I Shipwrecked on an Island of AMAZON WOMEN and Their Princess Chose ME

We were an exploratory vessel [music] early 19th century British funded a scientific mission, maps, journals, instruments. We were sent to confirm rumors of an island that officially did not exist. A place sailors spoke of after too much rum marked on no charts. [music] I was the captain and responsible for records. Everything I saw, I wrote down or tried to. We had been at sea long enough for men to stop counting days and for habits to change. The crew wasn't violent or rebellious, just tired, sunburned, salt stained, quiet in a way that unsettled me. The ocean was calm that day, too calm, no wind, no birds. The water looked thick like oil, and the ship moved as if something beneath us resisted. [music] Around midday, the instruments failed. The compass shook. The needle wouldn't settle. One man joked, "The world was ending. No one laughed. The sky didn't darken like a normal storm. The color drained away until the sun vanished behind a wall of black cloud rising too fast. The wind struck hard. Sails snapped. Rope screamed. Waves rose sharp and close. Water poured over the deck. I shouted orders. Most lost in the noise. Lightning burned the air. Rain fell like gravel. Then we struck reef and stone. The hull split. Water rushed in. Men were thrown overboard. I held the wheel until it tore free. One thought remained. This was my fault. The ship broke apart. The sea swallowed everything. Cold, heavy, absolute. I I fought it like everyone does. The ocean [music] won. The last thing I remember was hitting sand. I woke up choking. Sand in my mouth, salt in my throat. My body felt heavy, wrong, like it had been left behind and dragged back later. I tried to inhale and pain spread through my chest. I rolled onto my side and coughed until my vision blurred. Before I could understand where I was, I felt it presence. I opened my eyes. Bright sun, blue sky, palm trees moving slowly above me. Waves breaking close behind. The sound was calm, almost gentle, and completely wrong. I