Ellie's breath hitched as she felt another large wave strike against the ship's hull. She gripped the bed's sheets tightly and trembled with nerves.
Then, something slammed into the wall, causing her to shriek. Though hearing the knock reassured her. "L-Lori?" she called out.
“Uhh, no. It's just me. Marc.” he replied. “Captain Lori is still at the helm. She just wanted me to check on you with the storm.” Marc explained, keeping the door closed.
"Oh," Ellie said, clutching the bedsheets tighter with worry. "I'm fine in here. Is she alright?"
“She’ll be fine.” Marc answered with an audible smile. “We've been through our fair share of storms. We can handle this one too.” he assured before Drake came up to him with a taunt line of rope. “What's that for? The storm isn't that strong?”
Drake rolled his eyes and quickly pointed at the door and made a series of gestures to get his point across.
“Oh! Ok. Good idea.” Marc nodded before taking the rope and tying it near the door. “Hey! If you need to come out on deck for any reason, there's a strong rope to your… right when you walk out.” he said, turning his attention back to Ellie. “Just hold on to it and it’ll lead you to the galley.”
"Alright," Ellie replied, still worried as she glanced out the window to see the rising waves. She heard the doorknob jostle, and then Marc's explanation. "Thank you!" she called out, unsure of what else to say. Maybe she should go now. Being with Charlie and Tommy would likely help to ease her anxiety.
“Any time.” Marc replied before he and Drake raced back to their posts.
Drake’s main reason for the rope was that Ellie still didn't seem to have very good sea legs and with this being her first storm on a ship, he didn't want her to lose her balance or get swept overboard by a wave. The rest of the crew, even young Tommy, were skilled enough to avoid such an accident in this weather.
Ellie slipped out of bed and stumbled across the room to the door. After a moment to steel herself, she opened it and reached for the rope. Slowly, she made her way across the deck, whimpering nervously and occasionally sliding on the slick wood. Once, her foot completely slid out from under her, and she yelped in fear. She would've completely fallen if it weren't for her intensely tight grip on the rope.
Unfortunately the storm drowned out Ellie’s cry and everyone else on deck was focused on their tasks to keep the ship out of danger.
Though, below deck, Tommy perked up and grabbed a blanket before heading towards the stairs.
Ellie's white-knuckled grip on the rope urged her on, and she held on for dear life as she continued to cross the deck. Her entire body was drenched as she finally made it to the stairs, cold, wet, and shivering.
“Miss Ellie!” Tommy called from the bottom of the stairs before throwing the blanket over himself and running up to meet her.
Ellie staggered down the stairs, wrapping her arms around herself to keep from trembling. "T-Tommy," she stammered. "Be c-careful." Her blonde hair was stringy around her face, and she looked pale from both the cold air and fear.
Tommy met her on the stairs and threw the blanket over her, but carefully stayed out of the rain as he held her hand and lead her to the galley. “Don't worry about me, miss Ellie.” he smiled softly. “I'll be fine. You… you need to sit down and dry off.”
Ellie clutched the boy's hand and easily let him lead her. "D-Dear Tommy, what w-would I do without y-you?" she asked, smiling warmly at him despite her stammering from the cold. She listened to his instructions and sat on the nearest chair she could find while wrapping the blanket he'd given her firmly over her slender frame. "Th-Thank you."
Tommy smiled up at her as she sat down. “Mama Charlie can make you something warm. It might help.” he offered, though the boy seemed a little reluctant to leave her alone right now.
Ellie nodded eagerly. "Yes, th-that would be lovely," she murmured. "Go on and f-fetch her. I'll b-be alright here."
Tommy nodded at her assurance and ran into the galley. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the boy to find his adoptive mother and tell her the situation.
A few minutes later, Charlie stepped out of her galley and walked up to Ellie. “I have to admit, I'm surprised you made it across the deck in this storm.” she sighed, shaking her head. “But I don't want you to try that again without someone to keep an eye on you until we know you’ll be alright.” she added firmly. “Now, come on, Ellie. I’ve got some hot water already started.” she said gently as she held out her hand for her to take for both balance and guidance.
Ellie looked up at Charlie shyly. "S-Sorry," she whispered, another shiver passing through her. "I-I used the rope. M-Marc fixed it up f-for me." The princess reached for Charlie's hand quickly and used it to help her rise to her feet.
“It's alright, dear.” Charlie assured, pulling the former princess to her side. “It's just that you haven't been on this ship very long but I know how everyone would be if we lost you.” she trailed off. She cleared her throat slightly and gave a small warm smile as she walked the other woman inside. “I’m glad that they set up a rope for you. And that you made it here safely.”
Ellie relaxed against the other woman and closed her eyes. She figured it would be best not to tell Charlie about her white-knuckled grip and that she'd nearly slipped off… "M-Me too," she stammered. "It's so c-cold though…"
“I know, dear.” Charlie nodded, still holding Ellie to her side as she lead the former princess into the galley. The atmosphere was instantly warmer because of the heat from the continuous cooking. “You just sit down and relax. I do have some soup cooking but it's not quite ready yet.”
Ellie immediately sighed with relief as the warm atmosphere enveloped her. "Thank you," she murmured, slipping out of Charlie's grip and lowering herself into a chair by the wall. The blanket Tommy had given her was still tightly wrapped around her shoulders.
"Where's Tommy?" she asked suddenly, realizing that the boy hadn't returned from alerting Charlie of her presence in the galley.
“Right here, Miss Ellie.” Tommy answered, climbing down from a chair near the stove. “I had to help Mama Charlie cook while she got you.” he explained as he brought two steaming cups over to the table. “We made some hot chocolate.”
Charlie chuckled softly. “He’s always such a good helper. I think he likes being in the galley as much as being in the crowsnest.” she smiled as she took over the cooking.
Ellie breathed a sigh of relief as Tommy spoke up. It was silly that she hadn't seen him when she first entered the room, but she was still trying to rid her body of the wetness, and the chill feeling that came with it.
"Oh, of course," she replied quietly, smiling at him, then at the cups in his hands. "Thank you." She took one quickly but carefully and blew gently across the top of it before taking a sip. The warmth of the liquid spread through her body and soothed her. "Thank you," she repeated, sighing again.
Tommy wasn't surprised that Miss Ellie had overlooked him. It was actually a useful skill for him especially when he was helping out on land. He just smiled as she took one of the cups and joined her at the table.
"This was just what I needed," Ellie remarked quietly. She sighed and drank again, smiling back at Tommy once she'd swallowed. "Where are you from, Tommy?" she asked, attempting to strike up a lighthearted conversation.