Prologue
His chest was burning as he forced his muscles to move him even faster through the water. His lungs ached for a break and his tail was beginning to tire from the full speed chase he was on. But he couldn't stop. Stopping wasn't an option and no matter how difficult it was for him to maintain such a top speed for so long, he would not let himself get captured.
A quick glance over his shoulder verified his pursuer was still on his tail. The large hammerhead shark wasn't going to give up easily either and the young merman grumbled under his breath. He'd just have to outsmart him somehow, that's all. Glancing at his surroundings with keen emerald eyes, he swiftly and suddenly veered right, perfectly maneuvering his lean and agile body between rocks and coral, just barely slipping through the small crack before the sharks teeth could snatch at his tail.
He paused for merely a second, just long enough to catch his breath and see if he was in the clear only to speed off once more as the shark found another way around. He had only earned himself a small lead but it was enough. It was going to have to be if he intended to arrive home safe and sound.
Another swift flick of his deep seaweed green tail and he vanished around a bend. The shark followed, expecting to see the merman's tail only to find the ocean before him empty. Knowing full well a merman couldn't disappear, he began searching the crevices in the the rocks and coral carefully and diligently. After several minutes of his large eyes not spotting his prey he slowly continued on his way, hoping perhaps he'd find the half-fish further ahead, leaving the area in peace.
The ocean was quiet for some time, when a certain patch of particularly dark seaweed began to move. It was the merman. His green, near black hair camouflaged him perfectly amongst the other water herbs and he quickly made his escape, his short brake having given him the strength to race home in record time.
Finally arriving at the familiar gorge he lived in, he dove down until he reached a round rock. He knocked a rhythmic thrum softly on it and in a few seconds, it opened to reveal a long dark tunnel, only slightly wide enough to where the young merman wasn't struggling. A few twists and turns and false side tunnels, he finally made his way into a large cavern where he let out the breath he had been holding.
"Trouble?" a familiar and obviously distracted voice called out from further in the cavern.
"Yeah. A hammerhead spotted me," the merman explained, slowly making his way around to where the voice's owner was sure to be. Spotting an older merman with long white hair, a beard and a colorful cloak around his shoulders, the younger merman swam up to him and placed the satchel he had been carrying on a coral table to his left. "But I still got everything you asked for."
"Good, those ingredients are very important," he murmured, his voice typically sing-songy now brooding and uncertain. "I'm just glad you're not injured, Fakir."
"I was lucky to get away at all," Fakir grumbled. "But, you were right. I naturally camouflaged myself with the seaweed. Plus I used those maneuvers you showed me. I'm glad I remembered them."
"As am I," the older merman chuckled. "Now, will you hand me the fire coral and sea anemone? I'm almost finished."
The dark haired merman did as he was told and hovered nearby, watching what the older merman was doing. Inside a large shell was a strange elixir that glowed a violet color. It was clearly denser than the sea water which made Fakir concerned and confused. Even though he had known this man his entire life, the strange magic his grandfather made always baffled him. Most was rather innocent, like the potion he used to grow food in days instead of months or the pheromones he would make to attract larger fish and capture for whatever reason or another. But this spell was far more complicated than any of the others Fakir had witnessed before and the implications made him tense. What kind of spell would be taking his grandfather so long to produce and what would it be used for?
He hovered there, hoping by staring at the concoction long enough, he would get the answer, only for his grandfather to look at him in annoyance. "Please don't float so close. I am trying to concentrate."
The younger merman blinked in surprise and moved back slightly. "Won't you tell me what this is for?"
"You'll find out soon, now please, I must concentrate."
Without another word, his grandfather got back to work, leaving his grandson to his own devices. The younger merman swam aimlessly about the cavern, picking up things that may have somehow been knocked over, cleaning up any mess that had been left from the previous day, yet all he had on his mind was that elixir. He despised how his grandfather would never tell him what was going on until the last minute and he ended up sinking down onto the large cushioned shell they had turned into a 'couch' of sorts. He stared blankly up at the cavern's ceiling and let his thoughts wander, the only sound being his grandfather's mumbling from the other side of the room and the poof of a magical reaction.
He didn't mind the quiet. After 14 years of solitude, he was used to it. In fact, he prefered it. After having an encounter as he had earlier that day, some peace and quiet was well deserved and he closed his eyes, hoping to calm his mind enough to take a nap. He barely got maybe twenty minutes before a ruckus from his grandfather jolted him awake.
"Fakir! Get over here now! There's no time to waste!"
Fakir nearly fell from his couch from sheer surprise, but quickly gathered himself and swiftly swam to his grandfather who was rummaging around frantically.
"What is it? Is everything okay?"
"You need to get moving now," his grandfather growled. "They will be here any minute now that this is finished." He tossed a small, emerald pearl with black twine wrapped around it at the boy, barely giving him time to react. "Put it on. Hurry."
Fakir was utterly bewildered by the change of pace but did as his grandfather ordered. He tied the black twine around his neck and let the gem naturally settle between his collar bones.
"What is this thing? How do you know they will find us?"
"Turn around," he barked, forcing his grandson to face away from him. He mumbled something under his breath as he traced his finger along the young man's shoulders and down his back, causing a foreign feeling to wash over the merman. "These will help you."
"Help me? What am I going to be doing that'll…" his grandfather cut him off.
"You will be going on land. There is a very important mission I need you to do there and these objects will assist you."
"What are you talking about? What does this do? And what did you do to my back?"
His grandfather grabbed the satchel from earlier and began tossing all sorts of supplies and trinkets in as he began to finally explain, "That pearl will allow you to be human. So, even if you are to touch water, you will not change back. And the spell on your back is a weapon."
"A weapon? You expect me to fight someone?"
"You'll have to, I'm afraid. If you want to successfully protect her that is."
"Her? Who is her? And why are you only now telling me I'm going to be protecting someone? You never mentioned it before," Fakir argued, fed up with how little he was ever told.
"The Princess."
Fakir's eyes grew wide and he fell silent. The Princess? His grandfather had to be kidding.
"The Princess? But...she's gone. She was killed with her parents what...15 years ago?" The look on his grandfather's face made him pause. "Wasn't she?"
"That's what I wanted everyone to believe, but I hid her. I sent her to live amongst the humans until she was old enough to return. Once she reaches 16, she'll have the power to take back the throne and return peace to the ocean. But, I'm going to need you to protect her until then. The closer she gets to 16, the easier she'll be to find and we don't want the king to find and kill her before she is ready."
There was just so much information that Fakir could hardly retain it all. The Princess was alive and he had to protect her so the king didn't kill her before… It was a bit too much to take in and he fell back against the table.
"Why didn't you tell me this was your plan all along? And why me? I'm not trained to protect anyone and I'm inexperienced on land. I'm more than likely going to fail."
"I picked you because you adapt exceptionally well and you are near her age. Sending a full grown merman to watch over a young girl of 15 would be quite suspicious, don't you think? I've had many years to think about this, and you are the best choice, if not the only choice."
His grandfather's logic was sound and he rubbed at his temples, processing everything. Princess, protect, king, fight… So many things to think about all at once, but he finally was able to grasp it and he sighed. "Okay, so how do I find her? Where is she, what does she look like and how am I going to fit in? I know nothing of the human world."
"I thought about that too," his grandfather grinned and quickly handed the younger merman the satchel and a piece of paper. "This is a map to where you will find the town she lives in. She will be wearing a ruby pearl just like yours, but also, she will have two companions whom I sent with her, also wearing pearls. They will not know anything about who they are or where they came from, so please try not to tell her who she is. Once she knows, the king will instantly know where to find her. Also, on this map is the location and secret underwater entrance of a friend who I know will help you. Her name is Edel. She was a friend of mine many years ago, so simply tell her Drosselmeyer sent you and explain why you're there. She'll do the rest. Now...is there anything else I'm forgetting?"
Just then, the walls of the cavern shook and several rocks began to fall towards the two.
"They've found us," Drosselmeyer stated, suddenly pushing his grandson towards the far wall. "You must hurry. You can't let them catch you or everything I've worked for will have been for naught. Now go."
"But what about you? Aren't you coming with me?"
"I'll hold them off and give you some extra time to escape. You're our last stand to fighting off the king. Now go, and do be careful."
Another crash of rocks before Drosselmeyer tapped on five seperate rocks in a quick pattern and the wall opened up to reveal an even smaller tunnel than the one to get in, making Fakir pause.
"You'll fit. Now go before they see you," the older merman ordered and pushed his grandson into the hole.
Fakir didn't even have time to look back before the wall closed behind him and he began to shimmy through the tight space. He could still feel the tremors from within the cavern and even as he began to reach the end, he could hear the ruckus of large enemies finally breaking through the solid rock wall. With one last push, he was out of the tunnel, flipping from the shear force he had to use to escape, and he begrudgingly looked back. He swallowed, knowing his grandfather wasn't going to follow, and forced himself to swiftly swim away without another glance at the only home he had ever known.
Well, great. I'm starting a new story. Hopefully I'll actually finish this one. I mean, I like what i have planned and hopefully u will too.
So, I guess I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye. XD