Under The Sea

Chapter One - The Storm

"Get down!" Samuel yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice struggling to sound above the thunderous claps of the lightning.

It wasn't the first time Samuel had found himself up against unexpected weather. Growing up as the Prince of Meridian, a bustling nation built on the coast of the Azure Sea, he had become accustomed to life at sea, probably more even than on land.

His father had always insisted that if he intended to inherit the Meridian throne when the time came, he would have to prove his worth as a leader. To his father, that meant being able to maintain the Kingdom's largest export: seafood.

Samuel spent his infancy and youth onboard ships of all sizes. He studied with the finest sailors, learned from the fishermen in the villages, and shadowed his father on his expeditions past the Bay. By the time he was thirteen, Samuel could navigate better than the Kingdom's entire fleet of sailors and captains and knew his way around ships like the back of his hand.

It seemed like just yesterday when his father had called him into one of his council meetings and revealed that Samuel was to take on the role of commander of their entire fleet. It was a responsibility he himself did not believe he was ready for, yet seeing the look of pride on his father's face when he made the announcement made it impossible for him to refuse. After all, he was the King.

So saying that Samuel should have seen the storm coming was an understatement. Yet, as the skies darkened, and the waves rocked the ship violently, the crew found itself in the belly of the beast with their commander nowhere to be found.

Samuel believed it was because of his intoxication from the night before that he had fallen virtually unconscious. It had taken much effort to convince the Prince to venture from the Kingdom to celebrate his twentieth birthday at sea, as tradition held, but after weeks of nagging and relentless attempts, he had conceded.

Now, as he stood at his cabin door, dressed in the same clothes from the night before, soaked in ale and syrup, and shouting a warning to his crew, all he could do was watch in horror as the foremast fell to the deck. A string of clamors arising from the crew as they attempted to dodge the large pole, their voices drowned out by another wave of thunder vibrating through the ship.

"Your majesty," Paxton, his personal attendant and best friend, shouted as he smashed into him from the side, falling to the deck.

"Pax," Samuel returned, grasping his hand to help him up, "what happened? Where's Captain Marlowe?"

"He's gone, Sire," Paxton bellowed over the storm, "i-it came out of nowhere, it caught everyone off guard. Captain Marlowe was drinking when the first wave hit, he..."

"He what, Pax?"

"One second he was on the deck, and the next... he was gone."

"By the sea," Samuel sighed, his eyes roaming the deck as his men scattered to brave the storm. The sail strewn across the ship prevented easy passage, and he could only make out a handful of sailors on the deck as he evaluated their situation.

Never freeze.

His father's words echoed in his thoughts as his eyes scanned the chaos. Samuel caught sight of an overturned whaleboat up ahead, and he mustered up all his strength and took hold of Paxton's arm. With everything he could summon, he pushed off the wall and out to the disastrous scene unfolding ahead.

"Prince Samuel..." Paxton argued, the fear of their situation laced in his tone, before his eyes too landed on the raft lying ahead.

"Men," Samuel called as loud as he could, drawing the attention of the crew in an unexpected pause to the deafening noise, "to me. We must abandon ship!"