Spoiler! :
No air. My lungs burned for the lack of it, and my heart beat frantically like a caged bird in my chest. But what was that one minor detail, without him? Everything I was, I had given to him and in the end he had taken it all. My heart, my life, my breath.
Now as my body, thin and pale with unfamiliar legs, the one thing I still owned was claimed by the water, sinking deeper and deeper into its depths, I became nothing. It was better this way, I would never again disgrace his presence, and it made no difference to me whether I stood above or below water. I would never breathe again.
I was alone. It didn’t matter that I’d wanted with my whole being to stay forever by his side; he had chosen her. With my shattered heart unable to move, there was no way I could go on living alone. He, who my world revolved around, had made it impossible for me to live, much less breathe and, as one might point out, it was wasted energy to try when there was no air.
As I hung suspended in the depth of my watery tomb, my sun bleached hair floating ghostly around my face, I pondered how he would be without me. Would he ever think or wonder what had become of me? How was it that I couldn’t breathe without him, yet he could go on living?
My mind, failing from lack of oxygen, stuttered, and in an instant I was teleported from my current state of mind to one of the past.
*
Everything had started out so innocently. He in his world of sun and earth, me in mine of water and sand.
It began close to ten years ago, when I was eight. I, being the unruly youngest daughter and the bane of my, nonetheless, doting father’s existence, ventured out of bounds and forbiddingly crossed our border.
It was a day much like any other, minus the concert I was supposed to attend with my father later that day. Feeling cramped and held down in the confines of the palace, I let myself out and just started swimming. At first I had no destination in mind, but as I continued to swim, found myself out of familiar territory. A part of me knew I should turn back, but my rebelliousness stirred within me, and convinced me to see what was so horrible about the world my people were strictly forbidden to enter.
Leaving my common sense behind me, I rose from the depths of my realm, to meet an unknown and alluring new world, the likes I never dreamed could exist. But more than the place itself, the one thing that captured my attention was him.
He’d been sitting on an outcropping of rocks, a perfect mirage as the sea’s grasp, trying to claim him for its own, missed, and he was covered in a fine layer of sea. He’d held a strange instrument in his hand. When brought to his lips, a haunting, beautiful melody issued forth.
Watching from my hidden vantage point, dangerously close, every part of him mesmerized me. From his short black locks plastered to his face with the oceans perspiration, to the grace with which he moved and the emotion playing in his hazel eyes. It was in that moment that I realized I could never go back to who I had been. This stranger now and forever owned my heart.
As he gazed out across the ocean, I desperately longed to know what beautiful thoughts crossed his mind. Was he as enthralled with my world, as I was now with his? I dared not stay longer to find out, as his searching eyes turned in my direction and I returned again to my captivity.
*
He stared out of his bedroom window, the sea holding his entire attention. Was he insane, mad, delusional? No, he was certain that his mind was sound. But what other explanation was there for the vision he had encountered today?
He had always felt an alluring pull towards the mystery called ocean, and he would oft times visit, hoping that one day it might yield up its secrets; and today it had.
Something, or someone, had been watching him, of that he was positive. But whether it was just a beast of the sea or his apparition he knew not. He didn’t even know if what he’d seen was just a simple trick of the light, or if it was real.
His young mind reeling with the adventures of the day, mixed with fantasies of the heart, he drifted into sleep, the figure of a watery silhouette haunting his dreams.
*
In the beginning, it was easy to keep the sin of my forbidden love a secret from those I’d once called close. I was even able to convince myself that my fantasy was just that, an impossible dream that nothing would ever come of. But over time as I grew older and my feelings did not die, I became obsessed.
Starting out, it was almost difficult to slip away. My conscience warned me to forget my treacherous violation of all that I was and to return to a place I could no longer belong. But as I blatantly ignored its dissuasive call, in time it faded and eventually disappeared altogether.
Of my frequent trips to the surface, my time was spent in shallow water, waiting, hoping, for a chance to see my prince. For that was what he was. As I observed his behaviors, I found semblance there that reflected my own life, and a need for freedom that could never be found in the containment of power.
At first, there were only hints that led me to believe he was of noble birth. The way he moved and carried himself, so sure and confident, the pull of escape to a different environment, and the way he dressed, in clean, rich colors. All just hints that were duly justified the day my Prince had appeared in his full royal attire.
He was rushed as he met the shoreline, the ocean greedily grabbing at the hem of his long red cloak. To my surprise there were tears in his eyes, that sparkled like the jewels in his crown. I’d ached to comfort him, but knew that was an unreachable feat.
Knowing we could never share in love, I drew solace from the fact that both of us shared a common burden: royal blood. Each a ruler to be, one over the land and one under the sea.
This only strengthened my one-sided ties to him. While I was free to chase after my whims and wishes of him, he hadn’t the slightest knowledge of my existence. He was free from the power of love.
*
On his eighteenth birthday, he celebrated it on the sea. Bright lights lit up the sky, unveiling his large ship. I, of course, had come for the show and for the rare opportunity to be with him, even if I was alone.
He’d been laughing and smiling as the ones around him entertained him, before the storm I’d been expecting all day finally manifested itself and the heavens unleashed their fury. I tried to stay above the rolling waves, but my struggle was in vain and the force of the ocean pummeled me into its relentless embrace. I eventually yielded myself to its rage and as I was tossed to and fro, lightning tore through the sky, illuminating everything in an eerie glow. It revealed, to my astonishment, my prince, fighting a losing battle with the sea. How had he come to join me here in my world? He would surly perish should he remain.
At last, he was in my arms. A moment I should’ve reveled in, crushed by the dire circumstance pitted against us. Fighting the tirade of the sea, I brought my prince to that place where I had first seen him, on his outcropping of rocks.
Once he was safe from the greed of the ocean, I worriedly fussed over him, relieved to find that although unconscious, he was otherwise unharmed.
The remainder of the night, I stayed by his side, amazed and transfixed with being so close to him. Letting my emotions take control, I timidly let my cold fingers run down his smooth cheek. A thrill raced through me like the bolt from an electric eel.
My gaze intent upon him, I found no flaw. He was a beautiful mystery, clothed in strange apparel. Curiosity overwhelming me, I ran my hands over his strong muscle laced legs and feet. These strange appendages that could carry him across his realm, where I could never hope to tread.
While he slept, I let my voice free. I sang to him the desires of my heart and all that he made me feel.
I sang for hours, until the sky began to lighten and night gave way to morn, bringing about the arousal of my prince. As his hazel eyes finally opened and locked onto my own eyes, a resolution entered my heart. Even if I were to die trying, I would be with him.
He blinked and I was gone, a figment of his imagination. No longer there, but nonetheless I remained.
Letting myself reenter my world, I did not stop as I once again crossed another boundary, this time entering into deeper waters. I’d discovered my purpose in this world and with my mind focused on that one thing, I was able to devise a solution to my problem. One that would either lead me to happiness, or obliterate me. A chance I was willing to take.
Swimming downward, my frenzied body barely registered the decrease in temperature and light. Intent on my destination I was unaware of the dark presence I neared, before it was too late. Instantaneously, my body became paralyzed as thick, strong tentacles wound themselves around my body and a crazed scream rent the air. As I felt the breath being squeezed out of me, I knew I was dying and as I came face to face with a hideous apparition, my fears were confirmed.
Black, shapeless, oozing skin. I could make out nothing of the horror before me, save two hypnotizing, blood red eyes that glared into my own, burning holes into my soul. The kraken. A monster as old as the sea itself and the last living thing in the ocean to possess the forgotten powers of old.
“What have you come for princesssss ?” a screeching voice gasped, the sound making my whole body shudder with its force.
I had been so sure of myself, lying there beside him. There had been nothing that could stop me and, bringing the strength of that memory into me, I faced my adversary.
“I have come to propose a trade.” My voice came out much weaker than I’d planned.
“Oh?” The voice that rasped out, coated in dark humor, made my skin crawl.
“I know of none with more power than you, I beseech you for your help in aiding me.” I could feel my resolve slipping, but I had no choice other than to try, as its eyes never left mine.
“I seeee not what benefit this would bring me, aiding a mortal such as yourself.”
“Great one, I only ask for your help, but I do not come empty handed. If you are to aid me, I will give you my voice, a possession beyond worth. And if I fail, you may have me, to do with what you please,” I rushed, before I lost my faith, my offer sounding weak even as I spoke it.
“Pray tell, why do you think I won’t just take these things?”
“Because, you can only obtain something if it is given freely, and if you do not help me, I will not pay you, no matter how much you torture me,” I’d replied defiantly. A shrieking laugh ripped through the darkness, shredding what was left of my nerves.
“You amuse me, I will hear what you have to say but I make no promise. What, child of the ssssea do you desire?”
“I wish for to be changed into a child of the earth.” Silence followed my decree and as it grew, so did my terror. Then a great tremor racked my body and pain like I had never known before filled me. As I lost consciousness, the voice that had previously been mine entered my delusional ears.
“I have seen into your heart and the want it contains. Your pathetic obsession humors me, so I will give you three days to make the one you desire return your feelings. If he has not confessed his love by the time the sun sets on the third day, you will be mine. And understand this, you will be mine.”
As the voice faded, darkness claimed me and the one I had been died then and there, at the bottom of the ocean, taking with it the voice and body I would never know again.
*
She was real. The one he’d been dreaming of for as long as he could remember, was not just a figment of his imagination. She was a living, breathing, girl, with the voice of an angel.
Over the years the reality of his dream had dimmed, and he’d brushed it off as a child’s simple fantasy, but now he knew that he’d been wrong. The apparition he’d had those many years ago did exist. She was real enough to have saved his life; of that much he was certain. And of one thing he was sure. He would not stop, until he’d found his princess.
*
I awoke, the sensation that greeted me unexpected. Warmth. Opening my eyes, I found myself on unfamiliar territory, as if in a mirror. I, on the shoreline, looked for the first time out over the ocean that stretched to the horizon.
Pulling my gaze from the beauty that lay before me, I inspected my new body. Finding to my amazement that the long, graceful tail that had been my lower half for the past eighteen years was gone. In its place were two, elegant, pale legs. A shiver ran through me, and I realized that the only thing covering me was a thick black article of clothing. This surprised me, and, glancing at my surroundings other than the shore and sea, I found him, sitting a few paces away, a curious expression on his face as he observed me.
An embarrassed look replaced his curiosity, as our eyes met and he looked away. “I am sorry, I found you just lying there, so I covered you with my cloak. I meant no disrespect.”
I sat in rapture, the voice I’d been longing to hear, rang in my ears, the most beautiful song I’d ever heard. The voice of my Prince.
A feeling like lighting raced through my veins at the thrill of seeing him again and, wanting to let him know my thoughts, I smiled. When I didn’t reply, he turned back to me and timidly returned the gesture.
Things happened quickly from there. After he understood that I could not talk and that I was lost, from my pathetic gestures, he suggested I come with him to his castle, where I could at least get cleaned up and find some proper apparel.
Excitement filled me, but was quickly dampened as I realized I hadn’t the first idea how to use my newly acquired appendages and, after I was able to stand, every step I took felt like walking on a coral reef. The prince, realizing my discomfort, lifted me into his arms and as if in a dream we approached his magnificent castle. Once there, I received a warm, if not rushed, welcome at my arrival.
*
Gazing absentmindedly out of his bedroom window, not even the sea could engage his attention tonight. The strange, voiceless girl the ocean had brought forth, owned his every thought. Everything about this girl transfixed him. Her ocean colored eyes. The pain that filled them when she moved. Her ignorance and fascination with the simplest things she came into contact with. But mostly, it was her as whole, unique being. And as he sat there, reveling in her enchantment, he was able to forget about everything else, even his mystery princess.
*
As I gained control of my legs, I became able to do things I’d never imagined. Ignoring the pain in them, I could walk, I could run, I could jump, and as the prince spent his every waking hour with me, it was as if I could fly. Like there was no such thing called gravity, and I was floating in air, instead of the water that previously dictated my motions.
I couldn’t get enough of him, and as he showed me the wonders of his world I couldn’t help but feel that maybe he felt a distant relation to my own feelings. A sidelong glance in my direction when he thought I wasn’t looking, a smile when I caught him. The gentleness with which he treated me and the patience he took with my childlike ignorance of his world.
*
Love. He never realized just what that feeling was, until now. It was impossible to describe. But he knew without a doubt the feelings burning inside of him, could be nothing, save for love.
*
I could never have wished for more, but as the seconds ticked away to minutes, and the minutes became hours, which turned into days, I knew my time was running out. I would never force my prince to say he loved me, but even so I wished desperately that he would. If only he knew how short our time together was, and just exactly what was at stake.
Then it happened. Sitting under a large oak tree with a lunch his chef prepared for us, he took my hand. My heart pounded loud in my ears, I was positive the kraken in its watery depths could hear me, and maybe it could. But as our eyes met, he didn’t look away and the intensity with which he looked at me matched perfectly the fire that raged within my soul. Leaning forward I closed my eyes, anticipating the touch that never came.
For, in the next second, a tantalizing familiar voice called out and my world was shattered. Eyes flying open, I watched as the prince responded to the voice that had sung to him the desires of her heart. My voice. The appeal for me in his eyes died and, turning to the voice of the one he thought he wanted, I became discarded, a piece of unwanted jetsam.
*
He could stand it no longer. His need to know if she harbored the same feelings he felt for her overwhelmed him. His stomach in knots, he took her hand. Relief filled him, as she met his gaze, and it did not falter. Closing her eyes, she leaned towards him, and he mirrored her motions.
Then a forgotten voice called out, berating him for his wavering virtue, and his heart froze.
*
Salt water streaming down my face, I turned to see my doom. Standing not far off was a beautiful woman. Long flowing black hair, smooth pale skin and a slim stature. Perfect in every way, save for the blood red eyes, that looked with disgust at me. Slowly, it smiled. A look of triumph and as the Prince rose to meet her, I’d known in my heart that I had lost.
The breath that had seconds before come so easily was no longer there. I knew not how, nor cared why, but I could not breathe, and yet somehow I was still alive.
*
He was a prisoner. Trapped in her unrelenting gaze. He knew now that he had been deceived. This nightmare before him had impersonated his Princess, and if he could not find a way to break free from the evil that confined him, he and the one he truly loved would both die. If not from physical abuse, then from broken hearts.
Only he had the power to right this wrong, but he knew in his heart that he could never overpower the monster that was determined to end them. Surrendering himself into the clutches of evil, he filled himself with the essence of the short time he’d known love, and found release.
*
As my mind cleared for a brief second and my past once more became the present, time drew to an end. My vision blurred and darkness came. I knew then that I was dead when his strong arms enveloped me and once again I could breathe.
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