, don't think about it, he told himself, feeling familiar rage starting to boil. He didn't manage to hide it entirely, though, because Hans narrowed his eyes.

"Then there's a matter of who you were shooting at.", he said. "Am I right, guessing that it just so happened to be Ferdinand?"

This time Hauser swallowed.

"Yes, your grace."

Hans looked at him for a moment, then sighed, shook his head and sat down.

"Do you imagine how great opportunity it would be if we were to keep him hostage?"

Hauser blinked. It didn't even occurred to him then, but… It would make so much sense. Friedrich wouldn't risk his own brother's life, and the navy… ha! The navy sure as hell wouldn't open fire knowing that they might kill their beloved Prince Perfect! He nodded.

"I'm sorry, your grace."

Hans shrugged.

"Well… we'll just have to make what we can with what we've got. I bet we could fool the navy into thinking we've got Ferdinand, at least for some time."

Hauser just nodded and Hans waved him away from the room.

"Get some sleep.", he ordered. "I bet soon you won't have much opportunity for that."

Hauser nodded again, saluted and left. Closing the door behind himself, he felt his knees… shaking? Yes. Throughout the conversation, he expected Hans to explode like the king was said to do, but Hans seemed oddly serene. Hauser shook his head and went in search of Mousac. I have to apologize to him, he reminded himself.

It wasn't until he passed a few corridors that he noticed that Hans wasn't really much upset or sad over his brother's death. As if only the future of Westerguard - the Princedom, really - mattered.

Smugglers' Cave

Anna awoke numb and cold. She tried to stretch and realized she's in some sort of a box. What happened?, she asked herself in surprise, blinking and noticing she's surrounded by furs. What is going on here?

The events of the night returned to her and her eyes widened in terror when she realized what had happened. She was in the foreign land… Hans' land, to make it worse… She didn't know the language, she didn't know what happened to Northern Wind, or even if the ship survived the storm and the shooting… What if they were all dead? She swallowed. She came to like them, the officers and the crew alike. To think they were all… the sailor who found her on smugglers' ship, the first officer, the scowling helmsman, the distant prince… to think they were all dead…

Suddenly she heard a loud cry of pain. She froze for a moment, then crawled out of the crate and sat on the ground, salt creaking with her every move, everywhere on her. Somebody wailed again, this time breaking down into sobbing, but the voice wasn't as loud as she thought. In fact, it seemed rather weak, as if the screaming person didn't have much strength left.

Anna stood up and stretched, salt falling off her in tickles, then stepped to the exit, feeling slippery, cold rock under her feet. She entered the gallery and noticed that the sea seemed to had calmed when she was sleeping. The waves were weaker, they didn't hit the bottom of the gallery, and the thunders weren't nearly as loud as she remembered…

There was somebody sitting under the wall of the cave, curled up, in mottled uniform, hiding one hand with another. A still-smoking, but drowned torch lied next to him, rolling with the waves. He wore a familiar uniform.

Anna ran down the stairs and to the man, then crouched next to him.

"Hello!", she said. "Hello…"

The man looked up.

"Prince Ferdinand!", she said, feeling a burst of joy. Somebody survived! Somebody…

She sobered up, noticing his absent eyes and expression of pain.

"Can't do this…", he said to her, although she wasn't sure if he even noticed who she was. He must've, for he was speaking Confederate. "So sorry… Ich kann nicht… Tut mir leid…"

"Prince? Ferdinand? What is it?", she asked, not understanding what he was talking about. He swallowed slowly and stretched his legs a bit, then took one hand off another. Anna inhaled sharply.

"Tut mir leid… Mutti, gehe ich nach dir? Bitte… bitte…"

There was no hand. His arm ended in the middle of forearm, and the rest was just a ragged, gore stump that still bled. Anna could smell the awful stink of burnt flesh and noticed a black stain on part of the stump. She glanced at the torch in terror. He tried to cauterize it, she realized, he just couldn't finish…

"Verzeihen sie mir…", he wailed, and took a sharp breath. He put his head on his knees. "Ich kann nicht…" Anna swallowed.

"Shhhh. Shhh…", she told him, putting her hands on his arms, trying not to look at bleeding, stinking stump. "Everything will be alright…" He looked at her again and blinked. A trace of consciousness appeared in his eyes.

"Help me…", he begged. "Please, help me…"

He cried, grabbing his arm. Anna dared to look in its direction. She had to do something… He already lost a lot blood, if she didn't stop it… She didn't have anything that could work as a bandage… She looked at the scarf that held her dress close to her body, but it wouldn't do much, and it was full of salt. She took it off nevertheless, finally making a decision.

She stuff the scarf in Ferdinand's mouth, so that he wouldn't bite his tongue off. His eyes trailed into oblivion again, but he bit it, as if he understood. However, he looked at her with terror as she stood up and reached for the torchlight and when she returned, not wishing to at all, he covered the stump, shaking his head.

"Don't make it harder for me…", she asked him. "You begged me for it yourself. Please, let's do it quickly and have it behind us… Please…"

He stared at her for some time, but finally extended the torn arm, turning his head away. Anna crouched next to him, torch in one hand, and swallowed hard.

How do you even do this?, she asked anybody who'd know, grabbing his arm with free hands. He shuddered, but didn't fight her. Anna almost hoped he would. What if I set him on fire?, she asked herself, looking at the torch. Cold water washed over her feet, as if prompting her to action.

Alright, she told herself with new resolve. Let's do it and have it behind us.

She closed her eyes and with a sharp movement pressed the torch to his arm. The smell! She almost vomited, letting go on his hand and covering her face, she heard Ferdinand's muffled scream, she wanted to vomit, the smell, the stink, the burning flesh and blood, and…

It all took maybe a second. She dropped the torch and doused Ferdinand's arm in the water, then stood up and staggered to the edge of the rock. She fell to her knees and vomited all she had left in her stomach.

Behind her, Ferdinand slumped to the ground, unconscious.