De Blanc Family/Albert/Story/Madina/Winter Storm

Days were passing and Albert had made the sea his second home. The ship was in the middle of a storm...

"Why has nobody raised the sails?! Lupus! Lupus! Untie the sails! Raise the sails", Albert could hardly see anything in the heavy rain.

The crew was running like ants before the rain, from one side of the vessel to the other, working tirelessly for the salvation of the wooden barque from the rough waves of the open sea.

"Lupus! Untie the sails, goddamn you! Lupus! Where are you?!", Albert kept looking for his captain.

A voice was heard behind Albert...

"Man in the sea! Man in the sea!", Albert turned around and headed to the voice.

There he saw his captain, Lupus, throwing a rope to the sea and shouting to the man in danger...

"Catch the rope, Jason! Catch it and hold it tight! We will pull you up..."

Albert approched the captain.

"Lupus! Why has nobody untied the sails?! The ship will get smashed, it will get sinked by these wild waves!"
"Lord Admiral Madina, a man is in the sea and needs my immediate attention! You may withdraw to your cabin again and I shall meet your lordship there in a while."
"Lupus, goddamn you, I don't care for a filthy pig who was so foolish as to fall in the sea! I need only capable men in my vessel!"

Lupus the Captain did not respond.

"Lupus! Do you understand me?! Let this rope and save the vessel! That is an order!"

However, Lupus was not comlying to the orders of the Lord Admiral and kept trying for the salvation of the man in the sea. Albert shouted one last time before leaving the place for his cabin at the inside of the vessel.

"Untie the sails! That is an order!"

--

The storm was now gone.

knock knock

"Come in.", Albert responded.

The door opened and Lupus entered the cabin to see Albert on his desk.

"Milord...", Lupus tried to speak when Albert interrupted him.
"Silence, Captain."

Albert pourred some tea on his cup, took a sip and stood up. He approached Lupus.

"Don't you ever again disobey my orders, Captain, or you will keep company to the sharks!"
"No one... and I say no one disobeys my orders!"

Albert started walking up and down thinking.

"Fifteen foggings..." he finally said and added "Fifteen foggings for the fool who fell in the sea and twenty foggings for the disobedient Captain..." Albert stopped moving.

Looking out to the dark sky from his porthole and with his back to Lupus, he added "That is my decision. You are dismissed."

Lupus lowered his head and attempted once again to speak, but in vain.

"Milord, allow me to..."
"Silence, Captain! You are dismissed..." Albert said decisively.