A Journey Through Time (unedited) -Time Slipping Away Chronicles Volume 1-

Treacherous Sea

It's been 7 months since our heroine departed from Camelot for The Ivory Coast of Africa. The trip didn't turn out as planned.

The ship was attacked by Vikings. Half of the crew was killed and Eleanor, Lancelot, and Captain Stärke survived. Captain Stärke was being held with some of the other crew members down in the gallows of the ship in a cell by himself since the Vikings adhered to an old code that kept the Captian from getting horrible treatment since he was he liaison between the old ship and his men with the Viking, the voice of the group. Since

Lancelot before the beginning of the end for the ship had been reduced to being chained up as a slave the new owners of him had him unchained and now working on the ship. Lancelot had made fast friends with the Vikings since the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and warriors always notice other warriors. Lancelot spent most of his time now, when he wasn't with Eleanor or working for the Vikings , sitting around with his new crew mates swapping war stories and battle plans and strategies.

Eleanor who had been found in the room filled with books with a nice dress on and fire in her eyes had been sent before the Captian of the Viking ship who proclaimed that her beauty would be enough for him to earn favor with the young Viking lord who had just taken over all of the Viking in their area and from the sound of if he was in control of all of the Vikings everywhere. Eleanor wasn't familiar with how this scenario worked but she was sure at least for the moment that because she was a gift, the Viking of the ship let her wander in peace. She had free reign over the upper levels of the Viking boat. Not that she wanted to go under into the bowels of the ship, but the one time that she had tried to look into a doorway that lead down their she was turned away from it but a large Viking who gave her a look that said move on but didn't open his mouth. He had acted like he was a little wary of touching her.

Eleanor spent her day much like she had done on the other ship, alone reading or walking above the deck looking out into the vast clear waters that surrounded her. It was rare for someone to speak with her or even acknowledge her presence, so when the skinny, dirty, wiry young man came up and handed her a plate of food she was baffled. Until of course she realized that she had gone two days without eating and it must have been an order from the Viking captain to make sure she didn't die, since being a present to a man she didn't know she doubted that they would have allowed her to come to him in any condition other than flawless.

The time on the water made Eleanor wish for many things, but mostly it made her miss Merlin, more so that her family or her old life, she missed the comfort of having Merlin by her side. Eleanor had though over this many times and had decided that she felt that way because she new that Merlin was something that she could actually have in this life time while goin back home seemed more and more like a fleeting dream.

She couldn't help but think, "For all this time there has been no hint of Merlin, where was he? Why hasn't he come for the love of his life?" These thoughts plague Eleanor's mind from time to time when she was wrapped up inside her own head along with thoughts like, "The life she thought she would have here in this time is slipping further and further away as she gets further from the man she loves." This thought would bring tears to her eyes.

The trip was long for everyone. But the looks Eleanor got made her feel like a piece of meat about to be auctioned off like cattle. Her life was spent solitary unless the Viking Captain would show up to make sure the present for his Prince wasn't damaged, or if Lancelot would come and talk to her which both of them had agreed wouldn't be a good idea to do often. Since the Captain was always weary of when they were together, Lancelot felt like the Captain thought he was using Eleanor's body and told her his theory with his ears red as he said the words to the floor.

Eleanor didn't know what to think, she felt more like she was in shock than anything else. Her life seemed to be as treacherous as the sea, the calm mistress that she thought she was riding on had changed to a fierce tsunami which waves threaten to drown her as she fought for air to stay above water. Her life was being controlled and forced by waves unknown to her, back and forth as if she was truly lost out to the sea.

Eleanor sat in her cabin wanting nothing more than for the water to be calm, for the storm to pass, and for whatever small amount of control she can have to return to her.

Her days past like this.

For weeks.

For months.

Her sanity seemed like a thin thread that was about to snap at any point, at any time, at any small event, she knew it was coming soon. The only thing she didn't know was when.

So she waited for the catalysts while watching the water from the deck flowing around the ship as they cut their path through the sea. Only during this time could she forget the life she was in and feel at home, surrounded by the water, with the scent of salt in her mouth and nose, the swaying of the ship being held up by the sea, and the calm wind that ruffled her hair when it blew.

Between her room, the books, the sea, and her own thoughts Eleanor slowly became more and more introverted, unbeknownst to her she was being watched by the Viking Captain who watched this metamorphosis.