Screaming … … …

Darkness … …

Water …

Storm.

Merlin's eyes flashed open, expecting to find himself in the middle of the storm, the ship rocking wildly and rain pelting down on him. However, he was only greeted by sunshine and a clear, blue sky. Trying to sit up to gain a better view of his surroundings, he felt nauseous and was forced to lie back. Instantly he became aware of a painful throbbing in the back of his head. A result he guessed from when he had been knocked out during the storm.

Reaching out tentatively to feel the cut, he was relieved to find only dried, old blood and nothing new. He would have to get someone to check it later but at the moment he probably meant that he didn't have a serious head injury.

This time instead of trying to sit up, he gently moved his head to the side. He was on the deck on the ship, against the port side, surrounded by wreckage. Most importantly though, the ship's mast had been split in two and splinters were lying everywhere.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin held his head and gently pushed himself upwards into a sitting position. It didn't hurt so much this time because he was aware of his injury but it still took a moment for the world to right itself again. Once it was, he muttered a quick spell under his breath to take away the pain and then looked up in surprise as his name was called out.

"Merlin! You're awake." Gwaine called out, limping over to him. "We thought we'd lost you."

"Gwaine." Merlin exclaimed happily, taking the outstretched hand, which helped him to stand up. Thanks to his spell he only swayed slightly. "What happened to you?"

"I became trapped underneath one of the smaller masts which broke off during the storm. Luckily, Percival was able to lug it off before I passed into unconsciousness."

"Where's Arthur? What happened to everyone?" Merlin asked worriedly, not having seen his King yet.

"Calm down mate. He's inside. We're all inside." Gwaine comforted him.

"Wait, if everyone else is awake or inside, why didn't you take me in as well?" Merlin demanded. He wasn't actually angry – maybe a little – but he did wonder why they didn't tend to him and make him more comfortable.

"Well, we didn't know how serious your head injury was. If moving you meant that we could possibly injure you even more, we decided not to risk it." He replied sincerely.

Merlin smiled, accepting the clap on the back that Gwaine gave him. He was led inside to the captain's cabin where he found a group of eighteen, standing, sitting and talking. Merlin immediately spotted Arthur standing in the middle with Percival, Alyss and Lucifer. Arthur looked up at their arrival and waved them over, nodding his head in greeting to Merlin.

"It's good to see that you're glad I'm alive." Merlin said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"When it's more serious and I care about whether you live or die, I'll tell you." Arthur grinned, slapping him on the back and Merlin swayed, still unsteady on his feet. The spell had taken the pain away but not the effects.

"Merlin, how are you feeling?" Alyss asked from next to him, checking the cut on the back of his head.

"Alright. Could you check it later? I hear you're something like a physician." Merlin acknowledged.

"I like to think of myself as a healer." Alyss replied, smiling. "Of course I will."

"Enough of Merlin, let's get back to the topic on hand. Who do we have left?" Arthur said in his business tone.

"Have left? Did we really lose that many people?" Merlin asked, worried. He'd thought he'd done well with his magic and then at least his shield would protect most. But … left? Had he failed that badly?

"I don't know, Merlin." Arthur continued. "That's what we have to check."

"Prat." Merlin muttered at Arthur's tone, loud enough for the King to hear.

Lucifer crossed over to the table near by and pulled out a piece of paper and took a quill and ink. "We can write the names of those missing on here." He said.

"Good idea." Arthur replied, taking the quill and settling down on the bed, balancing the paper on his knee. "Now …"

"Captain Rogdorn." Alyss said, softly. "Missing. Last seen on the Captain's deck."

Arthur paused before writing down his name, taking a moment to look up at Alyss. Her face held nothing but determination and will and it seemed as though she was holding strong although her father had just disappeared.

"Who is captain of the ship then in his absence?" Merlin asked.

"First mate, Lucifer." Alyss replied. "You will take up this responsibility?"

"I would be honored. The Sredgon will be in good care under my watch." Lucifer replied.

"Good. Now, about ten of the original crew is still here. Who else is missing?" Alyss continued.

"Sirs Leon and Elyan, no one knows what happened to them. Percival and Gwaine are the only knights that remain from our original company." Arthur informed them.

"There's no need to worry though. It's almost like Leon's immortal. He'll be perfectly fine." Gwaine said, grinning.

"What about Elyan?" Merlin asked. "How would Gwen be if he didn't return?"

"That's a question we'll have to ask later. Currently, we don't know our location. The storm seemed to have pushed us far off course. The ship's navigator hasn't been able to identify any landmarks either. It seems that we are currently stranded." Arthur informed them.

"What are we going to do now? How do we get to land?" Merlin asked, frowning.

"We don't know Merlin. That's what we're trying to figure out." Arthur told him, whacking him on the back of his head.

Merlin just rolled his eyes and continued, "What I meant is, what's the plan? Surely you must have one."

"At the moment, Lucifer, Jharan and I will just be sailing in the general direction of east. We'll try and see if we can spot anything on our travels." Alyss responded. "We don't have much other choice."

"Good plan." Arthur replied, "Is there anything you need from myself and my men?"

"Not at the moment sire." Lucifer told him.

"Well then, in the meantime, my manservant is the ward to the Court Physician of Camelot and is highly skilled. I'll make sure that he tends to any who have been injured during the storm. I assume there are some medical supplies on board?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, but we are limited. The trip to Aredon is usually short and uneventful. I regret to say that we left behind some of those supplies in order to load more quality food and blankets. My deepest apologies." Lucifer said, bowing low.

"With every trip, I've brought Gaius' medical bag just in case. I have herbs, bandages and potions. I suspect that will provide well enough for us for now." Merlin supplied.

Arthur nodded in approval. "Thank you Merlin. Can we have someone get the supplies?"

Alyss smiled and walked away over to an uninjured crewmember to send him away.

"I'll get started now. Fortunately, I placed the bag in here last night for better protection." Merlin told them.

He suspected it was going to be a long couple of days to come, filled with pain, hunger and loss.