A Tale of Fate and Madness [WIP]

Silly Fantasies

Robert spent most of his time doing what little manual labour he could manage, cleaning, rigging, and helping in the kitchen. This went on for months as they approached their final destination, during this time Robert became close to the crew on this ship and began to wonder if this was his true destiny. He'd finally found people who treated him like a human being. He had a warm bed and hot food. What more could he ask for? Not only that, he had begun to look up to Captain Narburrow. He was kind and compassionate but also brave and strong. Much like his father was. Though Robert often found himself thinking back to his power, and what he did to that disgusting noble in the carriage. Any time such thoughts would come to mind he'd have to forcefully suppress or cover a sickening grin that would sprawl across his face and the feeling of pleasant warm butterflies that would appear in his stomach. Robert remarked this is how knights must have felt when they were striking down evil doers for the greater good. Perhaps if he abandoned his path he'd lose his powers, and never be able to serve "justice" to the terrible people of the world. Though he found the thoughts he was having pressing, the questions would have to wait until closer to his destination.

As the days towards their final stop before heading back to their home continent approached, Robert's whispers and visions had mostly subsided and he began to forget all about his prophesied "destiny", like a dream he had woken up from slowly fading away. Robert had considered that he would ask Captain Narburrow for a permanent position on the ship, expecting little pay as long as he continued to have the luxury he'd been afforded so far. On the day before their arrival, he did just that, approaching the captain's quarters, knocking on the door, calling out for the captain. He was heartily invited inside, as he usually was whenever he visited his quarters. Captain Narburrows answer was a resounding yes, wondering why it took Robert so long to even ask him the question. They joked and laughed as they usually do before he was sent off to continue his usual duties to which Robert went about with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.

A day before making landfall the waves were unexpectedly vicious, far beyond anything Robert had seen in his months on the ship. He was roughly awoken from his sleep by the crashing waves, howling wind and thunder outside. He dressed and rushed to the top deck. Noticing others doing the same, rushing to keep the ship on course and pulling the sails down so they were not torn off or worse the ship was dragged off course. Narburrow's crew were often very prepared, and the fact the night crew did not see an approaching storm was very unlikely. It was like this storm had come completely out of nowhere. Before Robert could even get his bearings and search out someone to ask what is going on, the winds picked up and the ship was roughly slammed into a collection of jagged icebergs off the port side, with that the ship was torn asunder, and Robert was flung into the icy waves.

Robert panicked a struggled for a short time before the cold began to paralyze his body. As his vision began to fade, whispers and visions flooded his mind of a cave, on some cliff face. As if being plunged back into the dream he woke up from months ago, he had little time to reflect on these visions as his consciousness failed him.

An unknown amount of time passed before Robert awoke in a wet, cold cave next to the ocean. As his vision returned slowly, and his frozen body regained its feeling he soon realised this must be the cave he saw in his visions. He used his weak arms and legs to prop himself up against one of the cave walls, looking out of the mouth of the cave towards the now calm ocean. He thought of everyone on that ship, he thought of Captain Narburrow. His stomach knotted up and a tear rolled down his cheek from his eye. He knew they were all dead because he dared try to deviate from the visions, from his destiny. He is not free, he will never be free. A slave to the dream we call reality, only living to fall, to suffer and grieve. Should he deviate from this path, all he will bring is death to those around him. He slowly closed his eyes, feeling very tired, the cave wall feeling almost soft against his aching body. He hoped he would never wake up, that he would fall asleep and die in this cave, but he knew that wasn't his destiny. He had not suffered enough. A painful grin sprawled across his face, before he finally lost consciousness.