Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews, everyone. You're all so nice.


Chapter 8: A Sudden Assault of the Weather


The rain crashed down like pellets of agony. It soaked the two individuals to the bone as they moved on through the sea. The waves were vicious and incredible. Some of them almost crashed down into the boat, but the Mariner had the sense to steer the boat in another direction. Things were looking very ugly and things appeared as though they weren't going to brighten. That was how the atmosphere was like as the storm raged on. The lightning was like a violent strike, lighting their path. The wind was like a horrendous thing, trying to topple them over. The rain was like bullets of a gun, pouring down upon them. And the thunder was like an explosion going off, destroying everything its thunderous path.

Helen, who was hanging on to a part of the ship, brought her gaze to the Mariner and squinted her eyes through the rain, seeing the Mariner steering the boat in certain directions to avoid getting trampled over by a massive wave. The woman's heart was pounding insanely in her chest and fear was gripping her in horrid torrents. Her hands were slippery because of all of the water being drenched upon them and her stomach dropped uncomfortably. Helen was worried that they wouldn't make it through this horrible storm.

When it had been in deep evening, the two of them had been continuing on with their journey in silence, nostalgia touching their souls from what they had been through in the past. The ocean had been peaceful and the weather had been enjoyable. There was absolutely nothing to fear and Helen was at complete ease, especially when she had the one she loved beside her. It was so serene and perfect and her troubles had been literally washed away by the calmness the atmosphere had portrayed. However, all of that was annihilated when the dark clouds rolled in. Helen had commented to her lover that it might be a mild storm because she had never seen a terrible and violent storm before. The Mariner had told her that he sensed that it was much more complicated than that, which made her grow uneasy.

Then the storm commenced.

Here they were; trying to survive the treacherous weather. Helen could feel her grip slipping as a wave crashed into the side of the boat, almost tipping it over. She released a broken gasp as her hand slipped off of what she had been gripping. A scream ripped through her throat and tore through her mouth as she went sliding down the boat and towards the raging water below. As she slid, she desperately tried to grab something, anything! Her attempts were futile, unfortunately.

At the last minute, before she could fall down into the torrent below, a hand gripped her wrist, stopping her from doing that. Helen glanced up and could see the Mariner there. He had a death grip on her wrist and was now pulling her towards him as he held on to a piece of rope that he had tied to something very sturdy on his boat. Once he managed to pull her all the way up, Helen crashed into his arms and he held her tight against him. Helen buried her face in his chest as the rain continued to pound into them. The Mariner was no longer steering the boat and was allowing the waves to take it wherever it pleased. Still, he kept his arms around his lover, not wanting to let go of her. Helen was hugging him tight, eyes shut tight.

Suddenly, a massive wave came down upon them, tearing into the boat that they were standing on. Helen couldn't even scream as she, the Mariner, and the boat were all sent underwater. She slipped away from the male that had been holding her and she went spiraling elsewhere beneath the waves, totally lost. Her heart was hammering dangerously against her chest, tempted to burst through. Immediately, her lungs screamed for air because of her panicking. She didn't know where she was! She was lost! She was going to die!

The Mariner, who had been separated from his Helen, was now swimming underneath the water, having tied the rope around his waist. His boat had broken into two parts because of the violent waves and he had tied the other end of the rope to the sturdy part of the boat, one of the pieces, actually. Now, he was underwater and searching for Helen before she could drown. The Mariner was calm as he did so, but was worried deep down inside for the woman. Would he be able to find her in time?

Yes. Yes, he would.

With his eyes, he could see her ahead, struggling in the water and looking ready to open her mouth and inhale water. The Mariner expertly swam towards her at amazing speed, despite the raging waters. When he reached her, he gathered her up in his arms while she gave him a relieved expression. Not wasting any more time, he swam back up to the surface and helped her up into one of the pieces of the boat that was still remaining. Helen coughed and breathed in the air, feeding her lungs.

"Are you alright?" the Mariner questioned her, staring at her face.

Helen nodded, placing a hand over her chest. "I'm fine."

The Mariner looked pleased with her answer and he untied the rope from his waist, tying it around Helen's waist instead. If she were to suddenly fall back into the water, then she would be able to find her way back to the piece of the boat that they were sitting on. He, however, didn't need that. Feeling the woman grab onto his hand, the Mariner brought his gaze back to her face as the vigorous waves pushed them around.

"When will this be over?" Helen wanted to know, squeezing his hand firmly with her own, interlocking their fingers. "When will the storm end?"

"I don't know," the Mariner responded to her, wrapping her up in his arms and holding her close to him. "We'll just have to wait it out and see what happens."

Helen felt safe and secure in his arms and she allowed her eyes to close, blocking out the sounds of the storm raging on.