Eric didn't even see it coming.
One minute, he was arguing with Grimsby about his failure in courting women, and then the wind picked up. Eric turned and saw dark grey clouds coming towards the vessel at an alarming pace. The air shook with the sound of thunder and was illuminated by fingers of white lightning. The ship began to jolt back and forth, the waves crashing against its wooden sides.
"Hurricane a'commin'!" shouted the sailor from the crow's nest. "Stand fast! Secure the riggin'!" The rain began to fall.
The prince jumped into action. Everyone did. Max ran around in confusion, barking nervously and trying not to get stepped on by the dozens of sailors. Water crashed onto the deck. Eric ran to the wheel which was spinning out of control and used all the strength he could muster to stop it. There was another blast of lightning. It hit the main sail and set it ablaze. And, to make matters worse, a large rock loomed ahead of them. Eric jerked the wheel, trying to steer away from their impending doom. The men on the ship strove desperately to stay on their ship, but the crash against the rock caused everyone to be thrown into the churning water.
Prince Eric was the first to find the life boat. He helped his shipmates into the small craft, pulling Grimsby in last.
He heard a bark. "Max!" His loyal dog was trapped by the fire. Eric dove into the water and swam towards the burning ship. As soon as he was near it, the heat swallowed him, making his soaked clothes stick to him uncomfortably. Nevertheless, he climbed the side of the ship and ran to his friend. "Jump, Max!" he yelled. Somehow, his dog understood his strange command and leapt into his master's arms. The weight of the sheepdog hit Eric right in the chest. He found it hard to breath, but he adjusted and ran back the way he came.
Crack!
Eric's foot lodged itself between broken planks. He tripped. Max flew into the air and landed with a splash in the water. The flames spread towards Eric. He yanked at his foot but it wouldn't budge. The smoke was too much. Eric couldn't breath. He gulped for breath and suddenly, there was an explosion. Something hit his head.
Everything went dark.
What would I do to see you smiling at me?
Where would we walk, where would we run,
If we could stay all day in the sun?
Eric felt sunlight touch his skin. He heard an angel voice singing to him and a soft hand brushing his cheek.
Just you and me and I could be…
Eric opened his eyes. What he saw made him believe he was dreaming. That, or dead and in some sort of afterlife. There, in front of him, surrounded by a golden light, was a girl. Her hair was thick, her eyes were shining, and her smile made his heart skip a beat. He had told Grim that when he met the girl of his dreams, it would be like lightning but the feeling was more like a subtle warmth that grew inside of him like a sunrise.
"Part of your world." The girl smiled at him. Eric wanted to kiss her, but there was a loud bark. Eric blinked and the girl was gone. He tried to see where she had gone, but Max's long when tongue sloshed across his face. Grim was behind him helping him to get up from the sandy shore.
"Eric. You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don't you?"
The prince ignored him. His eyes raked every corner of the beach. He sighed and tried to clear his head. Wha… What happened? Where am I? Where's the ship? Questions flooded his brain. "A- a girl," he stammered. "Rescued me!" He stumbled away from Grimsby. "Sh-she was… singing. She had the most beautiful voice." He looked up at the sky and immediately felt dizzy.
The old, gray-haired advisor caught him as he swayed uneasily. "Ah, Eric, I think you've swallowed a bit too much seawater. Off we go. Come along, Max."
Reluctantly, Eric went with Grimsby. He wished he could stay there and look for the woman who had saved his life, but Grimsby insisted that he get back to the castle and let the court physician have a look at him. They were on a stretch of the beach not to far from the Eric's home.
As they walked, Eric began to gain his consciousness. With the clarity of his thoughts and his vision came the pain. He felt tired and sore all over, but especially on the back of his head.
At the castle, everyone fussed over Eric. HIs servants helped him change his clothes, Carlotta wept and scolded him for making her so nervous, Grim talked to the doctor, and Chef Louis offered him several different types of soup. Eric winced when a servant helped him take off his shirt. The entire room went quiet, everyone staring in Eric's direction. His torso was covered in dark bruises. There were no cuts and no burns, but purple and green marks covered him from his neck down. The doctor immediately stepped forward.
"Your Highness," he said. "I'm going to inspect the areas of your body that are discolored. Will you allow me to do that?"
"Sure," said Eric groggily.
The doctor, gently at first, began to poke at Eric's chest. He moved his hands around and watched Eric's face for any sign of discomfort. "Nothing is broken," the doctor announced in amazement. He ran his hand over his short black beard. "From what Mr. Grimsby tells me you've been through, you shouldn't be in such good shape."
"How curious," Grim said. "What about the markings covering him?"
"They may be ugly and painful," said the doctor. "But they are nothing more than that. The only cure I can offer is to apply ice to numb the pain and to wrap the worst areas tightly to restrict movement." Carlotta whispered something to two of the servants and they left, quickly returning with a bucket of ice and bandages.
"Thank you, everyone, for your help," said Grimsby. "I believe it is time for the prince to rest. Please go back to your regular duties."
"But Monsieur! Les potages pour le prince!"
"Never mind that, Louis." Grimsby said patiently. "Go bake a pastry or something."
As soon as Eric was bandaged and iced, everyone left the room to let him sleep.
The prince dreamed. He dreamed about the girl with the beautiful voice and the breathtaking smile. He awoke the next morning with only one thought on his mind.
He had to find her.