Sing me a song my wayward sailor
Sing me a song before you go
Let it be heard across all seven seas
Let it be known by all
It'd been three weeks since she managed to part ways from the depths below she had once called home. At night she could still hear the waves whispering her name, begging her to reclaim her throne and save her subjects from the same life of turmoil she had fled from. The pangs of guilt which would wash over her were excruciating, and they often plagued her mind with the most horrific of images. She didn't want to think about all the terrible things that were happening to her friends. She didn't want to be reminded of the agony her sisters were surely in, and yet those were the only things she could think about.
Tossing and turning, it doesn't take long before her sky blue eyes shatter open and she's caught gasping for air like a fish out of water. Desperately her hands start to run over body and the panic doesn't diminish until she can feel them for herself. No longer do sea foam green scales sit beneath her waistline, no longer does a shimmering tail lay where she now has legs. Bare flesh is what she touches, and in this she takes a comfort that's as bittersweet as the freedom she cherishes. There's something unsettling about all this.
Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, she heaves out a sigh and does her best to soothe her nerves. She knows better than to lose herself in a nightmare. No matter how desperately she misses them, she knows her loved one will simply have to make do without her. Awful as such a thought was, the ocean just wasn't her home anymore. How could she go back? After all she had done, how could she ever go back?
X
In the morning she wakes up less startled. The ocean waves no longer murmur her name as they collide against the sandy shore. Their voices are now drowned out by the sound of seagulls squawking to and fro, but this also reminds her of a time she's spent so long trying to forget. Dinglehoppers and snarflblatts, those were the things her world once consisted of. To think there'd been a time where such a life had left her feeling frustrated and unsatisfied, itching for release in whatever form she could find it in. Now she would've given anything for just five minutes back. To return to those warm summer days, living her life beneath her father's care as she ventured through the kingdom alongside her beloved friends. How she missed collecting all sorts of strange commodities, and stashing them away in her very own secret place.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Getting out of bed, the petite sized redhead hastily makes her way to it before moving aside to make room for the other person. "You're early…" Her words escape in whispers and as her eyes glance down to the wooden floor below, she can't help but freeze in place. Running her tender fingers over her red locks in an attempt to make herself feel a bit more presentable, she let's her gaze greet her visitor first as she takes a moment to find her voice. Although it's her courage that needs rescuing, all the little siren is able to muster out is her voice. "I didn't expect to see you. I mean, it's just not like you to come around at this hour. You mentioned something before about hating mornings. So I just assumed you'd never-"
"Well, you know what they say about assumptions. Besides, it's not everyday I get to see you like this." The brunette's voice was as frigid as the Baltic Sea, but nothing was colder than the way she sneered at the young girl's appearance. The timid sixteen-year old could feel herself shrinking by the second, but she did her best not to let it show. Before she knew it, the woman had stepped inside and soon enough they were completely alone with the door shut tightly behind them. "I see you're doing well though. Keep your little nook of the world nice and tidy. I bet you never kept your room this clean back home."
Home.
It still burned every time she heard the word. Although she expected nothing but cruel remarks and impudent taunting from the woman, it still hurt nonetheless. To be in someone's debt always does. Making her way to the vanity mirror that sat above her dresser, she picked up her hairbrush and gently began to brush her hair. "No, I didn't but lots of things have changed now."
"You know I must hand it to you princess, it takes a lot of guts to do what you did. Abandoning the only home you've ever known. Leaving behind your friends and family, damning them to a life of desolation and servitude. You're quite the determined little guppy," Vanessa LeGume was both the most vile person Ariel knew, and the only person she could depend on. Which was why despite her horrid words and untimely visiting hours, Ariel didn't bother fighting back. There was no used in trying to defeat somebody who constantly had the upper hand.
"I try not to think about it too much. The sacrifices I've made haven't been easy, but I suppose that's the whole point of sacrifices in the first place. They're never meant to be," it was strange hearing herself talk like this. She was never meant to be this kind of person. Her father had done so much to ensure her a life of pure joy and protection, and yet somehow here she was. It wasn't fair at all, but it wasn't like it had happened overnight either. Ariel knew very well what she had done, and now she was going to pay for it. "Anyways, none of it would have been possible without you. I'm still so grateful for everything you've done for me Mrs. LeGume, really. I'm not sure how I could ever repay you."
"Oh it's like I told you, darling. That's for me to figure out and for you to wait on," a devilish grin graced her feature's and as Vanessa stood there with her violet eyes and alluring good looks, Ariel could see it as clear as day. The married woman who stood before her was just as much a witch as the one she had left under the sea. Except unlike that monster, Vanessa didn't maneuver her chess board using brute force. No, she was far too delicate a lady to do something like that. And in this, the little mermaid took a certain solace in because she figured Vanessa would never harm her in the light of day. There was a certain reputation she needed to uphold in this town, "Tell me though, how have your legs been treating you?"
"Just like you said they would. Every step I take feels as though I am treading upon a thousand sharp knives and at times they hurt so much they bleed," which was something she was still learning to handle. Her steps did indeed hurt and at times there was more blood than she was used to, but it wasn't like she hadn't been warned beforehand. At least this witch was honest with her, "But I'm not complaining. The hardships from up here could never compare to the atrocities from down below."
"Keep that attitude going and you just might survive this new land, guppy." There wasn't a single pet name in the world Ariel hated more. Not only because of how condescending it was nature, but also because there was a time when the name left her lips constantly. It was a term of endearment and solidarity, symbolizing a bond that she once swore would never break. She felt as though she was going to be sick, "I really should be going now. I'm glad you're adjusting fine, dear. I'd wish you farewell but we both know we'll be seeing each other again soon enough, don't we?"
"I'll happily be waiting your return," and with that Ariel watched as Vanessa left, closing the door behind her as she did and locking it the second she felt solitude's embrace. She never imagined this was what her life would come to. Escaping one witch only to end up in the hand's of another witch didn't seem like a fair trade, but she had meant what she'd said to Vanessa. Despite how awful and bleak this new life felt at times, it was still better than the Hell she had escaped from.
X
"Madam please, you have to help me! I've travelled so far."
"A journey that was taken in vain," not that Vanessa LeGume actually meant that of course. She simply enjoyed seeing people's desperation reach a certain peak. There was something about fresh vulnerability that just made for more ample clientele. People don't bother trying to negotiate when they feel as though all hope is lost. Instead they just abide to whatever terms and conditions is set before them. It was quite an amusing ordeal, and it was something Vanessa had seen work time and time again.
"Oh, there must be something I can do for you? Anything! Please, you just have to help me get away," the blonde's voice was wavering and her eyes were beginning to pool. She was as fragile as the flower she claimed to be named after, and yet it was her tears that caught the brunette's eyes. Aren't roses supposed to come with thorns? And yet this one was already crying and all Vanessa had done was told her no.
"It's not like you've come here asking for an elixir, dear. Housing and hiding a rare beauty such as yourself won't be easy. I'm sure you have your aunts worried sick," Vanessa couldn't help but notice how perfect her porcelain complexion was. Almost as though she'd spent most her life indoors. Which was an extreme idea to push on to someone, but there was also something rather peculiar about the child.
"But everyone in town says your husband owns the local inn. Surely you have a spare room? I promise I won't make any noise and I'm very good at cleaning after myself. Please Madam, I have nowhere else to go!" And in the same breathe, the emotionally disturbed blonde began to sob into the palms of her hands. Vanessa was certainly amused at the debacle, but she was also starting to grow bored of the poor thing. Yes, desolation was a very key component to all her plans but this girl was making it too easy.
"I'm sure your aunts will take you back with open arms. Besides, who would marry a thing like you off to some brute? Perhaps your husband is handsome and kind. You've never even seen him to say otherwise."
"No madam you don't understand! My heart belongs to another. If I return home, they'll just marry me off to some stranger and then I'll be miserable for the rest of my life." As though your life here will be any better. Eyeing her from head to toe, Vanessa didn't quite like how shrouded in mystery the flower was. Her story made sense, but there was something more to it. Young girls don't just up and run away from arranged marriages, there's normally too much pressured involved. Yet here she was, heartbroken as she was prideful. Valuing her quality of life over the future children she was expected to bear for this stranger of a husband her aunts had chosen for her. "Please? Even if I'm forced to share a room, I'll take it!"
Suddenly, an idea came to mind.
"Now that you mention it dear, I know a certain redheaded girl who has some space for you in her room. I'm sure you'll get along with her just fine. She's also trying to escape a very unfortunate situation."
