Chapter 1

Darkness. Pieces of a sunken ship. Slippery plants. The echo from a whale. There was no place where I was safe. If I got to close to the shore, I took the risk of being seen by humans. If I got to deep into the ocean, I took the risk of being seen by other mermaids. Therefore, I hid in the deep.

How many kilometers did I pass? Feeling the warmer water, I assumed I was close to the equator. A separation between two kingdoms, no mermaid would go to such place on her own. Which meant I was safe, right?
I started my journey to the surface. Slowly, so my eyes could get used to the light. Only a few meters to go. It had been long since I saw light, even years that I even went to the surface. Maybe it was dangerous, even though I was in the middle of the ocean. There was no land, nor boats, not even a single animal. I was completely alone in this endless blue.
I jumped above the water. My long hair waved around me, water splashed up. It felt good to feel the sunshine on my face. I spent so long in darkness, this was a relief. Gracefully I dived back into the cool water, increasing my swimming speed. I felt a little more comfortable. Nobody could find me her, I could stay a little more to the surface without being seen. Only when I reached the North Pacific Ocean I had to hide from others again..

I floated at the surface while lying on my back. I was exhausted. Even though I swam faster than an ordinary human, I still got tired after almost 24 hours of swimming. It was dark, even underwater, I didn't swam into another mermaid, I only came across a few whales, a lost turtle and a bunch of fish. I knew that I didn't stand out in the dark water, that nobody could find me and that I was finally safe now. I was close, only a few moments and I could finally get the help I needed, maybe even rest..
A scream. It scared me and I jumped up, for it was a real scream and not some kind of ocean sound. Someone was close to me, someone who was in danger. Or did someone see me? I quickly dove into the water and turned the other was, away from the sound. Again a high pitched scream reached my ears. I stopped and pushed my nails in my own hands. I couldn't leave someone, who sounded so scared, alone in this darkness, could I? But it was too dark, how could I ever find someone around here? Just listening wouldn't work, not if you were in the middle of an ocean.
I grew numb and stared at the bright, orange glow in the distance. She was a – but that meant – I grasped my fingers around the necklace I was wearing and closed my eyes, swimming towards the light. It got brighter and brighter, the closer I got. I didn't dare to open my eyes. What if I didn't belong here after all, if I had been wrong all along, if all of this would've been for nothing. What if she would sang and my head would split in two, then I would've failed, then I didn't belong.. Then I didn't reach anything.
A creepy laugh reverberated, the light died out and I heard another scream of someone who was terrified. I stopped swimming and wrapped my arms around myself. What was I doing? When did I become some kind of here? What could I even do? What was I thinking? That I could possibly help her, just because of the pearl I -
"Help me!"
Drat. Did she see me? Now I didn't have a choice anymore, I couldn't possibly swim away from her and leave her behind. My knuckles were pale white because of the grasping of my necklace. I cursed myself. How did I get here? Who said that this pearl would work for me? If it was still working. If I just started screaming around, I would give myself away. Then they would know I ran off and took their most precious possession with me. I closed my eyes again, desperately repeating the words in my head while scratching myself until I almost bled. I couldn't say it out loud, they would come after me and that would mean I wouldn't be safe anywhere.
I jumped when a shadow slipped past me. In their hurry I could just distinguish two black spots and an orange mermaid. I had to be fast if I still wanted to rescue her. If I wouldn't, I would be just as bad as the other. Immediately I swam as if my life depended on it. They were fast and probably a lot less tired than I was, but I couldn't give up now. I was almost there, I could almost see her face clearly.. and the fright that was engraved on it. I stretched my arms and with my last powers I grabbed her tail. Suddenly they stopped, I bumped against her. In only the blink of an eye I realized that I wasn't the only one who got scared to death. The orange mermaid was screaming at the top of her lungs but more importantly, her attackers had let her go. Immediately I raced off, grabbing her arm and not letting it go. I felt how she tried to get away from me and decided to dive into the deep.
"What do you think you're doing?"
I ignored her words and swam farther, her fingers squeezed between mine while I dodged rocks and plants. She pulled my arm, I stopped and looked up to her. It was dark down her, I could barely see her face. The only thing I was able to see, was the vague reflection of her orange hair.
"Why are you doing this, why are you taking me here, let me go!" She pulled my arm another time, I strengthened my fingers and pulled her towards me. "Please, be silent, before they will hear us."
"You will never get my pearl!"
"I don't even want it, now please shut your mouth." Otherwise I had to take her even deeper in the ocean and I wasn't sure if she would like that. Distrustfully I looked over my shoulder. We actually had to leave this place, it was too open, we were still in danger. That moment I realized that I had loosened my grasp and that she had been able to free herself. She swam off, directly to the light and I went after her.
"Leave me alone!"
"No, don't go that way, they'll find us for sure!" I stretched my arms towards her, but her fins slipped through my finger.
"Stay away from me- Orange Pearl Voice!"
The sudden light blinded me and I backed away from it, shunning my eyes. When I was able to look again, I saw how she reached for her E-pitch and glanced me viciously. "Ai to yume ga hitotsu ni nari. Kanashii 'ima' wo hoshikuzu ni shite kureru kara. Shinjite.." She was producing a bright, white light, but her voice wasn't hurting me the way it was supposed to hurt me. Mermaid princesses could hurt villains with their voices, the emotions of love and joy in their songs would do harm to those with evil in their hearts. Did that mean that I ..?
"Kono chikara yume no tameni. Kaseru nara umarete yukitai no. Ai ni naritai.." She opened her eyes, the somewhat proud smile disappeared from her face when she saw that her singing didn't affect me. Desperately I looked at her, swimming towards her and grabbing her hands. "I don't want to hurt you, why else would I rescue you? I think you could.. help me."
She stared at me, her eyes wide open and doubtfully she backed away from me. "What do you mean?" She carefully looked at me, I saw her looking down before she gasped. "Are you -?"
My hand automatically reached for my necklace. "I, I.."
"Show me!" With a little flash she changed back to her mermaid form, swimming towards me. Her hand touched mine, I looked at her with fear in my eyes. What if I wasn't the one who she thought I was? What should I do, bluff or be honest?
With a soft click my necklace opened, I bit my lip when she pressed her hands against her mouth. "Oh.. Yeah, I would call that a problem," she muttered. A problem? Then she was still being subtle. The pearl had turned dull and grey and, above all, felt as cold as ice. It didn't even get close to the shiny color it should have had.
"Where were you going? You seem quite far away from home?"
"The Arctic Ocean."
"What a coincidence, that means we can travel together." She smiled at me. "Did I introduce myself, by the way? How rude, I am Solange, the Orange Pearl Princess from the Indian Ocean." She grabbed my hand and shook it happily.
"Kaelyn," was my response. In comparison to her title, my name suddenly sounded.. weak.

I did have to admit: company was quite a relief, compared to swimming all those kilometers on your own. Solange had immediately turned into a bright, cheerful and quite talkative person. She was mainly speaking about herself, the life in the Indian Ocean, the boy she had met at the surface, how she knew Nyline, the Aiiro Pearl Princess from the Arctic Ocean. I was fine with it, it was for the best if the subject wouldn't be me.
"I think we're getting close, it's freezing around here. How could someone even choose to build a palace at this distant place?" Solange rolled her eyes. "No, I prefer my own, tropical ocean."
"I'm not used to anything different," I muttered, shrugging my shoulders.
"Oh, of course, you're from the South Pole. How's life up there?"
I glanced at her for a moment. I could tell she was curious, because she could imagine how things where at the Antarctic Kingdom. "Cold," was my answer after a short silence, to my surprise she burst into laughter. "You're quite funny- don't get me wrong, I just didn't expect if from .." Her eyes slipped downwards, along my black tail, and an uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach. "I believe we're here."
She was distracted immediately, letting out a scream and diving down towards the palace. "Nini!"
I just had to smile while I swam after her. Now that Solange was with me, I felt a little safer. One of the seven princesses seemed to have accepted me, I had a little less of a chance of being kicked out of the kingdom.
"Solange, behind you!"
I froze when a dark blue mermaid showed up right in front of me. Two furious, blue eyes gazed at me, her fingers where wrapped around a necklace. "Aiiro Pearl Voice!"
The pale blue light was less bright then Solange's. It felt warm to my skin, almost.. familiar.
"Nanairo no kaze ni fukarete tooi misaki wo mezashiteta."
Her voice echoed in my ears. It was almost like it triggered a memory. An unknown warmth filled my heart. I couldn't remember, but I knew this song.
"Yoake mae kikoeta merodii. Sore wa –"
"totemo natsukashii uta."
She was startled when I sang the last line along with her. Her eyes wide open, she stared at me while I was just smiling with my hands folded together. "Higashi no sora e to habataku tori tachi."
"Saa, takarajima ni nukeru chikamichi." Solange showed up next to us and watched us, singing along.
"Nanatsu no umi no rakuen. Arashi no yoru no ato ni wa. Ai wo tsutaerutame inochi ga mata umareru." It almost felt as if our voices could reach every ocean.
"Nanatsu no kuni no merodia." Even the Aiiro princess seemed to have found her voice again. "Daremo ga itsuka wa koko wo tabidatsu higa kitemo. Watashi wa wasurenai."
There was a silence, Solange hugged the Aiiro Princess. "You're always just so lovely impulsive, Nini."
Nini let out a sigh and got away from Solange, turning back into her mermaid form. "My name's not Nini. And what would you do?" From the corners of her eyes she stared at me, slowly raising an eyebrow. "Did you just change color?"
"I looked at my tail, spinning around. Before I knew, Solange had grabbed my fins and turned me upside down. "Now that you mention it.. You're suddenly are lot more purple!" She turned me back up and tried to grab my necklace. Quickly I backed away, placing my hand over the locket.
"Come on, show it!"
"What do you mean? Wait, she doesn't own the –" Nini's jaw dropped while she stared at me. "Where did you get that?"
I had never felt so cornered, with a hostile Nini and a hyperactive Solange facing me.
"She got the Purple Pea –"
"Hush!" Anxiously I tried to calm Solange. If someone found out about me having the pearl, then.. Both of them gazed at me, their eyes opened wide. I let out a sigh and lowered my hand. "Well.. It's kind of a long story."