Chapter 38: The Mighty Fury Of A Raging Sea

The Upper Deck, The Laurel, Open Water.....

  Just as before, Alain found himself moving about the upper deck of The Laurel, this time Captained via Virgil Runnels in place of the late Capitan Davvys. He was a slightly younger man with more grit than most and eyes that appeared to have seen a great many things throughout his long lifetime. Rumor had it the privateer was once a naval captain before retiring from war and striking out on his own transporting cargo and nobles across the deep. He mostly kept to himself appearing to have been lost in thought on more than one occasion, an average-sized man by all accounts and given to deep contemplation more often than not. He had long brown hair that was pulled back into a messy ponytail and wore a single silver earring on his right side almost giving the appearance of a pirate if only to shake up the crew now and again. The new captain was roughly forty-something and still had all his teeth and limbs despite surviving many wars.

Alain thought him an interesting bloke but never really got around to speaking with him as he had the other captain. Sir Alfred seemed keen on speaking with him quite a bit, possibly more so than the other capitan and they appeared to get on well enough. The crew seemed to have been pleased to be back on the water after such a long wait at shore. Erwin often sought out Alain for counsel and to speak with him about books he'd read ever since he'd been taught to read by the older lad. His eyes were filled with excitement and he felt for the first time since he'd been forced to adhere to being a sailor that he could enjoy the adventures of being out at sea.

He still brought Alain his share of the rum, as he still had not acquired a taste for it just yet being fourteen years old this time around. The crew didn't hassle him as much, having grown fond of him on land and impressed with his newfound knowledge about the vessel and their respective jobs on board.

Capitan Runnels ran a tight ship, almost one as strict as the previous captain but he knew better than anyone about the perils of the sea and the possibility of pirates and other ships taking an interest in them due to the ongoing war. Most would call him paranoid, but Sir Alfred declared he'd been wise to be on guard.

Alain settled in the guest quarters as he had before scribbling away in his journals as the sea continued to gently rock the wooden ship along it's waters carrying them from the shores of The New World and back toward the old one. He had briefly read the letters from his mother and Casimir detailing the plans for the upcoming nuptials and how his brother seemed to be quite nervous about meeting his new bride.

He didn't know much about her aside from the fact that they were betrothed and the possibility that she'd been an old hag or some "large cow" in the mind of his wayward elder brother was quite amusing despite Casimir's impending distress. Alain had done his best to reassure him and even offered to be his best man at the wedding in the letters he had sent back home hoping to at least provide some comfort to his miserable brother. Casimir held him to it and insisted they return home so that he didn't have to suffer alone.

It appeared he'd gotten his wish, as The Laurel was only a few days away from the end of its second voyage and headed toward the familiar shores of England. All had been relatively well as far as the journey had gone and even fair weather guided their sails for a time. Once more Alain wrote in his journal about the trip and the anticipation of what it was like to be going home after so long an absence.

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Late Night...

The Guest Quarters, The Laurel, Open Water.....

Alain had been asleep in his bunk, more or less dreaming of a strange woman of beauty unmatched with eyes as deep and blue as the ocean itself. It felt as if he'd known her, the dream was always the same, her hot tears cascading down her supple cheeks and her red lips pressing into his as she mounted him the intensity of the pull he felt for her was maddening and his mind always seemed to go back to his days beneath the old grove with the lovely Noreen McCray, but this had not been Noreen, this strange woman was of an odd assortment of heritage and darker in complexion than the fair lass who had held his heart.

He could almost feel the after-effects of their spirited coupling as she moaned in his ears and stroked his bare chest. This was an odd dream to be sure, one where he was more or less given to his desires for this elusive woman that plagued his slumber on many a night since his strange episode that cost him nearly two months.

She spoke in a strange language, oddly familiar yet not. Her eyes never left him as she took his hand and placed it upon her belly. The pudge she guarded was appealing to him for some reason, like a tantalizing secret that he had not been privy to as the time seemed to pass like the swaying of the ship that moved across the ocean.

A rumbling echo of thunder had been in the distance as Alain found himself getting lost in the deep oceanic pools that had been her eyes slowly succumbing to the warmth that enveloped his wayward cock as it delved deeper and deeper into her sweetness. He watched her intently the sway of her small breasts and the slow bitting of her bottom lip in reaction to his passion being delivered in turn with her own.

"Alain..." she whispered unable to hold back as she continued to moan. "My sweet Alain...wake up...you have to wake up!"

He didn't wish to leave her, for their time was fleeting, but the urgency in her tone bid that he adhere to instruction. Before he knew it, Alain was violently flung from his bunk and realized he'd been still on board the vessel heading for England all traces of the lovely woman and their act had faded with the fog of slumber as he turned his attention to the sounds of panic and the groaning of the wood that surrounded him.

The storm from his dream had been real, and quite violent as it rocked the wooden vessel to and fro amid the angry waves. There was barely any light amid the darkness aside from the various flashes of lightning that darted across the open sky. As he began to focus, Alain noted the sound of heavy rain and the chill of the air that cut through him almost immediately indicating that their trip had not been as easy as he had anticipated.

Alarmed by the commotion, Alain made his way toward the upper deck where he saw the crew struggling to keep the sails from breaking in the wake of the storm sending them barreling at speeds barely manageable by them in a direction that would have taken them wholly off course.

Alain caught sight of his father, the man who had been assisting the crew with the sails after one of the unfortunate men found himself crushed by one of the broken masts. His name was Joseph, the lad recalled. Joseph Sweeney, and it didn't look as though he'd make it having been crushed indefinitely by the break.

Capitan Runnels ordered his body given to the deep as per custom when one of their men had fallen on the ship. Alain rushed over toward his father who had been doing a good job of hiding his apparent limp in the wake of succumbing to injury himself as a result of the onset of the violent storm.

All around them the violent crackling of lightning and the wild churning of the sea caused a bit of panic, but the men were poised to do their duty knowing that if any of them should falter despite their fears, they would all be doomed and never again see their homeland.

"Alain," said Alfred relieved that his son seemed to have been alright.

"Father?" said Alain noting the severity of the injury. "We must get you to the ship's doctor."

Alfred seemed more interested in assisting the sailors than going down below deck.

"They need to...tighten the ropes and clear the deck," he said as experience gave way to pain and he winced due to his injured leg.

"We can handle this," said Alain urging his father to see reason. "Go down below...we will make sure we get home...I'll even assist them in your stead."

Alfred gripped Alain's shoulder as more pain traveled through him.

"Your mother would never forgive me if something happened to you," he said meeting his gaze.

"And it won't Father," Alain assured him. "I promise...I've trained for this since I was a boy remember?"

Alfred treated him to a small smile reflecting a bit on the boy who had been eager to board a ship at such a young age.

"Alright." he conceded. "I shall surrender myself into the care of the doctor."

Alain was relieved to hear this. He assisted his father part of the way before having to rush toward the edge of the deck following an accident where Erwin nearly slipped off the end of the ship and was dangling as the waters churned dangerously below him. He was having difficulty keeping himself onboard as the ship not only rocked in every direction but the slickness of the wood due to the rain lessened his grip.

"I'm slipping!" shouted Erwin believing this to have been the moment of his almost certain death just as Alain managed to tie a rope around himself and to the other mast before launching his mission to rescue the lad.

Erwin was very grateful to see his friend pull him up and was none too ashamed about the tears that fell down his cheeks as a result of it. The rain had taken care of it in the eyes of the men although Alain knew better.

Alain and the other crew members set about bracing the ship as the storm continued threatening to capsize them all at one point as salt water splashed aboard the deck and soaked them further getting into their collective mouths and noses.

Captain Runnels did his best to navigate the ship despite the winds and the odd sense of direction. He knew the sea better than anyone on board and his focus was steering them home no matter what it cost him in the end.

Another enormous wave hit, but The Laurel remained intact which could not be said for her crew as one more of the seamen found themselves given to the murky deep before the storm was through with them.