The wind was unbelievable, the sea tossed like an enraged monster, the ship nearly split in half, and this was all due to one Sea Witch's fury. A fury which could not be quelled except by someone that she truly loved and that truly loved her.
This particular Sea Witch was said to be a force to be reckoned with; a creature of legends and a monster of horror stories. It was said that she was hurt centuries ago by people she loved with all her heart and she was consumed by such a white-hot rage as had never been seen before and has not been seen since. Now she is angry: angry enough to terrify, harm, or kill anyone who comes within a mile of her. Her voice is terrible to hear, her face fearsome to behold. She was the the Sea Witch Historia- more wrathful goddess than mere Sea Witch.
As the ship drew nearer to the heart of the storm, the sky grew even darker than it already was. The crewmen yelled at their captain to turn back, but she wouldn't. She just needed to see her for herself. She needed to see with her own two eyes exactly what this Sea Witch was made of. The captain would see her, test her, and kill her. She would bring the Sea Witch's head back to the Queen and the Queen would give her everything her heart had ever desired.
This was it, this was the day that she would finally be able to stop attacking merchants' ships and taking their money. No more of this "living on edge at all times" business, it would be a relaxed life from here on out for her.
She grinned to herself, even as the rain immediately rushed to slip between her lips and filled her mouth. She spat out the rain violently and called down to her crewmen, "Make the damn ship go faster! I have to see the Witch!"
"Aye, Captain!" their words drifted back through the howling storm.
The Witch was doing her best to overturn or snap the ship in half, but damned if Ymir would ever let that happen. She would swim out to find the Sea Witch before she gave up.
As it turned out, this was exactly what she would have to do. There was a blaze of lightning and a loud crack of thunder in the furious sky overhead. The arc of light hit the ship directly in the middle, effectively splintering it to bits. The crewmen screamed and the waters rushed to swallow them up.
Ymir assessed the situation as quickly as she could, brain clearing rapidly to make room for the crisis at hand. She glanced around to see who of her crew had survived and was above water. Nobody. Just her. That was fine, that's what she got for taking such a small crew. She furrowed her brow, shook off her boots and coat, and swam on.
It was the most difficult swim of her life. There was no land in sight, but that may have been because of the water in her eyes obscuring her vision. The weather tried its best to drown her. The cold air stung her face and whipped her hair to and fro. The Sea Witch had to be near, there was no way that this abomination of a sea would be so torturous if not. Ymir's legs were giving out, her arms exhausted, her abs heaving and her lungs burning.
And then she saw it. A tiny strip of land that was not fit to live on, and a very small, very terrifying creature on it. The creature was glowing, her eyes rolled back in her head and her hands turned towards the sky. Lightning arced from her fingertips and wind poured from her open mouth. Her skin was covered in barnacles and she wore naught but a flimsy, worn dress of sandy brown. Her hair was flying about in long, blonde tendrils.
Despite this terrifying, awe-inspiring sight before her, Ymir found the Sea Witch Historia to be frighteningly... beautiful.
She swam ahead with renewed vigor and a destination in sight. Her faith in her ability to walk was little to none, so she crawled. Over to the Sea Witch Historia and into a huddled bow did her arms take her. She stayed silent and still with her face to the ground while Historia continued to unleash her wrath.
It took some time, but eventually it subsided and when it did, Ymir finally looked up, still not daring to look the Witch in the eye. Her eyes dropped when she saw the frown that pulled at Historia's mouth. The sun came out in the moments that they remained silent, Historia observing this human girl and this human girl observing Historia's toes.
"Human," she said after what seemed like ages.
Her voice. It was terrible. It was horrible and it struck fear into Ymir's heart and it was more terrible than she had ever expected it to be. And it was the most glorious, beautiful thing that had ever graced her ears.
Ymir sat up on her knees slowly, keeping her gaze trained on the ground. She nodded just as slowly and raised her eyes once more, this time to meet Historia's. "Sea Witch," she responded, glad that her voice did not shake despite the fear coursing through her veins.
Historia let out a noise that was not human. A growl that sounded like a lions roar and a gale and a boom of thunder all at once. "Why are you here?" she questioned.
"I... I needed to see you for myself," Ymir trembled, keeping her true motives to herself.
Historia smirked. "You think you can kill me?"
Ymir blinked. "I didn't say-"
"Fool, no human has come here with any other motive before and no human with that motive has ever left here alive before."
It was very silent for a moment. The Sea Witch's threat hung in the air above Ymir's head like a guillotine. "Wait, you kill everyone that comes here? Nobody else is here with you?"
"I..." Historia faltered, "No, of course not. Why would I want anyone else to be here?"
Ymir stood up, her courage returned to her. "Wouldn't you feel alone? Wouldn't you be alone?"
The Sea Witch Historia's eyes glowed bright again, anger flaring up in the pit of her stomach. "I need no one." Her voice thundered and shook the air as she said this, her fury evident in her voice.
Ymir shrank back somewhat as she responded, "You were human once too, weren't you? You don't just leave behind the inherent need to love like that. You can't get rid of something like that."
A sharp, piercing shriek escaped Historia and she lashed out at Ymir, long nails scratching her arm and the side of her face badly. Ymir hissed as the pain settled in. She caught the Sea Witch's hand in hers and held it firmly. Historia tugged back, but Ymir's grip only tightened.
Historia's face grew from a thoroughly shocked expression, to a briefly shocked expression, to a mortally terrified expression.
"L-let go of me! You aren't supposed to be able to do that. I am stronger than you humans." She spat the last word out like a curse and Ymir actually jumped back at its ferocity.
"Maybe you've met your equal then."
"My equal?" she questioned, darkness in her voice and darkness beginning to creep in overhead.
"Your equal. Isn't your equal supposed to be the only one to possess the ability to quell your fury? Are you not supposed to become mortal once again because your equal loves you and you love them?"
"I do not love you," she hissed. "I will never love you. I will never love anyone."
Ymir gulped, trying to make herself brave for what she was about to say next. "Well, what in Hell's name is stopping you?"
For the first, but what surely wouldn't be the last, time, Historia was wordless. She had no answer to this, but mortal, this mere human had asked her a question that she herself had never thought of before. What was stopping her? It certainly wasn't a lack of want for mortality. Being immortal is a grim fate when one has to live in hatred and fury through it all.
Ymir cleared her throat and began again, "Sea Wi-"
"Historia."
"E-excuse me?"
"My name was- is Historia. Call me by my name or do not speak to me at all."
A small smile found its way to Ymir's mouth and Historia's gaze dropped to the sandy ground. "Historia..." Ymir trailed off, liking the feel of the name in her mouth. It was fitting- beautiful, strange, unsettling.
Historia once again raised her eyes to meet Ymir's and she smiled at her. It was her first genuine smile in years, decades, centuries. Ymir smiled back. She reached out and gently took Historia's hand, clasping it in both of hers. Historia stepped forward ever so slightly as Ymir did the same and both of their hearts jumped wildly in their cages. The space between them was slowly closed as they leaned toward each other, lips tenderly meeting in the most gentle, true kiss either of them had ever given or received.
The barnacles that had resided on her skin for so long all fell off and landed in the sand around Historia's feet. She spoke again, "I did not even learn your name. Please, tell me what it is." The thunder had gone out of her voice and she spoke with a voice that was melodious to the ear. She hadn't heard her own voice in so long that she had forgotten what it sounded like.
Ymir grinned from ear to ear. "Ymir. My name is Ymir."
Historia grinned back and they both held each others hands even tighter.
A/N: I actually really like this story and it will be continued in chapter two, possibly chapter three.
