Information
HMS Hydra has a minion!
Queenie the Florella
Queenie the Florella
HMS Hydra
Legacy Name: HMS Hydra
The
Hydrus AnyuOwner:
RampageAge: 10 years, 9 months, 4 weeks
Born: June 19th, 2013
Adopted: 10 years, 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Adopted: June 19th, 2013
Statistics
- Level: 44
- Strength: 16
- Defense: 10
- Speed: 10
- Health: 10
- HP: 10/10
- Intelligence: 6
- Books Read: 5
- Food Eaten: 0
- Job: Register Clerk
She thinks about him often. Even now, as she watches her daughters play in the back yard, with her husband’s arms wrapped around her tightly, lovingly, she still thinks about him. She wonders what her life would have been like had things turned out differently. Had the ship not sank… Had he not sold his soul to save her…
It was a voyage like any other. At least it should have been. The HMS Hydra had just landed in New York and was preparing to set sail back to England. The passengers—as well as the captain and the crew—were nervous, as well they should be. The Great War was well underway, and each day brought new reports of German attacks on British ships and submarines. It was to the point now where only the bravest of men would travel by sea. The bravest, or the most foolish, that is.
Richard “Dick†Rockefeller could have fallen into either one of those categories. The wealthy young oil magnate had been born rich, but that didn’t stop him from fulfilling his patriotic duty. No, his asthma did that. Dick was heartbroken when all three branches of the military rejected him. He, more than anyone else he knew, wanted to fight in this Great War, and stop the Central Powers in their tracks. The only problem was, though, that the United States wasn’t officially at war with any country. Congress and the President had activated a neutrality doctrine and were firm in their resolve to stay out of it.
And so it was that Dick had found other ways to contribute to the Allied cause. He put his money were his mouth was, using his power and prestige to open lucrative supply lines for the British and French forces. Being the grandson of THE John D. Rockefeller—and by default the President and CEO of Standard Oil—meant that he had plenty of money and oil to throw whatever which way he wanted.
But the spoiled playboy knew that there were bigger deals to be brokered, which was why he wanted to go to Britain in person. It would be a risky undertaking, but if the Brits saw him in person, they would know that Dick was serious about contributing to the cause.
Even still, it would take a miracle to find a ship that would take him. He simply didn’t have time to commission a private vessel, what with all the planning, time, labor, and crew that would entail. But finding an existing ship to take him to London was beginning to prove almost if not more difficult. Until it was that he happened across the captain of the HMS Hydra in a bar along the battery.
Two barrels of beer and over a million in British war bonds later, Dick had managed to get himself a pass to board the ship. He was excited, but he tried to steel himself. There was important work to be done. Dick knew he had serious business to attend to, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to indulge in his favorite hobby: women. The young Rockefeller was rich, handsome, and the most eligible bachelor in the country. He’d never so much as even thought about getting married or settling down. Until he saw her.Cora was in her usual place, behind the counter, servicing the chow line. Her hair was disheveled; her uniform was dirty; and her face was shiny with sweat and oil, but that didn’t matter. Dick thought she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and he knew right then and there that this was the woman he was going to marry.
He watched her silently, transfixed by her every move. He studied her for days, staring at her red hair and electric blue eyes, memorizing each and every minute detail of her face. He had gotten to know bits and pieces of her story as well, thanks to the crew. Her name was Cora Elizabeth Stanfield, but everyone called her Queen Elizabeth, Queenie for short. She was the model of Victorian purity and grace. She had wanted to become a nurse, but before she could enroll in college, a job opened up aboard the Hydra. Her patriotism and sense of adventure urged her to accept the position.
It had been several days since Richard had first laid eyes on Cora, and today was the day he would finally gather the nerve to talk to her. Or so he thought. It turned out, however, that Fate—and the Germans—had made other plans.
It was 10PM, well after the dinner dishes had been cleared. Dick had mastered Cora’s routine well enough to know that she would be coming out of the mess hall soon. This was his chance. He would “just so happen†to catch her walking out, and strike up a conversation. He knew she liked music, and that she was a big fan of American jazz in particular. He would invite her to his room sometime to listen. She would say yes, of course, but not at this late hour, as it would be incredibly improper for a lady to be alone in a man’s room at this time of night. And so it would be agreed that she would meet him in his room at around 3PM the following afternoon. They would listen to jazz music, and dance, and laugh, and just get to know one another. Eventually he would woo Ms. Stanfield, and then it wouldn’t be long before she became Mrs. Richard Rockefeller. Yes, Dick had it all planned out.
But that was before the U-boat had found them. Before the torpedo struck, blasting a giant hole in the ship’s hull. Dick was on halfway to the mess hall when the explosion rocked the ship, sending him crashing into the opposite wall hard enough to dislocate his shoulder and possibly concuss him. He wasn’t worried about any of that, of course. He didn’t know what had happened, or why the ship was suddenly leaning hard to starboard, but he did know one thing for sure. He had to get to Cora, to make sure she was all right.He ran as hard and as fast as he could, the water chasing him until it eventually overwhelmed him. Dick was pulled under by a strong current. He held his breath until it hurt, until his skull felt like it would explode, but he still didn’t give in. He tried to swim to the ship, to try to find her, but there was just enough moonlight for him to watch helplessly as the Hydra capsized and slowly began to fall to the ocean floor.
Dick closed his eyes and began to pray then. He didn’t know if he believed in God. Hell, he wasn’t even sure there WAS a God, but he prayed to Him and any other deities who would listen. He begged, pleaded for Cora’s life. This woman whom he’d never even met but who had managed to become his whole world.
Luckily for him there WAS a deity who would listen. Merana, the sea witch. She had swum too close to a rift and had fallen through to Earth, right were the Hydra was sinking. Watching the vessel fall to the depths had given the sea witch a perverse pleasure, and she was enjoying the chaos as crewmembers tried desperately to save themselves and each other.
She would have continued to watch, uninterrupted, gleefully, until a single prayer snapped her out of her trance. She put a hand to her forehead. A human… A man was praying for… For a woman? It didn’t make sense. Surely the mortal should be praying for himself, but he was pleading for a woman? Who he’d never even met? Merana was intrigued.
She dove down deep into the dark expanse, concentrating on the prayer until it sounded like the man was screaming inside her head. It wasn’t long before she came face to face with one Richard Rockefeller. The man was quite literally on his last breath, but he had enough sense about himself to reach out to Merana, a silent plea for help.
The sea witch studied him carefully, intently, as she put a fingertip to his forehead. Instantly she saw the whole of Dick’s life, from his birth, right up until the torpedo strike. Merana had no intentions of helping him, until she realized his potential. She spoke to him in his mind then, offering a deal. A blessing, if you would.
It was simple. Merana would save Cora’s life and make sure she made it back to shore if and only if Richard agreed to take her “blessing,†a simple transformation that would ensure him eternal life. What Merana failed to communicate was that her gift was no more a blessing than a tornado was just a simple gust of wind. It would be incredibly painful, and his “eternal life†would be an eternity at the bottom of the sea, forever bound to protect the remains of the HMS Hydra in the name of the sea witch.
Richard knew there was more to it than a simple blessing, but he didn’t care. He had to save the woman he loved. So he wholeheartedly agreed, and with a simple snap of her fingers, Merana began his metamorphosis. His muscles rippled and his bones cracked as his body reshaped itself into something no one would recognize. He took on the shape of a huge bear, with light brown fur, ice blue eyes, razor sharp teeth, and a row of horns growing from each of his four legs. He could breathe underwater and swim better and faster than any fish in the sea, and as the Hydra continued to descend to the depths, he, too, was pulled farther and farther down, until he couldn’t possibly hope to see the surface ever again.
Meanwhile, Cora was well on her way to meeting Richard at the bottom of the ocean, until a sudden and mysterious force swept her upward, until she broke the surface with a rather unceremonious gulp of air. It just so happened that as she looked around, she noticed another ship about half a mile in the distance, slowly scouring the waves for survivors.
She used the last of her strength to swim to the ship, where she screamed so hard and so loud for help that she irreparably damaged her vocal cords. Luckily, the gentleman who pulled her ashore—an officer in the British Royal Navy—insisted that she stay quiet and rest her nerves.
Cora and the other survivors were taken to England to recover, and the officer stayed with her to make sure she was all right. He tended to her physically and emotionally, comforting her when the nightmares consumed even her waking mind. It wasn’t long before she began to fall in love with the young sailor, and he returned her affections wholehearted. It wasn’t long before they were married, and their daughters came along shortly after that.
But even still, years removed from the Hydra and its subsequent catastrophe, Cora still thinks about the American stranger who never stopped staring at her…
Story byRampage.
Special thank you toDamsel for helping me bring him to life.
It was a voyage like any other. At least it should have been. The HMS Hydra had just landed in New York and was preparing to set sail back to England. The passengers—as well as the captain and the crew—were nervous, as well they should be. The Great War was well underway, and each day brought new reports of German attacks on British ships and submarines. It was to the point now where only the bravest of men would travel by sea. The bravest, or the most foolish, that is.
Richard “Dick†Rockefeller could have fallen into either one of those categories. The wealthy young oil magnate had been born rich, but that didn’t stop him from fulfilling his patriotic duty. No, his asthma did that. Dick was heartbroken when all three branches of the military rejected him. He, more than anyone else he knew, wanted to fight in this Great War, and stop the Central Powers in their tracks. The only problem was, though, that the United States wasn’t officially at war with any country. Congress and the President had activated a neutrality doctrine and were firm in their resolve to stay out of it.
And so it was that Dick had found other ways to contribute to the Allied cause. He put his money were his mouth was, using his power and prestige to open lucrative supply lines for the British and French forces. Being the grandson of THE John D. Rockefeller—and by default the President and CEO of Standard Oil—meant that he had plenty of money and oil to throw whatever which way he wanted.
But the spoiled playboy knew that there were bigger deals to be brokered, which was why he wanted to go to Britain in person. It would be a risky undertaking, but if the Brits saw him in person, they would know that Dick was serious about contributing to the cause.
Even still, it would take a miracle to find a ship that would take him. He simply didn’t have time to commission a private vessel, what with all the planning, time, labor, and crew that would entail. But finding an existing ship to take him to London was beginning to prove almost if not more difficult. Until it was that he happened across the captain of the HMS Hydra in a bar along the battery.
Two barrels of beer and over a million in British war bonds later, Dick had managed to get himself a pass to board the ship. He was excited, but he tried to steel himself. There was important work to be done. Dick knew he had serious business to attend to, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to indulge in his favorite hobby: women. The young Rockefeller was rich, handsome, and the most eligible bachelor in the country. He’d never so much as even thought about getting married or settling down. Until he saw her.Cora was in her usual place, behind the counter, servicing the chow line. Her hair was disheveled; her uniform was dirty; and her face was shiny with sweat and oil, but that didn’t matter. Dick thought she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and he knew right then and there that this was the woman he was going to marry.
He watched her silently, transfixed by her every move. He studied her for days, staring at her red hair and electric blue eyes, memorizing each and every minute detail of her face. He had gotten to know bits and pieces of her story as well, thanks to the crew. Her name was Cora Elizabeth Stanfield, but everyone called her Queen Elizabeth, Queenie for short. She was the model of Victorian purity and grace. She had wanted to become a nurse, but before she could enroll in college, a job opened up aboard the Hydra. Her patriotism and sense of adventure urged her to accept the position.
It had been several days since Richard had first laid eyes on Cora, and today was the day he would finally gather the nerve to talk to her. Or so he thought. It turned out, however, that Fate—and the Germans—had made other plans.
It was 10PM, well after the dinner dishes had been cleared. Dick had mastered Cora’s routine well enough to know that she would be coming out of the mess hall soon. This was his chance. He would “just so happen†to catch her walking out, and strike up a conversation. He knew she liked music, and that she was a big fan of American jazz in particular. He would invite her to his room sometime to listen. She would say yes, of course, but not at this late hour, as it would be incredibly improper for a lady to be alone in a man’s room at this time of night. And so it would be agreed that she would meet him in his room at around 3PM the following afternoon. They would listen to jazz music, and dance, and laugh, and just get to know one another. Eventually he would woo Ms. Stanfield, and then it wouldn’t be long before she became Mrs. Richard Rockefeller. Yes, Dick had it all planned out.
But that was before the U-boat had found them. Before the torpedo struck, blasting a giant hole in the ship’s hull. Dick was on halfway to the mess hall when the explosion rocked the ship, sending him crashing into the opposite wall hard enough to dislocate his shoulder and possibly concuss him. He wasn’t worried about any of that, of course. He didn’t know what had happened, or why the ship was suddenly leaning hard to starboard, but he did know one thing for sure. He had to get to Cora, to make sure she was all right.He ran as hard and as fast as he could, the water chasing him until it eventually overwhelmed him. Dick was pulled under by a strong current. He held his breath until it hurt, until his skull felt like it would explode, but he still didn’t give in. He tried to swim to the ship, to try to find her, but there was just enough moonlight for him to watch helplessly as the Hydra capsized and slowly began to fall to the ocean floor.
Dick closed his eyes and began to pray then. He didn’t know if he believed in God. Hell, he wasn’t even sure there WAS a God, but he prayed to Him and any other deities who would listen. He begged, pleaded for Cora’s life. This woman whom he’d never even met but who had managed to become his whole world.
Luckily for him there WAS a deity who would listen. Merana, the sea witch. She had swum too close to a rift and had fallen through to Earth, right were the Hydra was sinking. Watching the vessel fall to the depths had given the sea witch a perverse pleasure, and she was enjoying the chaos as crewmembers tried desperately to save themselves and each other.
She would have continued to watch, uninterrupted, gleefully, until a single prayer snapped her out of her trance. She put a hand to her forehead. A human… A man was praying for… For a woman? It didn’t make sense. Surely the mortal should be praying for himself, but he was pleading for a woman? Who he’d never even met? Merana was intrigued.
She dove down deep into the dark expanse, concentrating on the prayer until it sounded like the man was screaming inside her head. It wasn’t long before she came face to face with one Richard Rockefeller. The man was quite literally on his last breath, but he had enough sense about himself to reach out to Merana, a silent plea for help.
The sea witch studied him carefully, intently, as she put a fingertip to his forehead. Instantly she saw the whole of Dick’s life, from his birth, right up until the torpedo strike. Merana had no intentions of helping him, until she realized his potential. She spoke to him in his mind then, offering a deal. A blessing, if you would.
It was simple. Merana would save Cora’s life and make sure she made it back to shore if and only if Richard agreed to take her “blessing,†a simple transformation that would ensure him eternal life. What Merana failed to communicate was that her gift was no more a blessing than a tornado was just a simple gust of wind. It would be incredibly painful, and his “eternal life†would be an eternity at the bottom of the sea, forever bound to protect the remains of the HMS Hydra in the name of the sea witch.
Richard knew there was more to it than a simple blessing, but he didn’t care. He had to save the woman he loved. So he wholeheartedly agreed, and with a simple snap of her fingers, Merana began his metamorphosis. His muscles rippled and his bones cracked as his body reshaped itself into something no one would recognize. He took on the shape of a huge bear, with light brown fur, ice blue eyes, razor sharp teeth, and a row of horns growing from each of his four legs. He could breathe underwater and swim better and faster than any fish in the sea, and as the Hydra continued to descend to the depths, he, too, was pulled farther and farther down, until he couldn’t possibly hope to see the surface ever again.
Meanwhile, Cora was well on her way to meeting Richard at the bottom of the ocean, until a sudden and mysterious force swept her upward, until she broke the surface with a rather unceremonious gulp of air. It just so happened that as she looked around, she noticed another ship about half a mile in the distance, slowly scouring the waves for survivors.
She used the last of her strength to swim to the ship, where she screamed so hard and so loud for help that she irreparably damaged her vocal cords. Luckily, the gentleman who pulled her ashore—an officer in the British Royal Navy—insisted that she stay quiet and rest her nerves.
Cora and the other survivors were taken to England to recover, and the officer stayed with her to make sure she was all right. He tended to her physically and emotionally, comforting her when the nightmares consumed even her waking mind. It wasn’t long before she began to fall in love with the young sailor, and he returned her affections wholehearted. It wasn’t long before they were married, and their daughters came along shortly after that.
But even still, years removed from the Hydra and its subsequent catastrophe, Cora still thinks about the American stranger who never stopped staring at her…
Story by
Rampage.Special thank you to
Damsel for helping me bring him to life.
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