The Legacy of Light (Chaelisa)

C6: on stormy seas

The crossing was long and arduous. The sea showed its impetuous side and they had to fight against high waves and strong winds. While it was somewhat calmer during the day, they had to expect a much more violent night. One night was particularly bad, with the ship swaying and lurching, enormous waves crashing against the port and starboard sides with tremendous force. The wood groaned under the massive load.

The crew ran across the deck in chaos. At first it seemed like pure chaos, but coupled with the captain's orders shouted through the roaring storm, order could be recognized even in this chaos.

The passengers, there were about fifty of them, huddled close together below deck in the stern of the ship. Without exception, their faces were pale and distorted by fear. The crying of the children could be heard even above the roar of the storm.

Suddenly the loud splintering of wood could be heard and shortly afterwards the pained cry of a man, then silence, but only for a moment. Roseanne was the first to notice the drops of water which dripped down the ship's ladder first hesitantly and then more and more until it finally became a steady stream.

Roseanne looked at Lisa with fear in her eyes. "Lisa, what just happened? If the water is already flowing down here, the deck must already be flooded. If the ship is filling u, it will capsize. We have to do something."

Even Lisa, the brave warrior, could see the tension. She looked around briefly and quickly made a decision. "I'll go on deck and help where I can, you gather brave, strong people who have a chance of not being swept away by the storm and send them to me with buckets, shovels and the like. But stay down here, the storm would mercilessly drag your frail figure off the ship. Try to keep the rest of the passengers together and calm them down."

They looked at each other for a moment with eyes shimmering with tears, locked in a tight embrace, nodded resolutely to each other and then walked in opposite directions.

Together with the other passengers, Roseanne collected everything that could be used to shovel water and then distributed it to eighteen brave men and women, who then ventured up the ladder to the crew and Lisa.

Roseanne and those remaining below deck gathered the children around them and tried to distract them with games from what was happening on deck, the roar of the storm and the swaying of the ship.

Hours passed in which the fate of their companions was uncertain. No one could say exactly how long the storm raged afterwards, but what everyone would remember was how the sea suddenly calmed down and the heavy dark clouds gave way to a bright blue sky.

Roseanne was the first to go up the ladder, where she saw the crew and the brave helpers sitting in small groups on the deck. Their exhaustion was clear to see. As she glanced around, she saw an enormous, splintered hole in the wood on the port side of the ship.

When she saw Lisa leaning against the masts, she sprinted to her and wrapped her in an air-stealing embrace. Lisa greeted her with equal strength, and they sat there for a long while, tears rolling down their faces.

It was already night again when they stood alone on deck and looked at the shining sea, which lapped before them in calm waves, without any trace of the previous night's raging.

"Roseanne," Lisa began hesitantly, "I'm attracted to you, more than I could have ever imagined, I realized that during the storm. Because you were the only thing on my mind as I tirelessly shoveled water."

Roseanne felt her heartbeat getting faster. "I felt the same way, Lisa. You were up here fighting for all of our survival and I was so scared of losing you."

They stood facing each other, the darkness around them intensifying the intimacy of the moment. Slowly, almost hesitantly, they leaned towards each other and their lips met in a soft, tender kiss and once again the tears ran. It was as if time stood still and only the two of them existed.

From that moment on, their relationship was characterized by a new depth and understanding that would carry them through all the challenges to come. The days at sea passed more quickly and without further storms, and soon they could see the outline of Lisa's homeland on the horizon.