Chapter 5

"A Tense Silence"

The cannon blast from the HMS Victory travelled faster and faster towards the targeted Spanish ship and once it struck the side of the ship, the combined English and Danish navies waited for a response. However, strangely enough, the other side didn't respond and an eerie silence was all that came from the other side.

"What is wrong with them?" asked John as Sir Strachan looked through his telescope. "Why aren't they attacking?"

"They are just sitting there asking for it," Sir Strachan said to himself. "I see guns at the ready, but no one is at the ready. This is strange."

"Should we go and investigate?" suggested John, much to Sir Strachan's displeasure. "They might had surrendered or something."

However, the elder Admiral had his suspicions and felt it wasn't a good idea to investigate. In his mind, this could be some kind of trap that they had set where they could free Villeneuve and all that the British and Danish had captured.

"Absolutely not, John," replied Sir Strachan, sharply. "It could be a trap or something. No, we wait for a response from them."

So, John and the rest of the fleet waited for a response from the other side. However, as the hours went by, no response was heard and a strong tension was felt on both sides. Sir Strachan understood that the French and Spanish wanted them to believe that they had given up and he stuck to his instincts.

A little while later, Sir Strachan knew that the combined enemy fleet didn't fire because they knew that Villeneuve was on the HMS Victory and if they were to attempt a rescue, they would have to get through the other ships to do so. This gave Sir Strachan an idea and he gathered his officers from both fleets down in Nelson's quarters.

"Gentlemen, I think I have a sense of what is happening," he said, walking back and forth across the room. "They aren't firing on us because they know that Villeneuve is on here."

"So what do you think they are expecting to do?" asked Eric.

"They are expecting us to negotiate a deal that could free the man who killed Lord Nelson," addressed Sir Strachan. "They won't fire on us unless this very ship is removed from battle. To this end, I believe that its best that my own ship, HMS Caesar, take over as lead ship in this battle."

Everyone in the room could only agree with that. After the events at Trafalgar, they couldn't lose any more valuable ships of his majesty's navy. For Eric, this was a major sigh of relief for him given the risk that Ariel and Melody were placed in.

"I'd bet they probably heard about what happened to your wife and daughter," said a British officer to Eric. "The French are Pigs, but they have their limits on who they throw themselves onto."

Instead of responding right away, Eric looked up to the ceiling and his eyes pointed in the direction of heaven, almost as if he was talking to God himself. This delay to him, was a sign that God was listening and was more than willing to protect Ariel and Melody.

"Ready the other ships for battle," ordered Sir Strachan. "We pull HMS Victory out and the rest of the fleet moves in."

Heeding their new commander's orders, the officers dispersed and returned to their respective ships to prepare them for battle. Eric went over to the prayer room to tell Ariel and Melody that they were being moved for their safety.

Walking into the prayer room, Eric had already found that several soldiers, who had been greatly injured at Trafalgar, had joined Ariel and Melody in prayer. He didn't want to disturb them, but Ariel and Melody had to know, so he quietly walked up to them and tapped Ariel on her shoulder. This caused Ariel and Melody to break out of their prayer mentality.

"Eric, what is it?" whispered Ariel, rising to her feet. Not wanting to disturb the prayer session, Eric led his wife out of the room and into the hallway, although Ariel had to take her time so as to not trip on her pink and white gown. "What is happening?"

"Sir Strachan says that we should remove this ship from the battle," said Eric. "He believes that the French won't fire upon us because Villeneuve is on board. In a sense, I think its right, for your safety as well as Melody's."

Ariel was relieved that she and Melody wouldn't be put in harm's way again, but at the same time, she didn't want to leave Eric's side and have go in this alone.

"Then, we are going with you," said Ariel, firmly. "We can hold a prayer session on another ship."

"No, that's out of the question," retorted Eric, putting his foot down. "I almost lost you once and I am not going to almost lose you again. You are staying here and that is final."

Ariel felt like protesting this order that Eric had given her, but she couldn't. She knew that Eric had to be the one to make the final decision and he was the king.

"Besides, your father doesn't want you to be in harm's way, either," added Eric. "Sir Strachan told me that he and Triton talked about your safety as well as Melody's."

"I've been in worse situations before, Eric," replied Ariel, still trying to prove her case. "What if you end up in the ocean again and nearly drown like you did when we first met? You may need me to turn into a mermaid again."

"This is much different than the hurricane," sighed Eric. "This is war and even if you did turn into a mermaid, you would be wide open to a soldier's bullet or a cannon blast. As Queen of Denmark, you need to lead a different kind of battle."

"What kind of battle?" she asked.

"A battle that involves no weapons and no fighting," said Eric, walking back into the prayer room. "You need to invoke your spirit and only your faith is the weapon of choice. Pray hard and you will help us win this battle that is at hand. Besides, you are well dressed for the enemy."

Eric once again referred to the gown that Ariel was now wearing as a reminder of their early days together. However, Ariel could not help but think of what would happen if Eric was not able to return from the battle at hand. Nevertheless, she tried to hide her fears and hugged Eric one last time before he would return to his duties.

"Come back safe, Eric," cried Ariel, trying not to cry and ruin her makeup that was on her face. "I'll be waiting for you along with Melody."

"I will, Ariel," replied Eric and after a lengthy embrace, they broke apart and Ariel returned to the prayer room and rejoined Melody at the front pew, with only the sounds of her high heels being heard in the silence. Melody could tell that her mother was upset and placed a hand on hers, a sign that they were in this together, just like they were at Trafalgar.

A few hours later, the HMS Victory was pulled back and the HMS Caesar took over as head ship. Aboard his lead Danish ship, Eric watched with reassurance that his wife and daughter were out of harm's way before turning back to the task at hand, which was the French and Spanish Fleets, now looking like they were ready to battle.

"May God help us all," said Sir Strachan, aboard his ship, HMS Caesar. "For what we must do."