Chapter 4

"Hurricane a comin!" The captain cried. "Batten down the hatches men!"

The wind blew hard, rain poured down, thunder clapped, and lighting struck.

"Whoa! The wind is really blowing!" Chapi cried.

"Chapi! Be careful!" Frida said.

"Frida!" The parrot squawked as he was blown away by the storm.

Frida quickly jumped off and went back into the ocean. The waves knocked and crashed against the ship. The sailors tried to keep their ship under control and head back to land but the storm was too powerful. Lighting struck the ship and it caught on fire.

"Captain! The current it's too strong!" The first mate said.

"Well have to abandon ship!" The captain said. "Get the lifeboats ready! Protect the king and his family at all costs!" He ordered his men.

The sailors helped Rodolfo, Maria, and Manny to the life boats, then they all got in. A giant wave pushed the lifeboats into the water and knocked Rodolfo off it.

"Your highness!" The captain cried.

"Rodolfo!" Maria shrieked.

"Dad! Hang on!" Manny threw a rope to his father and pulled him into the boat. They were just about to row to safety when frantic braying was heard.

"Zebra Donkey!" Manny gasped. The frightened animal was trapped on board, surround by fire. Manny jumped off the boat and swam back to the ship.

"Manny!" Maria called.

"Come back!" Rodolfo ordered.

He climbed up the ship and ran to his pet. "Jump Zebra Donkey! Come on boy! Jump! You can do it!"

Zebra Donkey jumped into Manny's arms and ran to the edge of the ship. He threw him safely to the life boat but his foot go caught. And when the flames reached the gunpowder below deck, there was an explosion that threw him into the raging seas. The people on the boat watched in horror.

"Man overboard!" A sailor called.

"Manny!" Rodolfo gasped.

"My baby!" Maria screamed.

Frida quickly began looking for the young man, hoping he was still alive. Finally she found him hanging on a piece of driftwood, unconscious. He slipped off the wood and into the water. Frida dove after him, Manny sunk deeper into the sea until Frida grabbed him and pulled him toward the surface. She made sure to keep his head above water so he could breathe and she swam toward the nearest shore. By the time they made it there, it was morning. Poor Manny was still out cold, so Frida chose not to leave his side until he awoke.

"Is he dead?" Frida asked Chapi when he flew by.

"It's hard to say." He said. The parrot put his ear to Manny's foot. "I can't make out a heartbeat."

"I think that's the wrong body part."

She put her ear to Manny's chest and listened carefully for a pulse.

"Hate to tell you this sweetie but I think the poor kid is done for."

"No look." Frida said relieved as she watched Manny inhale and exhale softly. "He's breathing. I hope he's okay."

She cupped his face and began to sing to him, he began stir and he placed his hand over Frida's. He opened eyes and looked up at her, his vision hadn't cleared up completely so it was a bit of a blur, all he could make out were two blue eyes that reminded him of the ocean. At that very moment it was love at first sight for both of them.

"Manny!" A voice called.

"Quick kid, get out of here before you're discovered." Chapi said.

Frida sighed, then she kissed his forehead much to the horror of Jorge, and slipped back into the sea.

"Manny!" Rodolfo was running frantically toward the boy. "Get away from my son you filthy bird!" He said shooing Chapi away.

Zebra Donkey licked Manny's face, helping him wake up more.

"Oh Manny! Thank God!" Rodolfo said helping his son up. "You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure don't you?"

"A girl...saved me from the storm." Manny said looking around for her. "She was singing, she had...the must beautiful voice."

"Hijo, I think you've swallowed a bit too much sea water." His father laughed.

"She was real Dad, I heard her, I saw her."

"What did she look like?"

"Well I couldn't get a clear view but she had the bluest pair of eyes I had ever seen."

"Let's go home and revive your mother from the heart attack you gave her. After last night I don't think we'll be sailing for awhile."

Frida stood on the rocks watching them from a far.

"We're just gonna forget this whole thing ever happened." Jorge said. "The sea king must never know, right Frida?"

She didn't respond, she just kept watching them smiling. "He looked at me." She giggled. "I think he likes me."

"Likes you? Are you crazy child?! Hopefully he'll think that all you were was just a dream or a hallucination."

"I don't think he would've hurt us."

"Oh Frida please just forget him, please! For my sake and yours."

"I don't think I can." She sighed dreamily.

Unknown to them, Django and Che had seen the whole thing which meant that Sartana had too. "Oh no! No, no, no." She cackled. "I can't stand it! It's too easy! The child, is in love with a human and not just any human, a prince! Oh Daddy will love that!"

She laughed, her grandsons laughed along with her.

"Something like this can't be kept a secret for long, soon that old fool Emiliano will find out and when he does..."

"He'll be angry." Django chuckled.

"Furious." Che snickered.

"Which is what I'm counting on, that temper of his has always been his downfall, no doubt this will make him go off big time." Sartana said. "Hurting his precious little girl." She said faking pity.

"She'll be so sad." Che said.

"And desperate for someone to help her." Django added.

"Which is where we come in boys."

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