There is a picture for this on DevantArt. I will put the link for it on my profile. Just remember that I am no mermaid expert. In the second chapter this will all make sense. And for the people who know me: I'M WORKING ON IT, I KNOW I'VE BEEN LAZY, AND JUST HOLD ON, PLEASE!
Chapter 1
The GlassTail
The proud male swam through the twists and turns with ease. He had no problem gliding past the other mermaids. His red eyes shone bright against the dim water, making them seem like they were glowing. It was mating day. Once a mermaid turned fourteen he or she had the choice to find a mate on a that certain day. Well, no, if he or she were poor, then, they were made to go to the mating hall for the rich to pick and choose from. The rich, like himself, could then go and choose a mate.
Gilbert had never cared for showing up to pick out a mate. But his views had changed after last year's mating day. Roderick, his cousin, had brought home a beautiful girl. He wanted to have someone like that. He wanted to have that feeling and to have a whole month of fucking someone all he wanted. That they had to do what he said because he was over them. He knew there were mostly only the poor there. But then again, if Roderick could find a girl like that, then maybe there was hope for him after all.
"Gilbert!" a voice called after him, "Wait up for me!"
'Roderick... ugh! Why does he always follow me? Doesn't he know this is my day, not his?' Gilbert thought.
He must have thought out-loud because when Roderick caught up, he gave a sneer and said, "Well, someone has to make sure you don't kill anyone that has a mate that you like."
It was a long two-hour swim, considering how hyper and excited Gilbert was. "We're almost there. Have you an example of the kind of person you want?" Roderick asked.
"Example? Can't I just swim around and find someone pretty?" Gilbert asked carelessly.
"No! Don't you have standards? Don't you want someone intelligible? Sophisticated? Mature? Kind? Thoughtful? Anything!?" Roderick scolded.
"I don't really care. I not an uptight aristocrat like you," Gilbert spit out the last word like poison. You. Something as simple as that could blow the top off Roderick.
"Fine, but I think you're making a mistake. Just remember that you're spending the rest of your life with the person you choose!" Roderick said with liquid fire in his words.
Gilbert give a quick 'hm' before racing ahead to the entrance of the mating hall. "And who do you think you are, getting here late?" the guard joked, "I didn't think you were coming, Gilbert! Come on in!"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Antonio!" Gilbert said quite loudly. Gilbert swam in and glanced around the place. He swam here and there. The minutes felt like hours. Gilbert was about to give up, seeing that there was no one that was good enough for him, until a flash of light caught his eye.
In the corner sat a shy-looking, pale, scrawny boy looking at his hands. He had icy blue eyes and platinum blond hair. It looked liked this was his first year of coming here. Gilbert didn't know what attracted him over there but he found himself floating that way. Was this love at first sight?
"Hallo, I'm Gilbert," Gilbert found the words just coming out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Do you want to be my mate?"
The boy, already startled by Gilbert's presence as he seemed like he was in deep thought, jerked his head up to look at him with big eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said."
Gilbert's voice refused to cooperate with him and his mind didn't want to obey him either. His body was in motion and there was absolutely no possible way of canceling the action. Gilbert leaned in and kissed the boy hungrily.
He broke the kiss and looked into the boy's surprised eyes. Gilbert repeated slowly, "Do you want to be my mate?"
The boy replied with a 'um' and blushed madly. "Ok, maybe we got off on the wrong fin. Let me start over. Hallo, mein name is Gilbert. What is your name?" Gilbert corrected.
"Uh... L-Ludwig," the boy managed to stutter out.
"Ludwig! That a beautiful name! So, um... about being my mate...do you... maybe want to-" Gilbert said, being cut-off by Roderick. He didn't even see that Roderick was behind him. It kind of scared him when Roderick snuck up on him.
"Gilbert! May I speak to you alone?" Roderick said harshly.
"No, I was talking to Ludwig-" Gilbert hated when he was cut-off.
"What are you doing with him? I thought you wanted someone 'pretty'?" Roderick said.
"Roderick! He's right here!" Gilbert said.
"It's ok, I know when I'm not wanted," Ludwig said as he swam to the other side of the big room. Gilbert's face fell as he seen the boy leave. The boy had looked so sad and unwanted. Roderick had a way of making his life horrible. Just fuckin' terrible.
"Look what you did! You made him swim away! I hate you!" Gilbert was quieted by a finger over his lips.
"Why do you want that tramp?" Roderick asked, looking at him through slits of his eyes.
Gilbert could feel rage boil up in his gut. His mind did something unexpected again as he pushed past Roderick, to the check-out desk. "That one over there, how much is he?" Gilbert said pointing at Ludwig. Poor mermaids needed to be paid for since they were bound to the mating hall. Kind of like jail or something. "Sixteen shells," was her reply. That was cheep, even for a kid like that. It was normal for male mermaids to mate other males since it was the most common, and the females were attracted to humans rather than their own kind. (The males had even evolved enough that they could have kids...but it was a very long and hard process.) So no one thought anything of it.
"Just one more question, is this his first year?" Gilbert had to know. It was tearing him apart.
"No, he was entered at age seven. I feel sorry for that kid. He is an orphan, father and mother eaten by sharks. He was owned by the mating hall from age five... I don't know how he can live like this. Each year people beat him up, call him names, and everything else. That's why he is always in the corner. He's the only reason I kept this job. I want to see him go home with someone, permanently, and not be stuck here anymore. But he has lost all hope of that. And, yes, this is his first official year. He turned fourteen last month." the lady answered.
Gilbert gave a soft 'oh' and looked at Ludwig. Poor kid. Gilbert pulled sixteen shells out of his carrier bag and placed them on the rock. The lady smiled and said a quick 'Thank you' and went on with her job. Gilbert looked around again. The mating hall was almost empty. He spotted Ludwig instantly and swam over to him. "Hey, it's a bit lonely here, don't you think?" Gilbert asked.
"I'm not allowed to think," was Ludwig's reply.
"Well, uh, you know me and... me and that uptight guy, we... we weren't talking about you," Gilbert cooed.
"Of course you were. I know what people say, no need to comfort me." Ludwig said with a tint of sadness in his voice.
Gilbert caught that tint of sadness and frowned a bit. "This place is closing soon. We better leave," Gilbert said breaking the silence.
"I live here," Ludwig replied.
"Not anymore!" Gilbert said happily while he ignored the confused 'huh' he got. He grabbed Ludwig's hand and darted to the entrance. Roderick started following behind them closely. They swam out of the mating hall and Gilbert gave the guard a nod as they passed him. After a minute, Gilbert glanced over to Roderick. Roderick had stopped completely and was staring at something in disbelief. Gilbert slowed down and turned around to see what Roderick was looking at. Ludwig.
Ludwig's tail was sparkling. He didn't pay much attention to the boy's tail before. Ludwig's tail was a dull light blue before. Now it looked like it was made of non-transparent glass. Not like their tails. Roderick's tail was purple, kinda rare to see a mermaid with a purple tail and his tail was pure white, because he was albino. Roderick and Him were an odd pair but Ludwig...
Ludwig's tail reflected the sunlight coming from the surface. It looked like shards of glass as big as his hand had come together to make the boy's tail. Like a crystal would, his tail made the light bend and bounce off of it. It was almost blinding. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Ludwig said, looking confused. All Gilbert could do was stare. No wonder they didn't let the kid out of the mating hall, he was a shark magnet. He would be eaten three seconds after he came into the reef. Keeping that in mind, they needed to find a different way to get home.
Was it legal to fuck someone in public? Because Gilbert felt like he could just die, if he didn't get Ludwig to himself soon. The whole day he had thought of it, but when he had seen Ludwig the feeling became worse. And now... Yesterday he had picked out a cave to mate in, had it set up and everything, but it was on the other side of the coral reef. Now how was he going to get Ludwig there? Ludwig was shark bait, and there were lots of sharks swimming around there. He didn't want his mate to be eaten before they even mated!
"Gilbert, we're never going to make it to the other side of the coral reef," Roderick said, flabbergasted.
"I know," was Gilbert's simple answer.
An idea rang in his head and his face broke out in a grin. Gilbert took Ludwig and placed himself over the boy. Good thing Gilbert was a lot longer than Ludwig, or Ludwig could still be seen. "Good thinking," Roderick said, before they started swimming again. They made it past the reef and that's where Roderick had to part with them. "Goodbye, Ludwig. And Gilbert, don't be too brash and give into lust. I don't want to hear that you hurt the boy," Roderick said as he turned to wave.
So when did Roderick start caring about Ludwig? Just a while ago, Roderick called him a tramp. What changed in that period of time? All he wanted to do was to get to the cave already. It was hard to find the underwater cave because it was made for mating. That meant it was hidden, so no intruder could stumble upon it. Gilbert looked everywhere and finally found it. It was behind some seaweed. Well, lots of seaweed.
Gilbert tugged Ludwig though the green tangled mess into the nice dark cave. He led the way to the back of the cave where there was a dim light overhead. Ludwig laid back on the slimy, black rock. 'He looks so fragile lying there,' Gilbert thought. Gilbert swam over him 'til he was almost laying on the boy and closed the space. Ludwig wrapped his arms around the albino's neck and deepened the kiss. Gilbert rubbed his scales against Ludwig's to gain an entrance and then placed kisses down his chest.
Gilbert picked at the flap concealing Ludwig's nether regions. Mermaids had a flap to hide that part of them. Gilbert unwrapped the piece of Ludwig's flesh and tucked it behind him. He did the same to himself. Ludwig let out a small moan as Gilbert ghosted his hand over the sensitive, untouched skin. Gilbert ran his lips up the boy's length bringing warmth to it. Warmth was one of the things he needed to make or the mating would be invalid. It was like putting your partner in heat manually or you couldn't fuck 'em.
After somewhat of a long amount of time of rubbing to cause friction, Gilbert lay chest to chest with Ludwig again. He aligned with Ludwig and began thrusting into him. Ludwig jerked up and let out a cry of pain. Ludwig gritted his teeth so he wouldn't scream. "It'll be over before you know it," Gilbert sympathized. He knew that was a lie. It usually took at least two to three hours, and that's if they went fast. And they still had four weeks to go anyways. He was enjoying this but he knew that Ludwig was not.
The hours passed and the pain became pleasure. Gilbert came into Ludwig and fell onto him. They were both out of breath. He rolled over and cuddled up to the boy. Ludwig relaxed into the grip and fell quickly to sleep. Gilbert, after a while of just laying there, began to take in Ludwig's shape. Ludwig's hair was disheveled and his tail was a dull blue. He really wanted to see that glass tail of Ludwig's but didn't want to take the risk of even moving because Ludwig was asleep. The days passed and before they knew it, the month was almost over. "Three days left. Time flies when you're having fun," Gilbert said with a Cheshire grin. He nuzzled Ludwig's cheek and held him tighter.
"G-Gilbert, bitte," the boy cooed and looked at him with pleading eyes. Gilbert kissed him deeply. He was amazed at how fast Ludwig had caught on. Gilbert, with a huge smile planted on his face, looked down into the boys big, icy blue eyes. "Gilbert, can we go out into the coral reef?" Ludwig asked shakily.
"What?" Gilbert asked surprised, his eyes widening. The mood had changed instantly. Ludwig hadn't talked much during their time together, so it was kind of a shock to hear him ask something like that.
"Well, I heard from the others, in my time at the mating hall, that in the last days of mating, mates would go swim around the reef together and hunt for fish to eat... plus I don't think I can last that much longer without food. They didn't feed us very well at the mating hall and I haven't had anything since..." Ludwig trailed off. He had noticed that the boy was very underweight from the first time he laid eyes on him. Barely skin and bones even. And worse now... But what was he to say? Ludwig had a beautiful tail, but that tail did more harm than good. Ludwig would get eaten by sharks!
Gilbert pleaded, "H-How about you stay h-here and I go-"
"Nein! I want to go out too! Why do you not want me out there? Why do you hide me away like I'm unworthy to be seen with you? Am I really that bad? At first I thought that you were different! I thought that you would actually care about me! I was wrong! You are just using me, like everyone else, and when you're done, you'll find someone new. And you'll take me b-back. T-They always d-do!" Ludwig's voice started cracking.
Ludwig shot out of Gilbert's hold and darted out of the cave, swimming full speed. It took Gilbert a few seconds to realize what had just happened and then he was racing after him. 'Man, that tail's not just for looks! I can barely keep up!' Gilbert thought. "Ludwig! Stop, I didn't mean it like that!" Gilbert screamed. It was no use. Ludwig probably couldn't even hear him, he was almost out of sight. The only thing that could be seen of him now, was a little sparkle off in the distance. But soon, that sparkle faded into nothing. Gilbert could only follow and hope Ludwig kept going straight.
Gilbert stopped. He had finally caught up with the boy, after what had seemed like forever. Ludwig didn't know that Gilbert had found him yet. Ludwig was resting his forehead on the side of a huge rock. Both of them were out of breath, Ludwig more so. Gilbert snuck slowly up behind the boy and wrapped his arms around his small chest. Gilbert didn't blame him. If he, himself, was taken back to the hall that much, then he wouldn't be very trustful of others either. Ludwig put up no fight, just laid there defeated. "Ludwig, I can explain," Gilbert whispered into his ear. Ludwig laid there motionless and stared at the rock that his front was pushed up against.
"It's not because I don't want you; I do, I really do want you. It's just..." Gilbert paused and ran his hand up Ludwig's stomach. He hid his face in the side of Ludwig's neck until he built up enough courage to speak, "It's your tail...It-it is beautiful, don't get me wrong! But It's kinda a shark magnet..."
Ludwig gave a short unbelieving 'hm' and continued to look away. Maybe he should have told him the first day, that would have made it so much better. "Well, look at it!" Gilbert said looking down at the boy's tail. The moment he said it he wish he could take it back. They were in dim-lit water, and Ludwig's tail was a dull light blue. Not at all the glass tail he had remembered.
"Und what's so special about it?" Ludwig asked. Gilbert was flabbergasted for a second before he came to his senses. He wanted to say 'Well, we're not in the light! It's different in the light!' but all that came out of his mouth was air/bubbles. His body didn't seem to like him very much when dealing with Ludwig. After a few minutes of silence, Gilbert hid his face in the crook of Ludwig's neck again. "Ok," Ludwig said bowing his head, "You are my mate, and what you do with me is your choice only." Gilbert looked wide-eyed at the boy. Ludwig was just stating the law, but Gilbert felt like somehow he had been given permission to do whatever he wanted.
But his mood dampened after realizing something: They were past of the reef and if they were to go home they would have to go through it. "Dammit," Gilbert muttered. Well, Ludwig said he wanted to go fishing..."Here's your choice, Lud. Do you still want want to go fishing?" Ludwig gave a short 'hum' and flared his gills.
"I don't get choices," Ludwig said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Look, you're out of the Mating Hall anymore- and you're never going back. So, quit it. You're with me now. You have a choice, a say in things, and whatever else," Gilbert said,"And anything you want.. I'll find a way to make it happen."
"I lost my appetite," Ludwig quickly spat.
"That's a lie," Gilbert answered,"What do what from me?"
"I don't want anything," Ludwig stated. Gilbert thought a minute.
"Prove it," Gilbert chided,"Prove to me that you really can think for yourself.." Ludwig let out a sigh.
"I know a great fishing place," Ludwig moaned.
"That's more like it," Gilbert said with a smile. The boy wriggled out of Gilbert's arms and started swimming. They came to a place where there were many giant black caves that stood out from the brown rock they took place in. The boy turned to face him with a massive grin plastered on his face.
"I, uh, need to get something real fast," Ludwig mumbled. Ludwig darted into one of the caves and disappeared. Gilbert assumed he was to wait outside but the time passed and Ludwig was still not back. Gilbert gave a sigh and thought to himself whether he should have gone in too. About sometime later, after giving up arguing with himself, he took it upon himself to find out what was taking Ludwig so long. He swam though the weaving tunnel of a cavern and came into a large clearing. The vast opening looked like it had been unused for many years except for the random objects scattered everywhere.
The clearing looked like a Greek amphitheater, extending into a complete circle. Its many long flat rock (cavea, theatron, koilion, kerkis, cuneus, whatever..) had many odd items strewn about them. The only thing that made you think the Greeks hadn't come here themselves and build this amazing structure, was the hardly visible gaps between the green algae covered over-sized-skipping-rocks. The only reason Gilbert noticed them is because of the dim sparkles it gave off. Gilbert squinted his eyes to get a better look. The gaps were good size but the massive algae moving with the current blocked most of the viewing.
He got closer and saw that the little light in the room had reflected off of what seem like many odd-shaped objects. Gilbert swiped the green growth away and saw the sight. It was gold, heaps of it, as far as he could see. A flashback came before his eyes.. "No, Gilbert! Don't do it! Do you know how much trouble you'd get into?"
"Calm down Roddy. It's not like the place is hunted or something!"
"No, I will not calm down! They say that this was where the king and queen used to come! The king and queen are dead, Gil, dead! They were torn to pieces by sharks! They're ghosts haunt those caverns"
Gilbert shook his head to clear his mind. This was the same place that people feared to go near. The next thing that came to mind was Ludwig. Why was Ludwig here? Maybe he didn't know this place was forbidden? Hell, he didn't even recognize the place let alone remember that it was forbidden himself. Where was Ludwig? There was a crash and Gilbert found himself swimming as fast as he could toward the sound. What if the royal guards were taking him away? He slowed down to a stop. There were no guards hauling Lud away.
The boy was sitting, looking through a little gold box on his on his lap. "Lud?" Gilbert said cautiously. Ludwig looked up. He opened his mouth to say something but before he did he was cut off. The picture on the gold box caught his attention. In the picture there were three people: A blue-eyed man with long blond hair, an almost albino woman with white hair, and a small boy with shaggy light blond hair and light blue eyes.
He recognized the man and woman. They were the king and queen of the sea. But the boy looked somewhat like Ludwig. "Ludwig, how did your parents die?" Gilbert said frantically.
"Sharks," Ludwig said slowly, "Why?"
"So did the king and queen," Gilbert said quietly.
Ivan sat on his bed, looking out his window. He and his sisters had moved to America a week ago. California was a lot different from Yekaterinburg, Russia. Irina and Natalia didn't understand. He was homesick. It may be cold in Russia, but at least the people were friendly and nice. Some people, here, were afraid of him, some hated him, but almost everyone avoided him. Except Alfred.
Alfred's feelings for him went far beyond hatred and still could be called fear. Ivan couldn't figure out what the jumpy American wanted from him. Everything he did, everything he said, Alfred would twist up into something horrid. A simple comment like 'I'm going to the store.' could be twisted around to 'I'm going off to enslave humanity. I'll be back later.' And he didn't even want to think about Alfred spying on him like he was some evil super villain that needed to be checked on. Alfred acted like he was some sort of 'hero' from a book. And Ivan was the bad guy.
All he wanted for his birthday was for Alfred to leave him alone for once. One day, that's all he asked for. No more spying. No more threats. No more driving him insane. Just peaceful bliss. But of course God never listened to his prayers. His fourteenth birthday had come and gone with as much, if not more, foul play from Alfred. Ivan sighed and swung his legs over the bed. He adjusted his champane-colored scarf. He knew he had an hour before school, better get dressed and eat before leaving. Ivan got up and walked over to his closet. One outfit was all he owned. His family didn't exactly have that much money and the money they did have went towards bills.
One long, tan coat, one pair of green army pants, and a one pair tall, brown boots. He didn't have a shirt so he had to wear his coat each and every day. It was way too hot to be wearing a coat and scarf. It was ninety-fuckin'-seven degrees Fahrenheit. He didn't have a choice though. He didn't want to be half-naked in school and he didn't want to give up his scarf.
Everyone thought he was crazy. Crazy? More like psychopathic. Schizophrenic maybe? He had no clue what Alfred had shoved in their heads. He cleared his head and finished dressing. Better make the best of today. Maybe today was the the day that he'll get his wish to come true.