It had begun as a trickle.

He startled awake at the feeling of the tiny droplets hitting his face. He grabbed at the compass around his neck, an automatic action. Realistically he knew that it would do little to protect him, but it was habit at this point. In the past, it would guide him when he was lost. It would bring him to a place of comfort, a place of safety.

Such a place no longer existed.

He stood and felt the sway of the boat beneath him. The storm was rolling in fast, the sky a cloudy grey that was darkening by the minute. The droplets were growing in size and the waves were becoming choppier.

He was inexperienced in sailing, but even he knew that the situation was growing dire when he felt the boat lurch beneath his feet, nearly knocking him over-board. He scanned the horizon for land, or a ship - he wasn’t feeling very picky - but instead he saw only the dark waters surrounding him. Distantly he registered that this would have been avoided if he had waited a few days as Rose had instructed.

The rain beat against his skin, it stung, but not enough to distract him from the large wave that was approaching him - fast. He jumped to grab the side of the boat in a desperate attempt to stay aboard, but he wasn’t near quick enough. The wave stole him from the side and dragged him below the depths.

He struggled in the darkness, each move he made feeling like a shard of ice in his rib cage. The water rushed in his ears. He felt himself spin, caught in the frozen embrace, and though he tried to swim toward the surface, he couldn’t tell which way he was facing.

Suddenly, a noise broke through the churning water. A voice.

He understood none of the words spoken, but he felt drawn toward the sound. He could feel it in his bones, taking over the ice and darkness and replacing it with a the warmth that he had been missing. He realized that his eyes had been closed, and when he opened them he was surprised to see a bright green light ushering him forward. He ignored the sting of the salt water, barely registered it.

He felt himself floating towards the voice. It grew in strength as he approached and through the murky waters he saw a figure. He drifted towards them, and as they turned he saw that they were, in fact, the origin of the sound.

It was then that he realized that the light was coming from the jewel set in the diadem they wore. It momentarily distracted him from the rest of their appearance. The mouth that seemed open as though caught in a perpetual scream, the bleach white teeth in its mouth. The green skin and hollow cheeks.

The sockets where its eyes used to be.

He was caught by panic as he desperately scrambled for the surface, clawing at the water around him. He no longer heard the voice, nor the waves, but rather the sound of his heartbeat rushing in his ears.

He thrashed until he broke the surface of the water. He felt something solid - wood maybe - and grasped for it. He sputtered water that he hadn’t realized he had swallowed and felt relief at the sight of the sky. Still dark and grey, but brighter than the water. He held onto what he now recognized as a piece of drift wood like a life line.

He only realized that his relief was ill-founded when he saw another wave coming toward him.