Serena grew more anxious as she and Ash climbed the aft Grand Staircase to the Boat Deck. Few third class passengers were making their way up the stairs with them because they weren't familiar with the upper decks. Worse yet, many first and second class passengers were still inside with their lifebelts, not attempting to go upstairs. Many of them were men staying in the dining saloon or the promenade of their respective classes. Something about who was or was not getting to the boats was not right.
Ash and Serena made it to the top of the staircase and took a left to the starboard side. Likely, around this time, Marlon and his crew had not brought Collapsible C down from the roof yet because the only boats Ash and Serena found were Lifeboat 13 and 15, which were both far aft. Lifeboat 13 was being lowered away, and the crowd for getting on Lifeboat 15 was too big for Ash and Serena to think they could get in before they began lowering. They went back inside and ran to the port side, where they found better luck with Siebold and his men just beginning to load Lifeboat 4. Ash and Serena squeezed through the crowd until they felt close enough to get in the boat in time.
But coming so close to safety didn't ease Serena's anxiety. Thus far, more than a dozen passengers have boarded the boat, all women and children. A woman in her seventies was reaching out to her husband as a sailor put her in the boat. Cilan, was putting on a brave face as his pregnant wife, Iris, sat on the boat in tears. Serena looked to her left and saw Siebold take an eight-year-old girl from her father's arms and put her next to her mother and 12-year-old sister in the boat.
"No! No! Daddy!" the girl cried out.
"It'll be alright, Paige. There will be boats for the daddies. This is for the mommies and children," the child's dad said. "It's goodbye for a little while. Only for a little while. You and Marnie stay close to Mommy and be good girls. We'll see each other again. Promise."
"Oh, Amos," the man's wife whimpered as she held on to their daughters.
Serena's heart ached for the family, as it was clear that Amos, and potentially his wife, too, knew he wasn't getting on a boat. The pain in her heart increased as she realized Amos had confirmed her fears. The crew was not letting any men into the boats. She turned to Ash, who gave a look that showed he had figured out the same thing, and she grabbed his hand.
"I'm not getting on," Serena said.
"Serena, you have to," Ash said. "Get on the boat."
"No, Ash. I didn't come to save you just so we would be separated again," Serena said.
"It'll be alright, Serena. I'll get the next one," Ash said. "Get into the boat."
"Yes, get into the boat, Serena."
Ash and Serena's hearts sank, instantly recognizing the voice behind them. They turned around and saw Mivashkama and Morfious standing behind them. Morfious gave Ash a deathly glare while his master approached Ash and Serena in a friendly, gentlemanly manner as though he didn't frame Ash and had him arrested. Mivashkama saw that Serena's dress was drenched and chuckled as though Serena was a child who had just come home after playing in the mud.
"My goodness, you look a fright. Here, let's get you warm," he said.
Mivashkama took off his coat and put it around Serena. He then petted Serena's head as though he had earned points for his little deed, only for Serena to swat his hand away. Ash pushed Mivashkama away, never minding that his manservant was there, and turned to Serena again.
"Serena, please, get in the boat," Ash said.
"No. Not without you," Serena said.
"It'll be alright. I'm a survivor. Remember? I'll get the next one," Ash said.
"No. Don't you see? They're not letting men, and the boats are almost gone. I'm not getting on if you aren't," Serena said.
Ash frowned and ran his fingers through his hair, desperate to convince Serena. Mivashkama and Morfious looked at each other, equally annoyed with Serena's stubbornness. The Lord of Hammerlocke saw more people getting into Lifeboat 4 while Ash and Serena argued. He had half a mind to push Serena into the boat until he thought of a way to convince her.
"I have an arrangement with the first officer to get on the last boat on the other side," he said. "As we speak, he's setting the boat up, and it's for men only. If you get on now, Ash, Morfious, and I can get on before the boat is filled up."
Serena looked at Mivashkama coldly and asked, "Why should I believe anything you say? Your cur left Ash to drown."
"Without my consent. I confess I have no love for your husband, but that doesn't mean I would leave a man to die. I gave Morfious no such orders to leave Ash behind," Mivashkama said, struggling to say the word husband.
"And I suppose it was not your order for Morfious to shoot anyone who got his way last night?" Serena challenged.
Mivashkama chuckled and said, "Of course not. Morfious has experienced his fair share of… handling problems, but he wouldn't dare go on killing innocents. Do you have the slightest idea how my good name would be tarnished if my manservant slaughtered God knows how many people just to retrieve my fiancee?"
"It's true, madam. I wouldn't tarnish Lord Herløv's good name by slaughtering innocents, and my lord gave no such command to leave Mr. Ketchum to drown. I took the key and left him there out of my own contempt for him," Morfious said.
Ash and Serena gave Mivashkama and Morfious suspicious glares, then something clicked into Ash's mind. He debated with himself for a moment, hating the idea of deceiving Serena, but ultimately decided it was for the best, even if Serena would never forgive him.
"He's telling the truth, Serena," Ash said.
"What? How would you know?" Serena asked.
"Because Morfious told me when he left me there," Ash fibbed. "He told me he figured Mivashkama wouldn't mind if he left me behind. That's when he punched me in the gut and took the key. Besides, Mivashkama is right. There's no way Morfious could just shoot people at random and get away with it, even if it's in self-defense."
"Right you are, Mr. Ketchum," Mivashkama said. "What contempt I have for you is no excuse for leaving you to die when we all know you didn't do anything wrong. Now, you better hurry. The boat is almost full."
Serena was overwhelmed. With Ash backing up in Mivashkama and Morfious, it was hard to decide whether or not to believe her cruel ex-fiancee. Logic dictated that she still didn't believe anything Mivashkama said, yet his argument was sound. Above all else, Ash had never lied to Serena up to that point, so if he said Mivashkama and Morfious were telling the truth, Serena would trust him.
As Serena debated with herself, a sailor grabbed her by the hand and pulled her toward the lifeboat. She was so unsure that she made no resistance as the sailor helped her get in. Ash reached out to Serena, and Serena grabbed it, holding on until a sailor swatted Ash's hand away.
"Lower away!" Seiblod commanded.
Two sailors began lowering Lifeboat 4 as carefully as possible. Some passengers yelped at the sudden movement of the boat, holding on to each other or the boat's edges. Serena, however, stood up at the center of the boat, her gaze never leaving Ash as he and Mivashkama watched the boat be lowered. Ash looked back at Serena, sad to be separated yet relieved that his wife was being taken down to safety.
"You're a good liar," Mivashkama said.
"Almost as good as you," Ash said. "There's no arrangement. Is there?"
"Not yet, but I will make it happen. Not that you'll benefit from it," Mivashkama said.
Ash turned his head to Mivashkama, wondering what he meant until he felt something poking his back. He looked back and saw Morfious standing behind him and pointing his gun at Ash. Mivashkama smirked as he watched his enemy look at the gun in shock.
"Morfious wouldn't shoot at a room full of people for the sake of my good name, but you hurt his pride by escaping when he was sure there was no way out," Mivashkama said. "And frankly, you've been such a disturbance that I want to see you be put down like the animal you are."
"And what if I tell everyone around us that someone has a gun?" Ash asked.
"Oh, you should know better than to ask," Mivashkama said. "You let everyone know, and there will be chaos. It'll probably distract the crew, making it difficult to take the boat down to the ocean. No, you and I will just watch Serena's boat be lowered all the way, and then we'll go somewhere where Morfious can finish the job without causing a panic."
"And how will you explain to Serena how you survived, but I didn't?" Ash asked.
"I'll figure something out," Mivashkama said. "I always win, Ash. One way or another."
Ash tightened his hold on the railing, resisting the urge to attack Mivashkama. Then he took a deep breath through his nose and looked back down at Serena with Mivashkama, pretending nothing was wrong. His face softened as he stared at Serena's beautiful face for what he thought would be the last time.
Once again, it seemed as though every time Serena conquered an obstacle in her pursuit of happiness, another one came up. She was trapped in an endless cycle of being thwarted at every turn that would only end if she surrendered to the life she was expected to live. Serena wanted to shout out, "I love you," to Ash or demand the crew to take her back up, but she stayed silent, knowing neither would alter her situation.
Then Serena's gaze turned to the other men, such as Cilan, Amos, and the older woman's husband watching the boat with Ash and Mivashkama. All of them were keeping their emotions in check, but Serena could see in their eyes that they were pained to be away from their loved ones. Serena then turned to Amos' family. His wife was looking up at Amos with her mouth quivering while Marnie and Paige waved goodbye, their faces wet from tears. Serena looked up at Ash, and her emotions began to build up. Inside, she was screaming, begging for Ash's arms to hold her, to feel his lips, hear his voice, and, above all, stick with him for better or worse. Without Ash, Serena was a shadow of her true self, and she knew Ash was incomplete without her, no matter how much he tried to hide it.
Serena looked ahead to find the boat was within level of the first class outdoor promenade at A Deck. The boat was about two to three feet away from the outdoor railing on the deck. She looked up at Ash and then at the deck until her emotions overtook her. Serena ran to the boat's edge, jumped off, and caught the railing. The quartermaster in charge of Lifeboat 4 reached out, trying to get Serena back on the boat, but two first class men on the promenade deck pulled Serena back to the ship.
"No! What are you doing?!" Ash screamed.
"Stop her! Put her back on the boat!" Mivashkama barked.
Morfious stepped past Ash and looked down, staggered to see Serena climb onto the deck. In his moment of surprise, Morfious didn't notice Ash pushing through the crowd, making his way back inside. Ash ran to the Grand Staircase and went down to A Deck just in time to see Serena come in through the first class entrance. Serena burst into tears as she jumped into Ash's and squeezed him with all her might. Ash teared up, horrified for Serena's life, yet couldn't stop himself from kissing Serena.
"Why did you do that, Serena?" Ash whined as he kissed Serena over and over again. "You're so stupid! You're so stupid, Serena! Why did you do that? Why?!"
Serena smiled, staring into Ash's hazel brown eyes as she put her hands on his chest.
"Don't give up until it's over. Right?" she said.
Ash stared at Serena, dumbfounded by her using his words against him. After a second, he smiled with new tears in his eyes.
"Right. Don't give up until it's over," Ash said.
Serena's smile stretched to the edges of her face, and she pulled Ash by his shirt for a firm kiss. The couple then held each other tight, with Serena grabbing the back of Ash's shirt with both hands. Serena buried her face with Ash's shoulder as she sobbed, relieved yet ashamed to have left Ash's side. Ash shushed Serena and petted her head, worried but complete with Serena with him.
Suddenly, they heard a bang from up the staircase and looked up to see Mivashkama pointing Morfious' gun at them. Morfious was reaching out to Mivashkama, trying to get his gun back. Mivashkama fired again, narrowly missing Serena. Serena screamed, and Ash grabbed her hand as they started running. They went further down the steps without knowing where to go as long as Mivashkama couldn't get a clear shot. Mivashkama fired a third time, giving himself so little time to aim that he hit the water flooding D Deck below while Ash and Serena were still running down the steps to B Deck. Ash and Serena could hear people screaming and Mivashkama telling them to get out of his way.
When Ash and Serena went down to D Deck, they found the reception room half flooded and the rest of the staircase leading as far down as F Deck wholly submerged. With no other choice, Ash and Serena went into the water that was waist-deep and ran straight to the first class dining saloon. Mivashkama fired a fourth time, and the bullet hit a floating chair on the water. Serena screamed again as she heard Mivashkama get into the water, and another bullet hit a pillar she and Ash were passing. Two more shots were heard, with one bullet hitting the water and one piercing one of the dining saloon windows. Finally, Ash and Serena heard clicking, for all eight bullets were used. Mivashkama let out a scream of fury as Ash and Serena went into the dining saloon.
"I hope you enjoy your time together!" Mivashkama shouted.
Serena looked back and saw Mivashkama go back to the staircase. With Ash still holding her hand, they got out of the water and raced to the dining saloon's exit doors on the south side. Ash reached out for the doorknob, but it was locked. He tried ramming into the doors and shaking them but to no avail.
After ramming the doors several times, Ash gave up and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He and Serena looked at the water entering the saloon from the front side. At the rate the water was rising, the staircase was going to flood, preventing Ash and Serena from going back upstairs, and with the exit doors locked, they had no means to get out before the dining saloon was fully submerged. Ash considered checking to see if Mivashkama and Morfious went back up to the Boat Deck, but his hopes were dashed when he heard a frustrated scream coming from the Grand Staircase.
"Master, come on. We must get back up. They could be loading the last of the boats any minute," Morfious said.
"We're not going anywhere! They have the Gieldanstone!" Mivashkama growled.
"What?" Morfious asked.
"I put the diamond in the coat, and I put the coat on her!" Mivashkama shouted.
Ash and Serena looked at each other and then at Mivashkama's coat. Serena reached into the coat's pocket, and her eyes widened as she felt the necklace inside. She remembered Mivashkama putting the Gieldanstone in his coat pocket when he had Ash arrested, and he hadn't taken it out since. Serena turned to Ash, and her face said enough to confirm his fears.
"The devil with that necklace. The insurance company will compensate you for it," Morfious said.
"I lost my fiancee to a gutter rat. I'll not let him get away with the most valuable jewel in the world!" Mivashkama barked. "Get my Gieldanstone! You are not going back up to the boats until you get it back!"
There was a pause before Morfious sighed in frustration and said, "Dastard." Ash and Serena heard a magazine be ejected from Morfious' gun and replaced with another before Morfious grunted as he got into the cold water. Ash grabbed Serena's hand and led her to the port side of the dining salon, where they got down on all fours behind a table.
Serena covered her mouth to resist making a sound as they heard Morfious walk over to the exit doors. Morfious turned the doorknob to find it locked and paused momentarily, realizing Ash and Serena were still in the saloon. Suddenly, a fuse in the ceiling blew out, and all the lights went dark. Only the lamps on the dining tables dimly lit the saloon. Morfious grinned as he scanned the area, hoping to hear movement. Half a minute into hiding, Ash and Serena crawled to hide behind a different table to avoid the water as it rose.
"I know you're here," Morfious said. "It's no use prolonging this. It's only a matter of time."
Ash frowned, knowing Morfious was right. He turned to Serena, held his finger, and held out his hand, telling her to wait. He looked out to make sure Morfious wasn't looking, then crawled to another table and took a left. Serena's heart ached with her beloved out of her line of sight, but she took a deep breath to keep calm.
As she waited for Ash, the water reached her legs. Serena squirmed, resisting the urge to whimper from the freezing water. She tried to carefully scoot away, but in the process, another fuse blew out, and she jumped, splashing the water with her hands. Morfious stopped walking and turned in the direction of where Serena was hiding. Serena stood still, hoping Morfious didn't hear, but she heard movement against the water heading toward her, and she looked up to her left to find Morfious pointing his gun at her.
"I've been looking for you, Miss," Morfious said.
Morfious prepared to pull the trigger when he heard someone running toward him from behind. Before Morfious could turn around, Ash tackled him and rammed his head through a window. Ash grabbed Morfious' gun, but before he could rip it off of Morfious' grasp, his opponent tightened his hold on his gun and pulled Ash into a headlock with his other arm.
Ash raised Morfious' hand into the air just as Morfious fired two shots that hit the ceiling. Morfious released Ash from his headlock and punched his side. He then elbowed Ash's gut and punched him in the face. Ash fell into the water and then stood up in a sitting position to find Morfious' gun aimed at his forehead.
"Say hello to my friend, death, you little sh -"
Morfious was interrupted by Serena hitting him from behind with the bottom of a dining table lamp. Serena struck him a second time, and Morfious finally dropped his gun. She raised the lamp to hit Morfious a third time, only for Morfious to hit her with an uppercut and a left hook, forcing her to drop it.
Fortunately, Serena's interference was all Ash needed to get up, grab Morfious' head with both hands and ram the left side of his head against a pillar. Then, Ash punched Morfious on the right side of his face, forcing Morfious to hit his head on the pillar again. Finally, Ash punched Morfious' gut, and his opponent went down on all fours, disoriented, and the wind knocked out of him.
"Compliments of Ash and Serena Ketchum from the Kanto region," Ash said.
Ash then picked up Morfious' gun and threw it to the other side of the dining saloon, where it landed in the water with a plop. Ash and Serena panted for a few seconds until they turned to each other and embraced. When they parted, Ash's smile of relief faded at the sight of a red mark on Serena's cheek. He looked daggers at Morfious and took a step to kick his beaten opponent until Serena pulled him back.
"Ash, leave it. He's down," Serena said.
Ash tried to break free from Serena's hold for a few seconds before he calmed down, accepting that Serena was right. Serena rubbed Ash's back, pleased until she looked back at the forward side of the saloon. The entrance was completely submerged, and half the tables were underwater.
"Ash," Serena said in concern.
Ash turned to Serena, then noticed the situation they were in. He then turned to the exit doors ahead, then charged toward them, and gave them a shoulder push, sending the doors flying open. Serena rushed over to Ash while he rubbed his arm. Ash grabbed Serena's hand, and they were about to run when they suddenly heard laughing. They looked back to see Morfious using the pillar Ash used to hit his head to help himself up. He rested his head against the pillar with blood coming down from the top, looking at Ash and Serena with a smirk.
"What's so funny?" Serena asked.
"You two think beating me matters," Morfious said. "They've probably begun loading the last of the boats by now. Even if they allow men in, they'll be gone by the time you go back up. You wasted your only opportunity to live, Ms. Serena. And for what? A little fun with a man younger than Lord Herløv?"
"Life is not worth living without the person you love. I don't expect you to understand that. And that's Mrs. Serena to you," Serena said.
Morfious scoffed.
"Oh, young people. Passionate. Troublesome. Stupid. You boast about things like it'll get you through in life. Never want to face reality for what it is," he said as he grabbed a steak knife from one of the tables and pointed it at Serena.
"Now, give me my master's necklace."
"Oh, you mean my necklace?" Serena asked, taking the Gieldanstone out of her pocket. "Come and get it."
With Ash still holding her other hand, Serena put the Gieldanstone back in her pocket, and they went down the hall to a narrow staircase on the port side. As they went up the stairs, they heard Morfious grunt and take a step toward the exit, only to lose his balance and fall into the water. Serena counted on this, knowing it would be difficult for Morfious to stay standing after hitting his head multiple times. And yet, Serena hoped that Morfious, despite being her enemy, would recover enough that he would be able to make his way up the stairs and try to save his own skin before the first class dining saloon was completely flooded.
Either way, Ash, Serena, and the Gieldanstone were out of Morfious' reach for good. But despite escaping, Serena couldn't deny that Morfious was right that the boats would be gone by the time she and Ash made it back up to the Boat Deck. Still, she looked at Ash as they ran and tightened her grip on his hand, comforted that she was with him. If Titanic was Serena's grave, she would face death on her own terms: sticking with her husband for better or worse.