The Quest for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice Fanfiction)

2

Erak and Svengal were chatting at the dock when they heard a shouting voice. "Wait! Wait up!" They turned around and noticed someone was running toward them. And that someone was Emily.
Erak smiled to himself. He knew that Emily wouldn't have passed it up, she was too adventurous. When she caught up she was breathing heavily.
"I-is it too late to come?" She panted. "Of course not, load your stuff on board there and climb on up." Erak replied. Emily smiled and walked up the ramp to the deck.
Once she had put her stuff away, she walked over to Erak and Svengal. "So, when do we leave?" She asked politely. Svengal shrugged. "We were going to leave earlier, but Erak insisted you'd change your mind, so we waited."
Emily's mouth opened wide. "You mean you knew I was coming?" She questioned. "You know it. I was ready to leave and hour ago." One of the crew said.
Emily turned to him and smiled at Erak. "So can we go now?" She asked sarcastically. "Of course. Oars down!" Erak shouted, and all the oars went down at once.
Erak called another command and the ship started moving slowly. Emily sighed quietly and looked back at her home. She shivered a little as the ship started accelerating.
The thought that she may never see her home again nerved her. She walked over to Erak and looked at him calmly. "How's the weather?" She asked.
Erak looked down at her and smiled. "Cloudless." He replied. Emily nodded and walked off to the front of the ship. "The water is so calm..." She muttered to herself.
She walked to the back of the ship and looked over the rail. The water was deep blue, and the light glimmered off of it. She took in a deep breath and sighed.
Her home was now just a small island. "Well, all I have to do is survive a couple of days like this." She mumbled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the second day at sea. There was a shouting at the front of the ship that woke Emily up. She jumped out of the bed and sprinted toward the deck.
"Sir, the Wolfwind might be in trouble!" One of the crew shouted. "Why, what's wrong?" Erak asked. "The sea is awfully calm and there are storm clouds over there." The man said.
Emily turned to where he was pointing. There were clouds on the horizon, dark clouds. She took in a shaky breath and looked to Erak for reassurance.
"The storm will probably hit tomorrow, in the meantime, oars, I want you to row faster." He commanded and walked over to Emily. "Don't worry Emily. It might get a little rough, but don't fret." He said, trying to calm her.
She nodded and sighed. "Are you going to tie me to the mast?" She asked sarcastically, and Erak smiled. "Of course. No, we're not. You'll be downstairs in your room." He assured her.
Emily smiled at him and walked to the back of the boat. She was trying to stay calm, but she couldn't stop glancing at the oncoming storm. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Svengal.
She was so worried she hadn't even heard him approach. "Fretting?" He asked kindly. Emily shrugged. "I don't know, I'm just nervous I guess. Like Erak said, the storm probably won't hit until tomorrow. And we'll probably outrun it." She said, half believing herself.
Emily turned back to the rail and noticed the waves had gotten a little bigger. "Uuhhhh Svengal?" She asked nervously and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and noticed the change in the waves. "I'll tell Erak." He said and walked over to the Oberjarl.
Emily watched carefully as Svengal talked to Erak, who nodded and glanced at her. She kept an eye on the water and clouds. The storm seemed to get closer, and the waves larger.
Before she knew it, it was time for her to go to bed. "Will we be ok?" She asked Erak shakily. He smiled and nodded. "You'll be fine, I promise." He said kindly.
"Now go to bed." He commanded and she walked to her room. Emily curled up in her covers and closed her eyes. "Can't...sleep!" She muttered and flipped over. She closed her eyes again as fell asleep a few minutes later.
She had tons of nightmares that night, and they wouldn't go away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oof!" Was all she could say as she flipped out of her bed. Everything in the room was rolling, sliding, and flipping around.
She pulled a blanket around her and stood up. She was instantly knocked off balance and fell to the floor. She sat back up to her hands and knees, and crawled to the door.
Emily almost wanted to crawl back into her room as she saw what was going on outside. Rain started pelting her face, and a wave came over the side, soaking her from head to toe. She regained balance and ran to the ship deck.
She ran into something and looked up to see Erak. He had a worried look on his face and wrapped Emily in a hug, protecting her from the waves.
Emily cried fearfully and dug her face into Erak's chest. Another wave ran into them and she looked up. She gasped and let out a wail as she saw what lay ahead. There was a gigantic wave about a kilometer off.
Erak saw it too rushed Emily to the mast. He reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out a rope. "It'll keep you from being wiped off the ship!" He shouted through the wind.
Emily stared up in fear but let Erak tie her up. The wave was now about half a kilometer away. Erak nodded to her and ran away, ducking for cover.
It was now about a kilometer away, and Emily took a deep breaths. She took a final deep breath and held it. The wave came over the boat like a tsunami.
Emily looked up at it and almost let out her breath. She closed her eyes, and the wave finally hit down.
Emily felt like she was dying. The weight pushed down on her, and it didn't stop. She felt the bonds around her hands loosening and noticed what was happening. She screamed into the wave, which was a bad idea because she inhaled water.
The bonds finally have way, and she was washed away from the mast. She made one final attempt, holding on to the railing, but it wasn't enough.
Her grip broke off, and she fell into the water.