Chapter 1 l Prologue
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The ocean was a true gift to the man. Apart from its use as a means of travelling with the purpose of trading products, the sea was admired for its beauty for centuries. The people were enchanted by the alluring sound of waves; as if hypnotised, they built grand ships in order to explore the formidable layers of cobalt, as well as the treasures and secrets hidden underneath. It wasn't long before the tribal legends and myths of strange sea-monsters were confirmed by the many bold sailors.
Fishes with colourful skin danced a seductive waltz along with a handful of attractive females; blooming and fair maids, graced -or, cursed- with the ability to breathe underwater, and below their waist, their tail would sway and thrust waves.
The sailors who encountered them, named them 'mermaids', meaning, maids of the sea. These magnificent women, other than their beauty and charm, were very kind and gentle. If only the crew of the ships weren't afraid of them and didn't harpoon them.
It was said mermaids weren't welcomed because they "brought bad luck". But, no, not the mermaids. These aquatic belles were genuinely benevolent; the ones ought to be feared were the sirens.
Unlike mermaids, sirens were mischievous and malevolent. Hideous and repulsive in their true nature, the beasts had an enticing voice; many youthful tars have been beguiled and have fallen prey to their faux appearances. But as their heads descended to earn a tender kiss, the bold travellers were already doomed.
A beautiful woman, with hair as yellow as a rebellious ray of sunlight, held her newborn daughter gently in her arms, whose pearly scales of her tail fluttering along with the water surrounding them.
"My baby, my pretty little baby... I hope one day you will forgive us." cried the mother, her husband looking at them from afar, blood dripping from the hole in his chest and flowing around them.
His lashes were stained with tears, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. His wife was stronger; yet, her life was slowly coming to an end.
He extended a trembling hand, a signal to hold his offspring.
The infant opened her eyes, for the first time that night, revealing her father's rosy shade combined with her mother's mauve tone.
Wiping his beloved's tears, he carried the gleaming droplets in the centre of his palm and infused them with his and his wife's blood. As he let the liquid fall, a necklace was created, the tears transforming into crystalline stones.
The parents kissed the crystals, one by one, a word, the child's name to be specific, gradually engraving by itself on top of the glittering stones.
"Aoife. Your name is Aoife." he whispered and shook the necklace in front of the gleeful baby, who left a hearty laugh. He, then, proceeded to latch the medallion around his daughter's fragile neck.
Laying next to her husband, the mermaid continued her lament, the merman placing a kiss on her temples.
"Erelyne, it's time to say goodbye." he instructed, hesitant.
Both of the parents pressed their lips on their child's forehead, another blissful sound escaping the daughter's lips.
"You can take her now." stated firmly the father.
A high-pitched snicker echoed from behind the shadows. Instantly, before them appeared a monster; a siren, Darbevynne was her name. She had a long black tail, blood, their blood, cascading from her sides, while her seaweed tresses were braided and ornamented with fish bones of the dead creatures and shreds of shells.
As soon as her cackling finished, the aquatic beast grinned widely, exposing elongated canine teeth that if it weren't for the flesh and blood that covered them, they were as glittering and sharp as ivory.
"Bring her to me!" she ordered, her face showing a twisted expression.
"What are you going to do to her?" the mother exclaimed in agony for her daughter's dreaded fate, pressing her closer to her bare bosom.
"I'll raise her as if she was my own daughter." she replied and offered a smirk, Erelyne being left appalled and yearned for her beloved to refuse.
His body was getting paler and paler. His once grey tail with the few purple markings was deforming as if he was left on the shore to dry. His sparkling pink irises had become dull and lifeless.
"No, no, no, no, Mershra, no!" she shrieked with all her might, but her love and passion weren't enough to revive him.
One amber eye, the other remaining closed, watched the mermaid mourning for the dead. Accepting it as her chance, the black-tailed siren swam rapidly and stole the now sobbing young mermaid from the tight embrace of her mother, her crystalline necklace falling on the ground.
"No, no, no, no, no!" she continued, her golden locks being grasped violently and removed from their roots, blood gushing out.
Years later
Although the pristine waters were arguably mesmerising, the tides and water currents are the sirens' den. Only pirates would dare to seek adventure and thrill there, only for them to come across famished beasts.
Underneath the perilous, swirling waters, whirlpools the explorers named them, a dark kingdom was situated. Black and empty, just like the souls that roamed its streets, broken crystals and ship wrecks lied ahead. The odour of death, decay, and rotten corpses flowed along with the half-dead and half-alive beings, either fishes and sirens or others; their bodies were coated with dust and sand, their bones exposed for everyone to see, their legs striding long steps.
Upon a polished and eroded rock, a lithe girl was seated, twirling her platinum curls with her slender fingers, and staring upwards, to the surface.
"Oh, ocean will you be my guide
Away from the darkness, to the light
Away from my sisters, I want to swim with the tides
Where the pirates are, there I want to be"
She sang the sweet melody in a gentle voice, her pearl-white tail fluttering.
"Oi! Yui! What are you doing there?" two screeching screams were heard, the said girl, Yui, recognising them as her sisters'.
"What was that song you were singing?" Belasine wondered curiously, earning a heated glare from the eldest of the three.
"Why? You wanna sing with that imp?" Kermelyne snarled and drew her attention to the second daughter.
"Mother told you to stop singing these songs! Why can't you be a good girl and listen to her for once?" she growled, onyx tresses snapping furiously in sync with her boiling anger.
"I am sorry, please forgive me." the little girl apologised in a low tone, palms folded on her chest and tears already streaming down her chin.
"Stop crying! Why you're always doing that? For others to pity you? As if." she tutted and rolled her eyes.
"Girls!" another voice entered the scene.
Their mother, Darbevynne swayed her way towards them and crossed her arms.
"Girls! What is the meaning of this ruckus?" she grunted, her sole eye examining all three of them.
"Mother, Yui was singing these pirate songs again." whispered the eldest, in case someone heard them.
Amber widened. Her face hardened and turned at her second-born, whose head was hanging low in shame.
"Belasine, Kermelyne, leave this instant. I must talk with your sister privately." she demanded.
"Yes, mother." obeyed in unison and disappeared.
Sitting next to the crying child, the siren wrapped her arms around her trembling body.
"Darling, you know I don't like it when you disobey me. Now, tell me, what did you do." she said softly against her ear.
"I went up. There was a pirate ship, but I made sure no one saw me." the little siren sobbed the information, although it was a lie.
Her mother took a deep breath and continued.
"Are you certain about that?"
"Yes, mother."
"Yui, darling, you need to stop going up to the surface. Firstly, you're not of proper age yet. You're still very young. And secondly..." she shook her head for her child to resume.
"I am an anomaly. Unlike sirens, I am very frail and ugly, thus making it difficult for me to become a true siren." said the girl monotonously and mechanically, as if she was taught to learn her 'poem' by heart.
Frankly, from the moment she was born, Yui knew she was different; her characteristics were lighter, her having blonde hair and a pale complexion, her tail being as white as a flaring pearl with streaks of pink, her enormous, round eyes being a dark lilac-pink. When she saw her eldest sister's expression of disgust, she understood she wasn't pretty and longed for a change.
"Excellent! What you must do in order to resemble your sisters is to overcome these sensitivities. But, don't worry, my baby. Mother will always be there for you to help you."
"I love you mother."
"I love you too, my sweet."
"Oh, ocean will you be my guide
Away from the darkness, to the light
Away from my sisters, I want to swim with the tides
Where the pirates are, there I want to be
I'll scream 'Jo ho! Jo ho!'
I'll become a pirate!
I'll stand still, my chin held high
And proudly I'll scream 'Jo ho! Jo ho! Jo ho!'"
The crew of the ship sang ecstatically, as the siren swam over the ocean surface to admire their music once again.
It was a different ship, she remarked as soon as she saw the mermaid design on the prow, yet the song was the same as all the previous times. The same rhythm and without the company of instruments. Carefully, she motioned closer, her tail thrusting small waves.
Placing her palms on the wooden material, she pressed her ear against it and paid attention to the lyrics, a smile forming on her face.
But, little did she knew, someone, a little boy, in particular, was watching her. With his mouth gaping in shock, the boy was too enthralled by the peculiar entity to alert the captain, his father. Instead, his greyish-blue eyes scanned her every movement; she was trying to learn the song, he speculated correctly.
As she began singing, the human was sure; he has never heard a voice so sweet and mellow before in his life. He stepped a little closer to the stern to listen better, only for his shoes to generate a light creaking sound against the wooden floor, the mermaid stopping her singing abruptly.
The boy tiptoed to see if she had left, but he met with shimmering pink irises instead. His own pupils widened, the girl repeating the action and was ready to pounce back to the water if it wasn't for him to grip her shoulders.
"You can stay. I won't hurt you." he promised and he kissed his crossed fingers, the girl tilting her head to her right, not comprehending the gesture.
"W-why did you do that?" she stammered, the raven-haired boy not understanding immediately what she meant. Seeing his hesitation, the little mermaid showed him and he let a sound of recognition.
"Oh, you mean that! It's a sign; when you want to show someone that you'll keep their secret, you do this." he explained.
"Ruki!" a feminine voice called, and the boy turned his head behind him.
"Urm, my mom it's calling me. I have to go." as he was about to leave, the girl grabbed his hand.
"I'm Yui. I promise to keep your secret." she giggled and did the 'promise sign'.
The boy looked baffled as his cheeks flushed red.
"W-What secret?"
"That you talked with a siren, silly!" she giggled again and he couldn't help but blush at her adorable laugh.
"Um, yeah. And I-I'll keep yours! Bye!"
"Bye!"
A/N: Hello! Wow, I am truly astonished by my feat: my obsession with mermaids, from drawing them to learning/writing myths about them, just entered a whole new level (i am a freak)! Anyways, like I said, my reasons behind spending valuable time writing songs about mermaids/sirens/pirates were A. as I said, my obsession with merpeople (so underestimated!) and B. my other obsession with Yui x Ruki (so underestimated too!). I have zero idea when will I update again, but stay tuned nonetheless. And last but not least, the pirates' song is written by me, and no you do not have my permission to use/copy/translate it. It is mine, I wrote it, and all its rights belong to me and me only! I warn you *glares daggers*.
P.S.: Lots of thanks and hugs and love to Ireland! I deeply thank your ancestors for creating a variety of such beautiful, ethereal, unpronounceable names!
Aoife, spelt as EE-FAH, is a feminine, Irish name with Gaelic origins. Its English equivalent name is Eva or/and Eve. It means 'beauty'.