Hi again, I hope you like this little long story i have keep dreaming and thinking the last week.
I'm sorry if something is wrong I had bad luck with beta readers and I belive that I have spell cheeked good.
Disclaimer: I don't no nothing relative to HK, Disney or their characts, I just have some fun with them.
Warning: A little shonen-ai, OCCness and maybe bad grammar
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Warms drops in cold sea.
A mermaid's latter.
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For my dearest.
We mermaids never knew the meaning of the sad or the death, why humans cry or laugh, the true behind they hold hands with each other or they kiss each other. The fairytales about us are so romantic, like we were full of emotions and sins like humans have, but to tell true, we don't knew those things and that ignorance have made or world go perfectly and in balance.
My name is Axel, a mermaid born in the middle of the warm waters, in the ocean you call Atlantic ocean, in the sea kingdom ruled by Earulie, a beautiful queen who ruled us for more than five o six generations when I was born. My father always claim that Earulie queen was gentle and wise queen, but also very old , and soon she will bubble. A word we use for describe when our tender bodies return to sea in form of foam and bubbles.
I'm sure that you don't want to read about my boring childhood and stuff and you want to know why I'm wrote this later. To be sincere, I'm no pretty sure where to begun, the events that lead me to this letter and this place were so many that listed here will be also boring if I just put like facts. But for you, I have been thinking these last days clearing my mind about and found the correct point of the beginning of this.
The path that led my life to this place, to this fate begun the very day we were hesitating to come back, I'm no shameful for the destined that waited for us, no, I'm happy, very happy and grateful. This path teach me a lot of stuff I have never ever imagine can be possible existed, proof of that, I'm here, sitting in a dry chair writing with ink over a dry paper, words I don't know were possible to write down, in middle of the nigh with the soft cold glow of that human invent called bulb, hearing music played in the other side of the world hearing lyrics of a tongue I had never hear before.
I'm happy for this path and this live, but let me tell you in my own opinion how this begun. This path was settled in front of me, when we were coming back home, when I spoke of we, I'm talking about the young prince Roxas and me, the one you're so a like, the same pretty face, the same beautiful golden locks, those amazing blue eyes, he had a very lovely color in his tails, a kin of blue that in light changed to a golden, little difference between you both, although you almost have the same character and the very pretty face when you pout or frown, and amazing smile when you smile and a fresh laugh, I'm think your voice is somewhat is softer than him, Oh how I wish you can hear his voice, it was…
Oh for the gods, I'm dreaming awake again, I'm hopeless, right?, I'm truly miss him so much and my chest is still hurting. But don't worry, it's no so bad like that first time we meet. No it's just more like a tender hand stroking the pain away even if my warm drops wash my face.
Let's continue before I have to begun to write this again, it's the third time by now and Sora yelled at me to go to sleep. It's pretty late and I'll can't sleep until finish this.
I was telling you, that my path was settle the day we're coming back to home, my home. No this one you know, my home was in the sea kingdom ruled by Earulie in the Atlantic ocean. Imagine a place under the sea with cold waters and sometimes warms streams, different species of fishes and mollusk, sharks and whales. A immensity of marine life, multicolor and multi shapes in every corner you can see, fish with forms you only can dream, shells you once called, out of this world, you world.
That was my home and we're content to return, but also, hesitant. You will ask why we're hesitant to back if our world was full of beauty and pace?. That's the one of the mains topic of this latter and allow my word for telling you the answer.
I cared so much for Roxas and I was worried, but I never let him to find out about my worry when we're swimming for our home. I still remember the touch of his soft skin against my skin in ours hands, the warm against my warm, the beating fast of our hearts in our cheats and the coldness of the waters in ours bodies. I clear remember I almost forget the sensation of the swim freely in the ocean, my mind and my heart were busiy with Roxas all the time that they don't have time to yearning.
However, my entirely body was blissful for feeling the cold water again as well my lungs were breathing again the purity of the seawater. I'm never envy the humans for being humans quite the contrary, I pity them for not being like us, mermaids.
The first face we saw in our returning, was the face of the one I called my best friend. Riku was his name, a mermaid with silver hair and a white tail, one of the best royal guard I ever meet in my whole life. My father don't count of course. I admired him so much but I was so happy he never become a royal guard. Riku in other hand was the best of the best speaking about the protection, the loyalty and very good manners. He was my mentor as well.
When I saw him approach us I though, 'For all the spirits, we're home', I was so happy and relieved, finally our little adventure was ended. How wrong I was. That very moment, was the begging of everything. Again I'm no sorry for what happened, or shameful, I'm repeating I'm glad that the things begun in that way and lead me to this end.
"Your majesty" That's was my best friend greet us, for a moment I want him to smile at us for being back in home, but he wasn't smile. His face was filled with worry and angry, behind him, were other mermaids members of the royal house. I have to point that Riku was the number one swimmer in the kingdom, for razors till today I don't know he was always beating himself for swim faster and faster. However, Riku chose that moment to show us his infamous speed and stay with us some moments without the others mermaids or at lest I believe, I respected and admired so much Riku that when he beat me with his tail I can't barely believe it.
"What are you doing?" I hear Roxas yelled at him, for my rank I can't say something to Riku, he was my superior, and if he considered to beat me up, it was the right thing. We mermaids weren't nothing compared to your fairy tales about us.
"I'm protecting you, your majesty" Riku answered taking him by wrist and swimming of from me. The others mermaids hold me with so much strength even if I want to struggle. No, I was looking at how Riku was taking away Roxas, annoyed by his behavior that I never saw before, for the next days that keep my mind thinking but later, so much later find out why, but I'm not tell you right now why, it will destroy the suspense.
In a very unpleasant mood they took me to a prison somewhere near the palace, a place made with stone and reef, I was aware that the place was very easy to break and escape, but I don't even know was I was in there. I wanted to know and also I wanted to prove myself innocent and loyal and escaping wasn't to help, so I decide to wait and I waited more than three days until someone come. I hoped my best friend was the one to come and tell me what was happened or even I hoped to come one of those old mermaid versed in the old customs, but the only had come was my father.
Is no I wasn't happy to see my dad, but I tell you true, I was disappoint to see him and by him know why I was in prison, he don't deserve to come to visiting me at prison, it's kind of disappoint to myself because my dad was a very good mermaid, a old and very hard worker mermaid, all I wanted was made him proud for me, at some point in my childhood I want to be like him, well I was already like him, rarely red hair with bright green eyes, but my father as every mermaid has, a matching color in its tail for its color hair or same color in tail like its hair had, in case of my father, was a red tail, the difference between him and I. As you can see, my tail is a black with reddish glow, so few of us get that color.
My mother had pink in her tail, so, the very moment I born, my parents were more distant they already were. I never heard them fight about the subject, it's a common knowledge that the sons inherit the colors of their parents or a beautiful mix of them. In my case, was a very strange phenomena that we don't know why it's happens. The only other mermaid I knew that have the same color as mine in its tails, was a elder mermaid called Xemnas. That guy lived outside of the kingdom and he told me the only moment we meet.
"Maybe you and I are more alike that you think" I didn't understand his words on those days, I was just a innocence and cute mermaid child that only care to learn everything his father was telling. But oddly, his words still dance in my mind. But retune the tale.
"my son" my father begun his speak. "I believe that I have raised a good mermaid, a strong, valiant and loyal mermaid, and look at you, here in prison for kidnapping the prince Roxas" His face certainly was full of disappointed, more than mine. I don't blame him, I though that myself in one point before return home, but I wasn't go not tell him why the one that told him that's words were wrong. Because if I did, I was calling liars to others mermaids and that's was farther worst than kidnapping Roxas. "Axel, I know you don't do that" He tell me extending his hands for me, I took his hand and close the distance between us, I wanted to embrace him, but I know, he should be panicked, the embrace was no custom for mermaids, and instead I looked to his face, to his old green eyes, his red hair and white strokes in it, his little smile in lips.
"They said the prince Roxas wanted to explained what happened to prove your innocence." He added, those words sound to me scariest than I expected. My father release me when he saw me face, I believe he saw me made the best scared face awarded in all the kingdom. A face no mermaid had ever saw in its full life. Quickly I erased that face and made one with a big smile and went close to him.
"Thanks dad" I lied to him, I don't know if he knew I was lying, he just returned my smile and leave the prison. The only other scariest moment in my life I can recall, it's was when we were in that dungeon, dry and hot, in darkness and surrounded by marine creature's corpses, the fetid smell of death and rum, those awful singing and the gossip of selling us.
Of course, here in sea kingdom, my fear was not for me again, was for Roxas security and safety. I don't wished him to confront the elders or his parents, or the whole mermaid society. I just wanted for him, a happy life, nothing else.
All night I spent thinking about how avoid the whole problem, to protect him if the things went wrong, on my best friend and why he wasn't around, what my father should think when he found out the true if the elders ask the right questions. I was sunk in my little worry world when the royals guards come for me to the trial, I almost yelled. I gladly swam with them to the hall where the trial take place, of course a trial. In you world, the trials are about to judge someone and hear other people to help the judge to give a verdict, sometimes its just about to win without caring is if true or lie what they talking about and do justice. The mermaids do something similar, but no quite the same. We used to tell the true and usually respected the others doings and life, so have a trial was pretty rarely, but we have it. In a trial, the elders want to hear the facts said for mermaids they randomly pick up, neither party knows who the elders they pick up, for this the whole people of a city or a town was reunited in a public place and the elders lead the trial, they first heard the affected parties and then they begun to chose mermaids to tell their own versions of the tale. And at end when the Elders mermaids decide who has right, both parties were punished, one more than the other. Why you ask me? Because is was forbidden to tell a lie and slander someone, and why the elders punished the innocence party? Just for called the trial and no being capable or resolving the problem by their own.
The punishment for the liars after a trial, often were the worst someone can dream, they cut you tong and you tail and they send you to the northern waters were ice existed and putted you in the cold surface and warned you no to comeback to the kingdom, but if you came back they send to you to the surface again with a spell that transformed you in a human without the possibly of the spoke or the walk, cutting part of the tails means cutting part of the humans legs. Nasty I said…
That's why I was so worried for Roxas, I don't wanted him to experiment that, the trial part I mean.
When they drag me in the hall, all the elders were already waiting for me. The hall, well was not a hall technically as you know, it just the name, because the reef that surround the space was like that columns I saw once in a drawing in a book, a circular place, fashioned with seats for hundreds of mermaids, in the top we can see the sun wavering with the sea waves. A beautiful place may I say. And they call this place Hall because some elder learned the word time ago.
Roxas was in the center watching at us(me and the guards around) entering in the hall and getting a sit in front of him and the elders, Riku for first time since we back to the kingdom was at my side, but he wasn't smile or looking at me. I wished harder someone to tell me, what going on with him, I missed him.
"We're ready your majesty" One of the elders spoke ceremoniously, his white beard was covering all his body and tail, I smile at his looking, and almost pleaded them to believe Roxa's words without calling anyone. I decide, in that moment, to yell 'he's lying, I'm forcing him to tell that' when the things went wrong. In that case, they'll chase for me and leave Roxas safe. I was sure to do that.
"Thank you" Roxas make me shiver, every time he spoke that way, softer and tender I shiver, afraid or no, but in that moment, I was so scared and worried for him.
"Two full moons ago, the royal guard Axel and I were in the seaweeds fields because I asked him to come with me…" the murmurs filled the hall, I saw the elders grew in discomfort. A prince asking a royal guard, was very common thing, we we're asked to do a lot of things every moment every day and of course, If he asked me to go, I had no choice. The charge for kidnapping him with this few words were cleared. But I know, they will no satisfied with only that.
We were gone almost two months and I saw the curiosity in their eyes.
"Excuse me, your majesty" There you go, the elder with a brilliant blue in its tail begun, this fellow was one of the most respectable elders I ever heard. He was the elder whit the duty of watch the moon, we learned that word thanks the few mermaids that had gone to the surface and talked with humans and this elders also was one of the most curious fellow in the kingdom.
"yes?" I heard the beautiful singing voice of Roxas answering the elder, I saw in his face a hint of worry, the old mermaid had interrupted very soon in the telling.
"you mentioned that you asked the Royal guard to go with you, If you pleased, your majesty, tell us for what for you call him?" That was the sort of thing I was afraid for, the elders were suspicious and versed in the so many customs, that the questions went pierced every time one of the elders asked. I looked around to saw their faces, in the multitude I find the face of my father, he was looking at the blond prince and time to me, I give to him a confident smile but like the others mermaids he was curious to know the answers of the questions.
"I…" Roxas begun, and I almost felt the mermaids contain their breaths, I even dared to see Riku, his eyes were posed in the elder, and then they looked to me. His face was a mix of surprise and disbelief, but also a very strong of urgency, what he was thinking about?. The blonde mermaid prince was vacillating, I knew it, his tail was shivering in a way the others can't saw, suddenly he looked at me. His blue eyes were pouting at me, I didn't knew what to do in that moment, went and embrace him, yelled that was my fault and my idea, or… I just look to his eyes, with a big smile in my lips. I cared so much about him and if he needed me strength I should give to him gladly, If he need my life I not hesitated for give it. So I got ready myself to say my line and save him.
"I called him because I was too…" Sometimes the little blonde read my eyes best that I knew, that's the reason I suppose he continued talking. "… embarrassed to ask it to someone else."
Again the hall was filled with whispers, theirs eyes fells upon my lanky body and I just tried to remain steady and calm.
"what do you ask to him?" The same elder repeated the question. For him and the others and I believe yourself, you hardly understand why Roxas called me for.
"Since you have settled my wedding, I was nervous" You can laughs if you want about this, but in those days, we still did arrange marries. The mothers of the future couples often arranges the matrimony for their sons, even before they born. For what I learned, Roxas was destined to a princess mermaid of other sea kingdom.
Every time Roxas spook about the subject, he was depressed, and like everybody did, he just made a fake smile and show off to her mother when never their spoke about the princess mermaid.
"Like the rest of us" a young mermaid interrupted the speaking, the mermaids nodded in agreement, except of course, the guards and I.
"Please, abstain of make comments" Other elder said almost yelling. I noted that few of the elders get the hint of what Roxas asked me on that day, but they were keeping silence in wait for hear it from Roxas himself.
For the fist time, I saw in his beautiful face, one of his concerned looks, I swore not made anything to him, to Roxas to show this look. The feeling in my chest was so hurting and I unconscious put my hand in my chest, right over the hurt was. That was a very, very odd move in mermaids world. I saw him worry and put effort to made his fake smile work, for continued his tale.
"I asked to him, to teach me the… " He lowered his head avoiding the gaze of the elders, certainly the next words of the tale put his face the same color my hair is. I wished he don't have to tell them that, but this was his way for defending me and I begun to believe, we mermaids lived in loneliness. "… the mating dace." His words were soft and almost whispering, the next he said, it was aloud and in a rush " I was to ashamed to ask it my mother or my sisters, and then my professor was reluctant to teach me… so… I asked him instead" the last was said defeated.
The mating dance, if you mind, was that, just a dance, ordinary moves in a rhythm you can call the dance, a move for sleep, someone called it. This costume was taught from father to sons, from mothers to daughters and never from father to daughter or mother to son. Not for the role of the partners in the dance, no, its was more for taboo than anything else. It was frowned upon to saw a father teaching to his daughter or a mother teaching to her son. Some mermaids should think, the parents wanted to did pervert thing with their sons. But it's was even weirder if some young ask some grown up teach them this dance, and it's was terrible bad if this grown up wasn't par of the family.
That's right, your maths were correct, I jumped, well, kicked from the frying pan to the fire, from kidnapping the prince to a intent rap the prince. Everyone with self respect and decency had refused the Roxas's petition. And leave the poor prince deal with his problem. But no I, didn't I?, you'll see, I knew Roxas has no father, the mermaid king bubbled right after Roxas born, I don't know the causes, the queen had none brother as same the king. And the grandparents were long bubbled out long time ago. That leaves the cousins and other relatives, but that part of the royal family lived in the other half of the world.
He, as a young prince ready to get married, he has the duty to know the customs of the kingdoms, and in opinion of the elders, if he didn't know this custom, in the day he marries with the princess mermaid, he should bring dishonor to the kingdom. Pretty terrible the problem on Roxas hands?. He needed it the knowledge and no one wants to give it to him. Customs.
"of course the guard refuse" someone yelled. And Roxas looked at him. Nobody dared to spoke to him when he stared in that way, full of cold and a frown, no smile and almost angry face.
"He don't" he countered, again I felt the eyes of the mermaids fell upon my persona. When he found me that day in the palace, he was so ashamed and his words were barely audible. I was full aware of his problem, well every guard in castle knew about it. Riku knew when he saw me, that was a very big deal. If you chose no to obey to a member of the royal house, certainly you can count your days with the fingers in one hand, but if you chose to teach the mating dance to a mermaid no member of you family you gain the label of pervert the rest of you life.
I chose the less of the evils.
"He haven't a choice" Roxas continued "I had asked him and if he had refused my order, certainly he should no stay with us today" That little fact was not a common knowledge outside the palace. "I believe, if I ordered him to teach me, nothing wrong can happen, I even thought if he can teach me a in a place a little far from the place nobody should see us and both of us we'll be safe…"
He was pretty good making his point, talking to mermaids even if he looks like the silent mermaid. He also was a good singer. Oh how I miss his voice...
"So that day, I ask him, ordered him to follow me to the seaweeds behind the palace, beyond the reef that looks like a thre…. a column with hairs, beyond the cave of the giant squid.
A place where I believe enough far for someone to peek, I also had told to Captain Riku I took one of his guards to follow me" Riku nodded at this, everything was true to this point. I watched to the elders, they were unease, the events were true and my offence was cleared, or I want believe that.
"what happened after?" One elder ask in skepticism.
"you were gone for two moons" other elder clarify. The questions I was most afraid finally raised. The whispers in the halls die after one second when Roxas looked at me again, shivering I noted. 'go a head… tell them the true I had my move ready for you' I moved my lips shaping those words for him, I was scared to remember what he went trough in those two months and even I was ready to stop him in his speech. I wanted so much keep him safe. But his eyes were ordering to me 'I'm going to tell them what happened and I just need your strength', so I had to give him all my strength to keep telling the story, I can't denied nothing to him. I supported him the best I can and he resumed the story.
"If you wanted to know what happened after, I ask to you, no interrupt me ever until I finished or I shall end the tale and ask to you free Axel of the prison and the charges you put." This time, was my turn to lowered the face, Roxas forgotten to address me as a guard and that was meaning he was putting me as an equal, I felt the Riku's keen stare over me. I sighed deeply and looked at the prince the calmer I can. I had to look steady for his sake.
"As you wish your majesty" Both elders answered him and retuned their sits, the others mermaids whisperings their approval. This was a good omen and Roxas genuine smiled.
The next, were the exactly words Roxas's told them, I memorized by heart every and each word Roxas told them, so I'll put them without interruptions or further comments because I want you to know what they told them and what happened to us that changed our fate.
"Two months ago, when I asked Axel to teach me the mating dace, I was young and innocence, all I wanted was to accomplish my duty for everyone in the kingdom, I don't even care what shall happened to him.Thats all, so when we reach the seaweed fields, I was pretty nervous of how it shall begun, I barely crossed two or three words with Axel before, I just choose him because his odd color in the tail and the vibrant red of his hair. And when I saw at his face in the seaweed field, I saw the most loyal green eyes I ever saw in any other mermaid, I told to myself, he will help me whatever my problem was.
"Thank you for teach me" I told him and he shrugged. In his hands he still hold his weapon and he realized that he wont need it. I found his movements funnies, Axel made me laugh, at the begging of the lesson he was cautious being near to me, he explain to me the basis of the moments and the rhythm.
"I don't understand yet" I told to Axel, his eyes were amazed, he sighed and begun to dance in front of me, I was happy watching him, the slowly movements raising him upwards.
"Try it yourself your majesty" he told me "once you learned the movement you need to learn the patron" I nodded and begun to imitated him, at first it was hard to do, but few hours later I catch the movement, my eyes never leave the slender silhouette of Axel, if we were speaking I can't recall it all, I was concentrated in learn.
"Fine… you done well, your majesty" Axel said smiling "lets do the patron" his voice firmly said to me, his body keep doing the movements, his tail however moved in that way that he begun to made circles around me, always going up and up.
Soon I understand why the fathers teach this to their sons, I was feeling awkward to Axel and I believe he was the same for me.
I begun to made the same movements he did, at the beginning we were constantly crashed, he made funny comments about that I can't remember so well, but remember clearly that in that point we were like best friends just talking and learning and don't worry about anything else. Axel is a very easy mermaid to talk and when I learned the trick of the patterns, he suddenly stops.
"When you do this dance with you partner, I mean you wife your majesty, make sure you hold her hands like this" His hand meet mines, touching their palms making sure to feel their warms and theirs skin, I blushed that little moment, I changed my sight from my hand to his eyes, Axel is truly a good mermaid, I could looked in to his eyes all day without noted, save for something falling around us, something brown and thin, intertwined like reef hair, in that moment I realized how far we were from the bottom and how close we were in the surface.
I recall Axel pulling me by my hands and yelling something about to swim fast, but that thing has completely around us and we were pushed up. Axel dragged me to his arms in the moment that thing take us out from the water. I panicked in the lack of the water around us and feeling my body's weight, I shut close my eyes and tightened the embrace with Axel. I hear screams ands yells, a strange cold and dryness in my skin. The sounds were enough odds for me that I believe I fainted, because when I wake up, I was in Axel's arms and we both were in a brownish place, covered with a waterless material in bottom, walls and ceiling, the place was filled in a strange silence, softly interrupted for yells and other sounds. I saw over us a thin white layers, well it was on us, and feel damp and comfortable. I went to sleep again, hopping this was a bad dream and in the morning see the face of one of my sisters disturbing me as they always do in mornings.
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Tsutsuku…
Earulie: quenya word for seaweeds :P how original...
If you are reading this, I may say thank you for reading and hope your no bored with this and also don't be confuse. Coments and questions are welcome, same for spam and flames.. XD