Hey guys! Sorry about the longer time between releases, I just started working again and school this week was CRAZY. But, as promised, here's your next chapter! Enjoy! If you liked it, give us a follow and become part of the family!
Alarm came to her face. She took her small, fancy shoes off and started racing on the bridge. It was difficult to tread on the ice at a fast pace, but she made it to the sloop no problem. I was halfway there, when the entire island -I mean fish- started to move. It submerged, causing a huge tidal wave. I gulped. I wasn't even halfway to the ship, and there was a wave of water racing towards me.
The expanse of ice gave little resistance to the aqueous explosion that I saw before my eyes. I knew that I should be sprinting down the bridge, but I froze in place. (Not literally, but you get the idea.) I could hear Elsa calling out to me desperately.
"Jeram! Come on! What's wrong?! We gotta go!" Her voice provided no effect to my actions. I was stuck where I stood. My thoughts raced through my head, trying to get me to move as well. Get a grip on yourself Jeram. You can't lose this fight, not this early. You just got back. The wave impeded closer, only a few seconds from hitting me. Elsa's voice cried out. "Jeram! RUN!"
That was the last word I heard before the wave crashed upon me. I saw the ice below my feet shatter into tiny fragments from the force as I was tossed like a rag doll in the water. The very air from my lungs was sucked away from me.
Suddenly, I heard the voice of the Deal Maker echo through the water. "Come come, my puppet, we don't have all day." I opened my eyes, struggling, and saw three dark forms in front of me, in the water. They were all black, even their clothes, except for their glowing yellow pupils, which pierced through the darkness of the depths that I was sinking to. There were two male figures. One was extremely tall and thin, and the other was big and fat. The last form was of a woman. Looking closer, I saw that these three were familiar to me: The merchant, the drunk, and the Sorceress Dellit. They were there, but not really there. Their bodies didn't seem to be made up of solid matter, more like shadows, with ink trailing of of them, escaping into the water. The merchant opened his mouth, saying in the Devil's voice, "Come, Jeram, I have another assignment for you."
I wanted to answer, but my lungs were starting to fill with water. I was drowning. I saw the drunk say, again in Satan's voice, "Really? Some water's going to be the end of you? I thought you'd be fearless, I guess I was wrong." I started thrashing around in the water, as if I'd find air somewhere else in the water. My vision started failing. My last moments would be in front of the Deal Maker, or whatever these things were that he was talking through.
The Dellit form opened her mouth. "Oh well, I guess I'm going to have to save you. Again. You really should be more careful Jeram."
Then, I wasn't there anymore. I was on the surface of the water, beside a ship, but it wasn't my ship. Feeling the oxygen around me , I sputtered and puked out all of the seawater I had inhaled while drowning. Deckhands saw me, then, crying, "Man overboard!", a rope was tossed to me. I grabbed hold, and was hoisted up onto the vessel. I went and laid on the deck, too fatigued to stand. I then proceeded to cough up the rest of my stomach, giving the deckhands a bit more work. I looked ahead, to the captain's cabin. The door was swung open by a young man that was probably in his late twenties. He had long, brown hair, a thick goatee, and bright, welcoming eyes. He wore an officer's uniform with the colors of blue and white. I could tell by the gold in his sword handle that he was extremely high ranking.
As he saw me laying in my puddle of seawater vomit, a warm smile came to his face. He wasn't laughing at me, more like welcoming me aboard. Wrinkles appeared in the corners of his eyes, even though he was young. He must have smiled a lot in life to have earned those so quickly. He walked over, chuckling in a deep voice. I saw him extend his hand to me, gloved in a dark navy combat glove. I took it, and he lifted me off of the deck with ease. "Alright there, sailor?" He said in his large voice. I saw numerous medals hang on his jacket, on his right. He must be a war hero.
I straightened my own garments, and, while wringing out my scarf, said, "Yeah, I'm fine, I just don't like water too much." My voice sounded raspy from all of the coughing and throwing up that I had done a few moments ago. It hurt to talk.
He laughed thunderously. "Well, you may be in the wrong place for that, my man!" He clapped me on the back. "This is the ocean, after all. Come, we can finish introductions in my chambers." He led me to the door of his cabin, and showed me inside. It was a nice, large room despite it being on a ship. A blue bed was in the corner, but it looked like it was shoved to that side, trying to hide it. In the main living space, there were two navy couches that faced each other, a table in between them. He sat down on one and me to do the same on the other.
"Now, where were we? Ah yes, introductions!" He leaned forward, thrusting his hand across the table. "I'm Crowned Prince Caster Westerguard of the Southern Isles. And you?"
Westerguard. I remembered the name, etched above the tomb that Hans was buried in. This was his older brother, heir to the throne. He must be sailing for Arendelle with the rest of his kin. Reluctantly, I shook his hand, saying, "Jeram."
He scrunched his eyebrows and pursed his lips, as if in thought. I could tell that he was a very animated person. Just being around him made me like him more, he was extremely friendly. "Jeram? Is that it? No last name, no country from which you hail? Interesting…"
"It's Jeram Igneal, of Restauga." I replied, wanting him to gain my trust, but for no particular reason. I just felt like I wanted him to like me. It was weird, I never really cared what other people thought of me, (except Elsa), until this fellow came along.
His face lit up. "Now that's more like it! Sir Jeram Igneal, man of Resauga!" He put his arm up in the air, moving it as he said it, like his words were appearing before his face. Looking down at me, he said, "Yes, I quite like that! But what am I thinking, you must be starving! It's almost suppertime!"
By that, I was confused. I had just woken up when Elsa and I found the fish island of death. It couldn't be evening already. Looking out the window, I saw the baking sun hanging low in the sky. Oh God. I thought. Elsa. She must be worried sick!
"What, cat got your tongue?" Caster asked enthusiastically. He got up and waited on me to do the same. I was still deep in thought, I couldn't get my mind off of her.
"No, it's just- forgot about something."
He chuckled. " Well, I'm sure it can wait, unlike my men. There won't be any food left if we don't get a move on now!" He held the door open for me as we exited. I heard the roars of cheerfulness of the men from below deck, enjoying their little time off from sailing.
"Thank you, Caster," I said, joining the him and the rest of the crew for a meal.
...
As soon as the wave came crashing down upon Jeram, Elsa panicked. For hours she was screaming at the water, searching frantically for him. She even dove in a few times, but before she could even get anywhere, her fear froze the water around her into icy crystals, making large icebergs that she had to maneuver the sloop around. Her mind was going in circles. Where is he? Why didn't he move away from the wave? Why did this happen? As the midday sun rose to its peak in the sky, Elsa slumped down onto the deck, her back to the main mast, where Jeram had been just hours before.
That idiot. Why didn't he just run onto the boat? Why didn't he just swim up? She couldn't stop her thoughts from going a hundred miles an hour. She clutched her forehead with her hands, trying to ease the throbbing headache that she had. She tried steadying her breathing, but that didn't help at all, it just pushed the panic aside to turn it into sorrow. Tears were stopped halfway down her cheeks once they had frozen to her face. She must have sat there for an hour, looking at the sea, trying to determine what to do next.
...
After dinner, Caster had offered for me to sleep in his chambers while he stayed down in the crew's bunks. Of course, I said no, but his courtesy was insisted. So, there I laid, in the comfy bed that the Prince had given up to a man he barely knew. It was strange to think that that man was related to someone as cruel Hans.
The chamber was dark and cozy, but it didn't feel right, leaving Elsa all alone on the ship. But, I figured since we were sailing towards this fleet, then we'd run into her eventually.
The clutches of dreams soon whisked me away to an audience with the Deal Maker. This scene wasn't like the usual burning landscape and foggy red clouds, though. I was on a hill, with tan savannah grass billowing all around me, waving in the wind. The sky was black. but I could tell it wasn't night, because there were no stars and no clouds. It was just blackness. On the very top the hill stood a large, white tree that had obviously been dead for many years. Underneath it lay a rock, with the shady form of the Devil sitting on it, an hourglass sitting in front of him. The grains of sand were moving down quickly.. The shadow sitting behind it was in a meditative position, its legs crossed like an indian hands on its thighs.
I knelt down to the ground. "My master, this is most unexpected-"
"Is it?" I saw one eye open a sliver, revealing his yellow, burning coals of eyes. "I told you that I would have a mission for you soon, and so I do. I do believe I've given you enough time of your own."
He closed his eyes again, appearing totally at peace.
"What is your bidding, my lord?" I asked.
He sighed, apparently bored. "I want you to kill this man." At first, I was confused by his lack of information, but then, the tree behind him burst into flame. The Deal Maker was unphased, not even twitching. Looking up at the burning branches, I saw an image appeared in the fire.
"No. I won't do it. I'm not going to kill this one."
The Devil said, "Oh? Is that right? Silly me, I was under the impression that you had a choice. Well, I guess there's only one thing to do."
I was afraid of what this being could do to me. "What's that?"
His burning eyes finally opened, looking me straight in the face. "Where should I put you…" He paused in thought. Suddenly, his already fiery eyes lit up. "Oh perfect! Remember earlier Jeram?"
"What- when?"
He turned the hourglass upside down, but the grains of sand weren't following gravity anymore. They flew upwards.
"You were drowning." He growled, the whole dream vanishing around me, replaced by dark water, with the air sucked out of my lungs.