Chapter 7

"Vanessa Joins the Prayer Services"

It had already been several hours since the HMS Victory was moved to the safety of the HMS Caesar and the only ones on board were several British officers, a platoon of soldiers from the 27th regiment and a platoon of Gordon highlanders. Down below, several of the wounded from Trafalgar continued to join Ariel and Melody in prayer for the hopeful outcome of what was to follow.

"How long have we been praying mom?" asked Melody, as the room continued to fill while she rose from the pew and walked over to the window showing the British and Danish fleets blocking their view of the Cape of Ortegal. "It's been like forever."

"Its all we can do, Melody," replied Ariel, walking over to Melody and placing a hand on her shoulder as she joined her in looking out the window. "Your father wanted us to be safe in this impending battle as did my father."

"If only we could be at dad's side," sighed Melody, who was in reality thinking about John, who was aboard with Strachan aboard the HMS Caesar. "And John's as well."

Ariel could understand her daughter's pain as she was also thinking about Eric, who was on his ship, also awaiting the moment for when the battle would start. It seemed that everything that had played up to this moment went through Ariel's head like a fast moving train.

Eric was all that she had, unlike any merman that had longed for Ariel's affection back when she was a mermaid and living in Atlantica. Melody was like her once, young and vibrant while longing for a better world. She could sense that Melody wanted to become a mermaid again and swim to the Caesar, but neither of them couldn't.

"I know how you feel, but this is the best we can do at this point," replied Ariel, her voice feeling powerless. "We need God to fight our battle for us, Melody. He will protect us and he will protect your father, too, I hope."

Meanwhile, Vanessa was in another part of the Victory where she was clad in a vanilla underdress getting ready to head down to the prayer room. She had her seamstresses remake the wedding dress that she had worn the day that her life was turned upside down when the French attacked her wedding ship.

Victor was aboard the same ship that Eric was on and just like Eric had told Ariel and Melody, Victor had told Vanessa that the only weapon that she had in the impending battle was prayer and like Ariel and Melody, if she was going to die, she was going to die dressed in her best and as a woman.

"Vanessa?" called a voice, while her door was being knocked on. "We have your wedding gown finished."

"You may bring it in, Carlotta," replied Vanessa as she did her hair. Eric's lead servant and several of Vanessa's seamstresses came into the room at that moment and placed her wedding gown on a wall.

Once she had finished doing her hair, Vanessa rose from the vanity and stood as her servants dressed her in her newly remade wedding gown, just the way she was during the planned wedding. It took several minutes for Vanessa to be completely dressed, but once she was, Vanessa grabbed her rosaries and her long wedding veil was placed on her head as she stepped out of her black flat shoes and into her high heeled sandals.

"How do you look, Vanessa?" asked one of the seamstresses, handing Vanessa a mirror.

"I look like I was when I planned to marry Victor," replied Vanessa, inspecting her completed look. "If I ever die in the impending conflict, I will die looking like a bride."

The sounds of Vanessa's declaration caused one of the servants to break down crying, but Vanessa bent down and placed her hand to the servant's chin and raised her head to look into her eyes.

"Listen to me," she said, calmly. "When I say that I will die, it means that we have to prepare for the unexpected. All we can do now is pray to God for our safe outcome."

She then rose and turned her attention to Carlotta and all the other servants. All of them were starting to show tears in their eyes, not just because Vanessa looked beautiful like she was on her supposed wedding, but because they were all in fear, fear of what was going to happen to all of them, fear of what was going to happen to their loved ones. In fact, some of the seamstresses had husbands that were aboard the Danish ships and all they could do was think of them.

"If you wish," advised Vanessa, walking over to the door of her room. "You can all follow me to the prayer room where we will pray for the outcome of our loved ones."

Nodding in agreement to follow her, Vanessa led Carlotta and the seamstresses down to the prayer room and upon arrival, all who were in prayer looked back at Vanessa, dressed in her wedding gown. But, Vanessa knew that they were all there to pray and she had to do the same for the outcome of her lover, Victor and all who were going to be involved in the battle to come. Ariel and Melody watched as Vanessa walked down the aisle towards the front pews and knelt down at the Altar.

"Perhaps we should join her now, Melody," suggested Ariel as she walked back towards the front pew. The sounds of her high heels piercing the silence amidst the silent prayers that were being heard.

So, the Queen and Princess of Denmark joined Vanessa in prayer as the sounds of silence were broken once again by a loud bang, confirming the fears of everyone in that room that the battle had begun.

"Keep turning to God," coached Vanessa, clutching her rosary beads tighter. "It's all we can do at this point."

As the guns and cannons grew louder and louder, the prayers were also growing louder and louder for now that the Battle of Cape Ortega had begun…