Baby Don't Cry
Summary: One chance in a lifetime, the offer to become human. But when he marries another, what does Lucy have to do to stay alive? JelLu one-shot. Entry for AmyCahill09's Fairy Tail Couple Writing Contest.
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail© by Hiro Mashima
A sweet melodious sound wafted its way through the turquoise waters of the sea, capturing the attention of every ear it reached. Soon enough sea creatures of different colors darted for a single spot, creating a wave of rainbow colors, where the voice originated.
A girl with flowing blonde hair that danced around in the liquid and chocolate brown eyes giggled a bit before continuing to sing once more, her voice attracting more and more creatures of the deep. But no simple girl can sing underwater, right? Well, she is anything but a normal girl. Replacing her supposed legs was a slender tail, creating swish sounds as it tore through the waters.
''Princess!'' a voice interrupted her singing and the girl turned her head to face a blue haired mermaid.
''Princess, your father called for you.'' the newcomer said.
''Oh! Its time already?'' the blonde girl smile widened, ''I have to go to the castle right away!''
Lucy Heartfillia Dreyar, who turned fifteen just that morning, sped through the sea like a lightning bolt, a blur of yellow darting through the blue-green water, leaving her poor friend Levy McGarden trying hard to keep up. Well, she could not help herself, can she? She was finally of legible age to go to the surface, one thing she had always dreamed of. She had heard stories of how beautiful the human world was.
Her sisters, Mirajane and Lisanna, always told her of how the sun was so warm and bright, how the sky was bluer than the waters, and how the earth was rich in plants. Her imagination of the human world spun around her head as she approached the castle, built of corals and shells, each delicate detail contributing to the wonderful image the castle showed.
The exterior beauty was nothing compared to the interior, the throne room especially, with a single throne that seemingly grew out of the sea bed, carved out of pinkish red corals shaped like a centaur, except the head were replaced by branched corals full of shells. On the throne sat a short merman, King Makarov, with hair white like snow and a beard so long it touched his ankles.
''Ah, Lucy, come here,'' said Makarov, motioning the blonde to move nearer.
''As you know,'' Makarov coughed, ''we children of the sea have no soul, as men do. We do not belong to the human world above, so we can only watch and admire it!'' The petite king slipped a lovely carved flower into his daughter's golden locks and said, ''There! Now you can go to the surface. You'll breathe air and see the sky, but remember to be careful and stay away from men, they can only bring bad luck.''
The moment the old king finished his warning, Lucy gave a quick kiss on his cheek and darted smoothly towards the surface. She swam so fast even the dolphins couldn't keep up with her. Then she popped out of the water, inhaling the fresh air and saw the azure sky for the first time. It was just like how her sisters had described it, beautiful, so close yet so hard to reach. The big disk was now starting to fade into the mountains, leaving behind it a trail of vermillion streaks. Lucy sighed in contentment to finally see the human world, a place of beauty.
Apparently, fate has more than that waiting for her. A horn blared, its sound echoing throughout the entire sea, shocking Lucy to the point she shrieked in surprise. It was a ship, slowly sailing towards Lucy's direction, stopping after a huge metal thing was dropped into the water. Lucy watched as the men on board light up lanterns to welcome the night, shouting at one another to come and help, or just joke around.
''Oh,'' Lucy said to no one in particular, ''I would love to speak to them.'' However, the only thing stopping her was her slender tail, meant for swimming and not for walking. A cheer erupted from the crowd on the ship as she saw fire dance in the darkening sky, becoming patterns like flowers about to bloom.
''Long live the captain!'' one man shouted, the others following suit while some shouted ''Happy 20th Birthday Captain Jellal!'' instead. The young mermaid caught sight of a young man laughing happily at the shouts, not joining in. He has bright blue hair and brown eyes, a darker shade than hers, with a weird tattoo on his right eye. His smile glued Lucy's eyes to him, and a sudden chill wind blew across Lucy's face and she immediately looked up to the now dark sky.
Thunder started to crackle, lightning broke the ink black sky's darkness and an icy wind blew the waves hard. Lucy's screams of warning were drowned by the sound of the storm hitting the ship, of sails crashing onto the deck and men shouting for their lives.
Lucy ducked into the water the moment the ship sank, and looked for this man Jellal she saw earlier. It wasn't hard to spot him within the waters, but he was sinking rapidly and appeared to have lost consciousness. She dragged him towards the surface with whatever force she could summon with the desperate flicking of her tail, struggling to maintain the position until they could reach dry land.
After hours of tiredness, the storm died down and the two were swept near a beach, much to Lucy's gratefulness. Unable to walk, Lucy could only push the young man's body on to the shore, but before she could do anything, the sound of approaching voices broke out and startled the mermaid, forcing her to return to deeper waters, watching as a scarlet haired lady helped the bluenette captain up and into a mansion.
''Thank… you... for saving me...'' she could make out a few words the captain coughed up from the distance, and her heart felt heavy. The man she had saved had the least clue he was saved by her, a mermaid. The hours she spent fighting for him, in hopes for him to just notice her, was futile, and her heart broke with pain.
She swam down towards the underwater castle, greeted by her worried sisters. She ignored their questions like 'Why were you up on the surface for so long' and 'Did something happened' with the shakes of her head and headed straight to her room to sob out her frustrations.
Days passed, and the young princess still refused to leave her room, nor take in a drop of water or food. Not even her sisters managed to get to talk to her. She wished she had not taken interest in the young man, she wished she had not fallen for him, and she wished she had not saved him. Now she was in torture and it was caused solely by her. She wished she knew how to become human, but she would need to be a witch to do that.
Witch!
The word almost literally jumped in front of her eyes. Why hadn't she thought of it before? The Witch of the Deep may be able to help her turn into a human, since she can turn herself into one. Nothing, as rumor said, is impossible to her. She should be able to help, no; she must be able to help. Whatever the price, Lucy will pay it for the chance to become human. To become like Jellal.
(OwO)
The Witch's cavern was even deeper down the sea than the castle. The waters were dark and barely any light from above could reach it. The cavern itself, however, stood out in the darkness from the eerie green glow surrounding it. Just as Lucy swam near the entrance, she heard a faint hissing sound.
''Who are you?'' the voice demanded. It sounded like a girl, probably older than Lucy, with hints of cautiousness.
''I'm looking for the Witch of the Deep,'' Lucy replied, trying hard not to tremble, ''I have to meet her now.''
''So, you came to find me?'' a figure crept out of the cavern, it was a girl with black hair came out and Lucy gasped. The rumors were true! The witch had a pair of legs, instead of a tail, yet she could still breathe underwater like a mermaid.
''My name is Ultear,'' the witch said scornfully, ''You want to get rid of your fishy tail, do you? I expect you'd like to have a pair of human legs, right?''
''H-how did you..''
The witch shrugged, ''Mermaids come to me for that one reason. They fell in love with a human, wanted to be one too, needs a spell and the only person they come to is me. Be warned though! You will suffer horribly, for every step you take on land, pain will shoot up your legs as if a sword were slicing you in half.''
''I don't care.'' Lucy whispered softly, tears clouding the edges of her eyes, ''As long as I can become human.''
''And that's not all!'' The witch exclaimed, ''You don't expect my spell to be free, do you? In exchange for your legs, I would take your lovely voice. You'll never be able to speak a single word. And be warned, if the captain, who is a prince, you love marries someone else, you will turn into foam the moment you step into water. If you have no regrets then take this.''
The witch handed Lucy a flask containing greenish liquid that looked like slime, thick like strawberry syrup. Lucy thanked the witch one last time, savoring the bliss of being able to speak, then pulled herself onto the beach she had last seen the captain. Then she drank the liquid, and the world spun into darkness.
(OwO)
Jellal had never really understood what exactly happened that day his ship sank. He remembered the party on board vividly, then suddenly it was blank. He vaguely remembered being pulled to the surface by something, and the next thing he knew there was this scarlet-head that found him on the beach. The more he thought of the incident, the more confused he became. He had the sudden urge to take a walk by the beach, hopefully it would help to clear his mind.
The sun was starting to set, the waves roaring back and forth, and he saw a yellow patch on the sand. The blue-haired prince walked towards it and saw a blonde girl lying on the sand, seeming to be half-conscious. He rushed towards the girl and shook her a bit, calling out once or twice, until the girl was fully conscious.
Lucy was shocked to see Jellal's face directly in front of her the moment her vision cleared. She jumped up and tried to squeak, but no sound came from her throat. The memories of recent happenings came flooding into her mind, how she traded her voice with a pair of legs. Legs! She looked down, thinking she was going to find her green tail but instead, she saw a pair of legs in its place.
''...you all right?'' the prince's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she just stared at his eyes. Her wish of being this close to the prince was fulfilled, and despite losing her voice, she was glad for the opportunity. She nodded, at the bluenette who started to help her up, and as her new legs landed on the ground, searing pain shot up and spread inside her body. She would have yelped out loud if she could, but again, she had no voice. The prince offered her to stay in his castle, and Lucy was more than happy to oblige. The pain might not be gone, but she will get used to it. After all, this is what she wanted, to be by Jellal's side.
(^o^)
The next few days passed in a blur. Lucy spent most of her time with the prince, who was also glad for her company. The two would often go out on horseback together, and with time, Lucy could bear with the pain every time she walked. Even though Lucy's heart was all for Jellal, the latter's heart still belonged to the scarlet-haired lady that saved him on the beach, They have never met since, but he knew they would some day. This fact made Lucy more depressed. Sometimes she would walk out and stare at the sea for hours, hoping to spot Mirajane or Lisanna, probably waving out to her, but she could see nothing but plain endless water.
Destiny, however, was not done toying with her. A week after Lucy's arrival, a huge ship showed up on the harbor, and with it was the redhead that saved Jellal on the beach. Jellal, having indebted with her, did not waste anytime and asked her to marry him, to which she agrees, for she returned to this land to meet him once more. Lucy stood there, immobile as a statue, trying to endure the pain of her heart breaking again. She was about to lose him forever, and this time for real.
Few days after the grand wedding, full of parties and celebration, the happy couple went on a voyage together, and Lucy followed them. Night fell and Lucy wept alone on the deck over the fate she had. Suddenly, a roaring wave reminded her of the witch's warning. If Jellal were to marry another lady, the moment Lucy steps into the sea, she would dissolve into it like foam.
''Lucy! Lucy!'' voices interrupted her thoughts of giving up on life, and the blonde girl walked towards the side of the ship and look into the water. She would have shouted out loud if she could. Mirajane and Lisanna were at the side of the ship, looking as normal as ever, except they were missing their hairs.
''Lucy! We've heard about what happened, how you saved the prince but he was not aware of what happened, your bargain with the Witch and how that girl took your place as his savior. We know you want to turn into foam and end everything,'' said Lisanna, ''but look! This knife, we traded our hair for it from the Witch! Take it, and kill the prince before dawn. Then you can return to us, be a mermaid again! You can do it!''
Lucy gripped the knife tightly, comparing the two choices she had: kill and live, or die. Little did she know, a certain prince had heard the whole conversation.
(T^T)
Jellal had woken up from the sound of voices on the deck. Curiosity got the better of him when he heard female voices from the sea, and as far as he knew, the only females aboard the ship was his new wife, Erza, and Lucy. But since the redhead was sleeping and Lucy was unable to talk, it had to be someone from outside the ship. But in they were in the middle of a sea, how on earth are there people so far out the middle? The talking grew louder as he stepped out into the cold open air and saw heard two girls talking to Lucy from the sea.
''..how you saved the prince but he was not aware of what happened, your bargain with the Witch and how that girl took your place as his savior. We know you want to turn into foam and end everything, but look! This knife, we traded our hair for it from the Witch! Take it, and kill the prince before dawn. Then you can return to us, be a mermaid again! You can do it!'' the voice had said.
This gave Jellal a shock. Lucy had saved him? When? And she was a mermaid? All does not make sense, even the least. Then a flash appeared on Jellal's mind, the vague memory of being carried by something in the middle of a storm. The picture, however, was clearer now. He saw a pair of hands supporting him from behind, and he felt something slimy tickle his legs, like some sort of fin, trying to keep him above water. And sticked on his hand with water, was a strand of blonde hair.
The bluenette prince had ever thought of this before. Lucy, a mermaid. Lucy, saved him before. Then the rest of the voice's sentence clicked to place, Lucy must have traded something for her legs to this so called Witch, and because he married Erza, she will turn into foam. The voices must be her siblings, who traded their hair, got a dagger, and if Lucy killed him, she could turn back into a mermaid.
Suddenly, in a swift movement, Lucy threw the knife she had on hand into the sea. Jellal's eyes widened at her sudden decision and he rushed forward to her. The blonde, as well as two bald female in the sea, gasped, even though Lucy's was inaudible. Apparently, they were not aware of his presence.
''What do you think you're doing!?'' Jellal half screamed half whispered, not wanting to wake the whole ship up, ''That's your only chance to go back to your normal life!''
Tears streamed down Lucy's cheek like waterfalls, but she made no attempt to mouth any words to reply to Jellal, and she heard Mira sighing, ''It's impossible, isn't it. You won't kill him no matter what, that's already your decision, right Luce?''
At this, Lucy nodded, it was only a few hours from dawn, from when she was prepared to die, leave the world and become foam. She looked up to meet Jellal's eyes, and saw it clouded with tears, his teeth clenched tightly. Before she realized it, Jellal ran to the edge of the ship and dove into water, leaving a dumbfounded Lucy and her sisters to wonder what he was trying to accomplish.
(OwO)
Jellal shivered as his skin met the freezing water, but fought to keep his eyes open. It has to be somewhere here, the knife. He was not going to let Lucy die because of him. There's no way. He thought back to the days they had spent together, he had felt something inside him that feels attracted to her. It was as if he had known her before, but it was not in his memory. Now he knew. She had saved him that time in the sea. All this time she had not been able to tell him, he should have known.
A gleaming light captured his eyes' undivided attention and he swam towards the reef where he saw the light. He smiled in triumph as he held the knife in hand and swam towards the surface, his determination not wavering a single bit.
On the boat, Lucy saw her beloved prince emerge from the surface of the water, dagger in hand. She watched in confusion as the man she loved climb back to the ship, noticing little details like how the water drips from his hair, trailing down his neck and finally drop onto the ground. He stood up and pressed the knife into her hand, his orbs on hers. He slowly led her hand towards his chest, right exactly where his heart was positioned. Realizing what he was trying to accomplish, the blonde girl took her hand back with an inaudible gasp, shaking her head.
''Please, don't hesitate anymore,'' Jellal said, his tone pleading, ''just take my heart. What I felt for Erza was what I thought was love, but in fact it was gratefulness. I.. didn't realise it but these few days we spent together, I was very happy.'' Jellal smiled, tears starting to trickle down from his eyes, contrary to the waterfalls pouring out of Lucy's hazel orbs. ''If it wasn't me, you would do it easily, wouldn't you? But it doesn't matter. I'm willing to exchange a permanent scar on my body for your love. So please,'' the bluenette had tilted up Lucy's chin so that his eyes meet hers, ''Baby, don't cry. After all this is over, please forget it. You will never turn into foam, not when I have something to say about it. So please, Lucy, don't cry, cause my love will protect you.''
Jellal leaned in and hugged her for one last time, as the blade in Lucy's hand was stuck between them, plunging deep into the prince's heart. Lucy screamed inaudibly, Jellal's name stuck in her mouth. When he pulled back, blood had stained his shirt, and after flashing one painful smile at Lucy, he closed his eyes and surrendered into darkness.
Lucy had cried, sobbed, tried to scream even, until her throat was painful. The bluenette's body fell onto the deck with thud, and she saw the morning sun just about to rise up. With one last look on his face, smiling as he lay on the ground no longer breathing, she seemed to memorise each detail of his face through her blurry eyes, then jumped into the sea.
Love is painful, love is a sacrifice. Lucy's life was never the same, and even though Jellal had asked her not to cry, she still did. And never did she forget him. Not ever.
(T^T)
Serena's Talking Corner: Heya! Sere-chan's back! This story is basically a twist of the original tale of The Little Mermaid® by Hans Christian Anderson. In the original story when Sirenatta, the mermaid, was about to kill the prince, he was asleep. So in the end she turned into foam, being unable to kill him. Hope you guys liked it!
Question of the story: What's my current favorite pop? (e.g. Western pop, J-Pop, K-Pop, Chinese pop, etc.)
Don't forget to leave a review to answer! The first to get it right will get a one-shot of favored pairing from me. Also big thank you to those who reviewed, favourited and followed my previous one-shot 'Runaway Romeo and Juliet'. Thanks for reading once again!
-Serena Fallenheart-