Anrok's Vow

Anrok was said to be the greatest pirate of his time. It was said that he would have climbed a thousand mountains, ventured into the darkest caves in search of precious treasures, unearthed the greatest wonders of this world, and annihilated the greatest barbarians. Anrok was adored and feared by all, so great was his power. He braved the seas alone, unmanned. It was said that he did not need a crew, that his ship obeyed his every wish.

Yes, there were many stories about Anrok, but no one had seen him since he set out on the mission to find The Genie.

The Genie, a deity, could grant, it seemed, any vow. One could have access to infinite wealth, have the most beautiful castle, become a famous man loved by all. But the Genie hid himself well and showed himself only to the most deserving of Men, because he did not allow the success and glory of ordinary Men.

At least, that is what they used to say.

***

The gusts of wind, violent and icy, came to strike with full Anrok whip. The howling swell threw huge waves that crashed into the ship's hull. Anrok hung on to the helm as best he could, feet firmly planted on the wet wooden planks, his back bent in a defensive posture. The sky was black, heavy and threatening, the fury of the waters was unleashed, and Anrok sensed that he was not welcome near the Island: it was a good sign, he was getting closer.

And the storm was the shortest way.

He was alone on the ship, it was true, and it was terribly dangerous to venture here, but now that Anrok had no crew, he had no one to protect, and nothing to lose.

Anrok felt the power of the storm pushing him back and turning his hands on the helm, but he didn't give up: he had to continue straight on to the Island, the Island where The Genie was. His feet were slipping and he could see the frozen water pouring over the deck, waving in a furious dance between ropes, cannons and masts, and he could feel it seeping into every layer of his sturdy leather clothes.

It was in a storm like this that he lost his men last year.

The sea monster had risen from the depths of the water, pierced the hull of the boat with its tentacles as sharp as blades before luring it into the abyss. They tried to retaliate, but the harpoons and gunshots seemed to slide over the beast. Only Anrok had escaped that day and he could not explain why. He had managed to escape the tentacles, abandoning his boat and his loyal crew to return to the surface. For nearly a decade, they had felt so invincible, defiant and laughing at the nose of death too many times. None of them could have imagined such an end.

Sometimes Anrok could still hear them singing at the top of their voices on the deck, bellowing information about the direction of the wind or where to reload the powder cannons, in a characteristic, gruff and hesitant way that suggested the rum had flowed. He could see the smile of Lakdhar, his second in command, as they brought back in vain the treasures and other riches they had unearthed. Lakdhar was a great strategist and fighter and a true friend. He could have been a great person, even greater. Now he belonged to the cold and lightless waters of the abyss.

Anrok tightened the bar even stronger. According to the stories, legends, tales and indications that he had been tirelessly collecting for a year, it was on this Island that he would find The Genie. He had found a new ship, smaller, faster and stronger, designed to cleave skillfully through the storm, if it had not been so brutal.

The masts wobbled, the boards creaked. If he fell, it would surely be the end: No one knew, he had learned this at his own expense, what could be hidden under water, especially when it surrounded the mark of a deity.

Suddenly he felt himself lifted up into the air by a titanic force. He tried in a desperate reflex to grasp the tiller, but it tore off the planks of the ship as easily as a ripe fruit from a branch, and fell heavily on the ship when, dragged upwards, he let it go. Several meters above his ship, Anrok saw that nothing but the wind was keeping him in that state. He pulled a dagger from one of his leather pockets and skillfully cutted the wind, trying to find a loophole in the unnatural situation, but to no avail.

It was as if he was trapped.

He was so close to his goal, he couldn't let this entity neutralize him. The gusts of wind whipped his face and all his equipment was soaked.

The entity that held him in the air threw him into the water at full power.

It was starting all over again.

He took a deep breath before he was fully immersed in the dark and turbulent waters.

The sound of the storm faded to a muffled sound in the background. The water hugged him from its frozen embrace.

He could feel that he was being pulled into the depths at great speed, although he saw only black.

He tried to struggle by clapping his hands and feet around him, to return to the surface while he could still survive the ascent with the little oxygen he had left in reserve, but again the entity was far too strong for him.

It was going straight down to the abyss. “At least”, he thought, “I will join Lakdhar and the others.”

He was out of breath and began to feel great pain seeping into his lungs. The pressure of the water gave him the terrifying feeling that his skull was about to explode, and his body was struggling for life in spasms that were tearing him apart in pain.

He was still going down.

So close to the goal...

There was no point in struggling anymore. Even if this entity let go of him, he could not get back up with the oxygen he had left. It was the end of Anrok. Slowly but surely, with a clear mind and for the first time a resolution for death, Anrok slowly opened his mouth. He took a great inspiration, letting himself go in the arms of Neptune, to join finally his crew.

“How on Earth…”

He could breathe. He felt the delicious oxygen soothe his pain and his entire body.

He heard a crystalline laughter, whose delicate, feminine sound seemed to echo with the water around him.

“Did you really think that you, Anrok, the greatest pirate of his time, would die like that ?”

An oxygen bubble several meters high and wide formed around him.

“Who... Who are you ?” he murmured between two delicious gulps of air, still bruised. 

And suddenly, in its dark waters where Anrok felt blind, the entity appeared. Her whole body seemed to be made of undulating water filled with thousands of little star-like lights. She was splendid and majestic, and must have been between two and three meters tall. She illuminated Anrok and the surrounding waters with her divine glow. Anrok could distinguish her feminine forms, her long wavy jet hair and her silver eyes, shining like two small moons in the center of her face, from which she looked at him with an amused look.

Around them, he could see many shipwrecks in a pitiful state, probably those that had not resisted the storm.

“I am the one you are looking for. They call me The Genie, and I can grant your vow.” In front of Anrok's stunned look, she continued. “I don't live on the Island. I live in these waters, and I cannot be found. I am the one who comes to meet Men, if they deserve that I grant them a vow. You have braved many dangers, Anrok, and your life is one of adventure, struggle and treasure, am I not right ?”

He hastened to his knees in front of the deity and bowed his head with unabashed respect.

“I couldn't be more relieved than to have finally found you. I need you, if you will accept it."

The crystalline laughter resounded again, and The Genie slowly moved closer to Anrok.

“What do you need, O brave pirate, you who take what you want, when you want it ? Do you need more wealth ?”

“Please, Genie...”

He was there at last. This moment he had been waiting for a year, these words he couldn't wait to pronounce. He shook his head slowly, before raising it, staring resolutely at the Genie's two sparkling pupils.

“Bring my crew back.”