The ember rays of the early morning sun shone on a sturdy-looking man.

He walked around the banks of the channel, his duffel bag slung across his shoulders as he passed by the large cruise ship that rocked back and forth to the beats of the wave in exquisite fashion.

He moved aside to make room for a couple of labourers carrying heavy sacks filled with unknown items, and he took a moment to appreciate the ship's beauty.

Everyone had heard about the massive cruise ship, dubbed the 'unsinkable vessel of the waters'. And so he had said a prayer of gratitude when he found out he was assigned as one of the guards for its maiden voyage.

Now looking at it in real time, he realised that the radio and newspaper largely understated its magnificence.

He walked around, dodging workers who were hurriedly putting in the final touches and preparing the ship for its journey, as passenger boarding was scheduled for the next couple of hours.

Being part of the soldiers handpicked by the King to be the ship's protector, Quentin had a sleeping quarter on the mighty vessel all to himself, and he had looked forward to being out of the cramped barracks and into the wonderful solitude of his room for the next seven days.

He located his quarters after some efforts, and the next couple of hours were a blur to the young soldier as he spent it all lying in wait in his room, eager for this wonderful new adventure to begin.

The captain's voice came blaring through the speakers, announcing the arrivals of the first couple of passengers. Quentin quickly stood up, put on his jacket, and hurried to his station, which was located right at the boarding gates.

'I was probably stationed here to dissuade any form of nuisance.' He thought to himself as he arrived. The porters were already punching in the tickets of the first-class passengers, who were all dressed in their expensive regalia and sparkling gowns. 'Ugh, rich people.'

If the beginning of the voyage was anything to go by, then this was going to be a stupid trip. Quentin's feet hurt badly from standing, and his back ached from keeping the perfect posture. His training had prepared him for the harshest conditions, but standing in one place and nodding kindly at rich people was a hardship he hadn't anticipated.

Slowly but surely the torture came to an end, and the gangway drew up. Quentin heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that no riff raff had tried his day with any unfavourable attempts at disrupting the peace. He strolled back to his quarters, passing through bustling waiters and screaming chefs.

As it embarked on its once-in-a-lifetime journey, the massive ship let out a final blaring horn to the cheering crowd on the shores.

A loud knock on his door interrupted Quentin, who had already given in to the comfort of his room and was lying on his bed, trying to find the ideal position for his sore back.

"Oi Quentin, Major says you're on duty on Deck 1."

"Piss off, Andrew," Quentin yelled as the footsteps receded amid laughter.

"FUCKKKK!" Quentin screamed into his pillow.

"This definitely wasn't what I had in mind when I heard I'd be going on a cruise." I mean, what was I even thinking I'd gain from this trip? What hope for luxury is there for a poor sucker running into the army just for a chance at a better life, and to crown it all, they've got me talking to myself like some mad sucker."

He shrugged off his complaint and, for the second time, departed from the comfort of his room.

The mood up on Deck 1 was in direct contrast with Quentin's.

The pianist played a light tune, waiters hurriedly moved around with trays of foods and champagnes, and aristocrats trooped in droves, donning their usual affluent exuberance, some with their mistresses and business partners, a few with their family and friends.

One thing was sure to Quentin: Deck 1 was for the first-class passengers.

Thankfully, a seat had been assigned to Quentin. He didn't care that his seat was right at the entrance, and even if he did, the meal the waiters brought him was enough to calm his worries.

'Finally, shit's going my way,' he thought as he wolfed down his food.

"Hi there, sorry for popping up on you like this."

Quentin looked up and was slightly taken aback by the beautiful girl that appeared in his front; her long blonde hair flowed behind her, and her sparkling blue gown spread down to her ankles. She struck him as some sort of princess.

"I was just wondering if you knew where the restroom was. The ones in the hall's all filled up," the beautiful girl finished.

Now, thankfully, Quentin had all but finished up his meal, and honestly, even if he hadn't, he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity at conversing with this beautiful girl. His day had finally taken a turn for the better.

Shooting up with a little more enthusiasm than he probably should've, he said:

"Uhm, yeah, sure. There's a floor map just around the corner outside the hall, and I'm pretty sure we'd be able to locate another in no time."

"We? Oh, you'd be willing to escort me?" She asked.

"Of course. I'm not the type to abandon a pretty girl to roam around alone; it's a pretty big boat, you know, right?"

Quentin was happy to see he'd made her blush and had already begun heading out of the hall. He nodded to the security at the entrance, the girl in tow as he walked.

Suddenly, he heard someone shouting in his direction, "Rose! Rose!"

He was about to turn back when the girl held him by his elbow, pulling him.

"Don't worry about it," she said as she started to run, dragging him with her. They swiftly exited the stunning hall and made their way down the corridor.

For some weird reasons, Quentin didn't feel like struggling against the light grip the girl held him with and just went with the flow.

Once they had covered a significant distance, they ceased their run.

Shock enveloped Quentin, and the beautiful girl laughed between tiny gasps for breath.

"What is going on!?" Quentin asked, half laughing himself.

The girl looked up at him, her eye mirroring the beautiful blue of the ocean, and for a minute he found himself lost in its charm.

"Names, Rose. It's wonderful to meet you, Quentin, and thanks for leading me out of there," she said, leaning on the railings freely and letting her hair hang flying in the wind.

'Wait a minute, Rose, as in the name the rich fat bastard was calling out for in there? This pretty girl was crazy. She had to be. Who led whom where?' He thought, his mouth slightly agape.

"Heyy, let's take five." Rose —For one, I didn't lead you nowhere; you said you needed help finding the restroom."

"Oh?" She said, turning her head side to side, "This doesn't look very restroomy to me. Don't mind what I said; I just needed to leave that place."

Quentin could barely believe his ears; this pretty girl had turned out to be a nightmare after all; she wanted to run from what he assumed was her father, and now he'd be labelled as an accomplice in whatever twisted stuff she had going on, or worse, a kidnapper.

'A kidnapper on my very first cruise. Great, just great.'

"Okay, let's get something straight here, little miss; we're heading right back, and you're going to come clean. Do not involve me in whatever BS you've got going on, you get?"

"Little Miss? What makes you think you're older than me?" She replied, her face twisted in a contoured look and little specks of pink weathered on her cheeks.

Quentin imagined the admonition he was going to receive from the Major and quivered at the thought. This rich girl was going to ruin the life he had built brick by brick with sweat and blood.

No way he was going to let that happen. As a matter of fact, he was done having this conversation.

"Well, I don't really care how old you are. We're heading back now!"

Quentin reached out to grab her wrist.

It honestly caught him off guard the way she twisted his hand and sidestepped his grab.

"Well, you'd have to catch me first." She said, smiling.

And with that, she was gone. The beautiful girl bolted down the hallway, turning a corner.

All Quentin could do was watch in utter shock.

A moment passed by before he realised what had just happened and snapped out of it.

He had lost an important person on the biggest cruise ship on the bloody planet.

The chase began with him following after her. Granted she had a couple second head start, but how fast could a pretty girl like that go? He was almost two times her size and had the beautiful experience of being a trained army personnel.

Very fast. The minutes flew by and Quentin was fagged out. He must have checked every nook and cranny of the ship, and yet there was still no sign of her.

He had left his post, lost the girl, and now he was certain his life was over.

'Stupid, stupid Quentin. Your love for women has finally been the death of you, he thought as he gingerly climbed the stairs back to Deck 1.

The worst had happened, and the least he could do was to return to his post and accept whatever punishment awaited him.