Secrets of an Alchemist

King Pascal: Part 2

(Chapter warnings: Near drowning, scars, mention of past bad treatment.)

"Pascal, is there anything better than the sun on your face and the wind blowing through your hair?" Rapunzel asked Pascal, who was seated on her shoulder. The gang (mostly Varian) had constructed a sort of raft to help the caravan float across the sea, and Rapunzel was seated on the top deck, next to Varian. Pascal squeaked and Rapunzel seemed to think for a second. "I mean, blowing through your scales?" As the boat cut through the waves, Eugene spoke up.

"You know, I've got to admit," he said from the wheel, "when I heard that the black rock trail was leading us across the water, I had my doubts about converting the caravan into a boat. But you did a great job, Varian!" Varian rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thanks, Eugene," he replied. He smiled to himself. The rest of the gang seemed to be warming up to him, except for Cassandra. She was as cold and as icy to him as ever. He just tried to ignore her comments, at this point. Suddenly, lightning flashed behind Eugene, and black clouds filled the sky.

"Never mind, as it turns out, those doubts were not completely unfounded," Eugene said, panic rising in his voice. The wind picked up, and the waves rose around the caravan-boat.

"Whoa!" Yelped Varian as the deck rocked. Pascal quickly ran across the deck and rang the bell to warn for a storm, but Cassandra beat him there and started banging on the bell with her sword.

"Storm!" She yelled as rain started coming down in sheets. Eugene and Rapunzel struggled to keep their footing as the deck bucked underneath them. Lance, surprisingly, was still standing.

"Don't worry, according to my calculations, we should just miss it," he said. He was quickly proved wrong as the waves swelled ever higher. Over the sound of the waves, rain, and thunder, Varian couldn't hear anything but his own thoughts, which wasn't necessarily a good thing.

I can't swim, he realized.

"When will you people learn to ignore the things I say?!?" Lance asked loudly, wobbling on the deck.

I already do, thought Varian.

"Listen up!" Yelled Rapunzel from the top deck. "The most important thing is to remain calm."

"Really?" Hook Foot asked from next to her. Varian had forgotten the man was even aboard this ship. "I thought the most important thing to do would be to not drown!" He put his hands over his head and ran screaming along the deck. It was slow going with the rocking of the deck, but Varian eventually made his way up to Rapunzel.

"Rapunzel!!!" he yelled over the wind. She turned to look at him. "I-I can't swim!" He said fearfully. Her eyes widened.

"Don't worry," she said, too calmly for the current situation. "I can help you if we do fall overboard. But first, we need to try to get out of this storm." She raised her voice. "Eugene! Lance! Grab the helm. We need to hit those waves at a forty-five degree angle."

Nice quick math! Varian thought admirably, and then quickly snapped back to reality when the deck jolted once more.

"Cass! Foot! Empty the bilge!" she continued. Cassandra and Hook Foot ran to comply. "Max and Fidella! Help me get everything on deck tied down. Varian!" Varian turned towards her. "Stay close in case we go down." He nodded gratefully. "Pascal! Um... You'd better get below deck so you can ride this out." Varian noticed the small chameleon deflate, but then quickly begin to walk inside. What Varian didn't notice was that the chameleon never made it all the way in...

Everyone, having done their jobs, gathered on deck. Suddenly, they crested a huge wave, and the ship tipped over altogether. Varian was the first to hit the water. He could hear splashes around him, but they all seemed very far away. He struggled to try to get to the surface... to no avail. He sank deeper and deeper. He held his breath as long as he could, but eventually, bubbles escaped his mouth.