Birthdays are meant to be the greatest celebration of children. As they get older, the world gets wider, and the possibilities seem limitless. Birthdays mean more freedom. At least, they should.
At 17 years old and a princess, Melody should have been swishing around in a birthday gown, laughing and enjoying her favorite foods and throwing shreds of wrapping paper around the castle as she opened box after box of lovely things from loved ones and well-wishers. Instead, she was racing out of the castle and towards the beach as fast as her legs could carry her, tears falling down her face. She would feel no peace until her feet met the sun-warmed sand.
Melody had spent her last 17 years within the palace. Since defeating Morgana and lowering the wall, she was living the life she dreamed of, finally able to share the sea with her family. It was her home, and she had grown into a beautiful young woman. Still, she was the shy and odd girl inside, but she had learned how to behave in a regal manner, and how to avoid any social awkwardness she had been prone to. She was now quite charming when she wanted to be, and lively and free. At least, she was, before that morning.
All week, her parents had seemed nervous and distracted, flicking gazes back and forth and letting wrinkles nearly permanently line their heads. Melody was confused. She attempted to study her kingdom, and knew of no hardships that would affect her parents so. And still, they looked scared. It was that morning that they finally revealed the truth. They came into her room after breakfast with worried smiles. Sitting her down, they began to reveal to her why they were so forlorn.
Many years ago, the kingdom had fallen on hard times. There was a famine, and severe hurricanes rocked the shores, destroying many of the kingdom's tradable goods and making exporting nearly impossible. They were on the brink of ruin, when a deal was struck. A kingdom to the north sent a diplomat with a proposition. They would care for the kingdom, pay back all debts, and prevent ruin from falling onto Eric and Ariel in exchange for one thing; Melody. The king of the north had only one son, and wanted to be sure his blood line continued to rule, so he made arrangements for his son's betrothal. Melody was weeks old at the time, and her parents saw no other choice. They were trapped. So a deal was struck. In order to protect the kingdom, Ariel and Eric agreed to the betrothal. Now, at age 17, Melody was finally old enough to wed the Northern prince. The king sent word down, and he and his son were to arrive in time for Melody's ball that evening.
"We had no choice, Melody," Eric said, eyes stormy with regret. "We had no idea you would grow up to be so independent and so…"
"Free," Ariel finished, reaching out to hold Melody's hand. "We are so, so sorry."
"Can't… can't you simply… call it off? Please, Mother, Father. I just want to be able to choose my own path. Can you simply repay the debt?" Melody begged.
Eric shook his head. "We tried, many times. The king will accept no new deal or any trade. He wants what he bargained for. I am so sorry, dear."
Melody shook her head, fighting tears, before fleeing the room. She ignored her mother calling for her to stay, and her father telling Ariel to let her go, and raced of the castle. On the beach, she raced along the shore, until she reached a large outcrop of rocks that formed lovely tidal pools and shaded the sun. She would hide there. Good luck marrying her when she could not be found. Melody took deep breathes, drying her cheeks and began to wade out into the water. Perhaps she could escape. Perhaps her Grandfather would change her, and perhaps she could swim hundreds of miles away, and never see her kingdom again. Before she could dream any bigger, a voice pulled her back.
"You know, I don't think ball gowns take salt water very well."