Ningyo Hime

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I'm SO glad I'm just in time to update! In this chapter, Nya will sing to Jay, but unfortunately, we'll also be seeing the 'prince stealer', but don't blame me! Blame HC Andersen for making the prince a complete idiot!

Anyway, the song Nya will sing is Hoshi no Kakera by Hatsune Miku, which I don't own. She belongs to Crypton. Happy reading!


Chapter 3: Her Voice

The once raging violent waves were reduced to light ripples and the dark grey clouds parted to let the stars twinkle in the night sky again.

Under the starry sky, a little mermaid watched over her human prince.

After the storm ended, Nya carried the unconscious man to the nearest shore he could find.

The shore where she took the prince was mostly a rough and rocky terrain, so Nya was lucky to find the soft patch of sand where she had the human man rest. Not too far was a large building made of stone and beyond that, a forest.

Nya didn't care if anyone saw her, all she cared about was the prince's wellbeing.

She brushed her delicate fingers along the damp bangs matted to his forehead and pressed her ear against his chest. She also noticed that he had a scar that went through his right eyebrow, making him look even more distinct than any mermen she has ever seen. Her grandmother told her how humans had something called 'hearts' in their chests. As long as it continued beating, they will still be alive, but if it ever stopped, then they will die.

The mermaid stayed silent, hoping the prince's heart hadn't stopped.

Thump… Thump…

It was faint, but she could hear his heart beating ever so softly.

Nya felt so relieved, knowing that the prince hadn't died, but she still wished he was awake so she can see his blue eyes again. She could only think of one way to wake him up.

As the mermaid princess, Nya was known to have an incredibly beautiful voice.

She always noticed how all eyes were on her and Zelda whenever they would sing at the grand galas their father would hold at the royal palace.

The little mermaid hoped that this song she will sing just for the prince will revive him.

The dew sparkles in the sunshine through the trees

I've been thinking…

Painful feelings overflow

While love grows

A soft wind brushes my cheek

Like a gentle caress

Gathering the courage to confess my feelings

I look up at the sky and weave out the words

On a canvas of red clouds

I paint a miracle of light

Letting the feelings hidden in my heart ride them

I want this message to reach you

I dream that we will walk side by side

On a rainbow bridge in a path of hope

I gather the star fragments shining in the sky

And craft a ring of light from them

I put an eternal promise and my wish in it

I want for you to accept my feelings for you

My feelings…

My feelings…

Nya lovingly caressed the prince's face as she sang to him. For one moment, she could've sworn she saw the tiniest glimpse of sapphires between his eyelids. The young mermaid didn't know what these strange feelings were. She didn't really pay attention to the mermen under the sea. Because Zelda would always ignore her suitors, she thought that they weren't worth her time.

But why did she have these feelings she never felt before towards the prince?

Was it because they were from two different worlds?

Was it… love…?

The very first rays of the sun began to show its bright warm glow on the horizon as some of the stars began to disappear.

Morning was approaching.

A loud chiming of bells came from within the stone building. The large double doors opened. A group of girls wearing plain black dresses walked out, taking their morning stroll.

Nya was startled. She didn't realize how long she was gone from the palace, and she knew she shouldn't be seen by humans or her father would get a rise out of it. Giving just one kiss on the prince's brow, she crawled as quickly as she could until she was back in the water, back to her world. But she remained hidden behind the rocks, waiting to see what will happen next.

One of the girls from the building, the one in front, was the first to notice the prince laying on the beach. With concern written on her face, she picked up her pace until she was right next to the prince and knelt down to get a good look at him.

Nya took her time to observe the human girl.

The mermaid couldn't help but feel envious over the maiden's beauty, because she has never seen another mermaid, or human for that matter, more beautiful than her.

The human had thick wavy hair as black as obsidian that extended to the tip of her thighs. Her figure, although partially hidden in her dress, was voluptuous. Her skin was slightly lighter than average, and her eyes were a pure green and almost looked like jades, that is if Nya ever seen them before.

This human girl was the very definition of gorgeous.

The girl grabbed the prince by the shoulders and shook him gently, trying to wake him.

"Wake up! Wake up!" She called out to the prince.

Soon, the man's face twitched and he slowly opened his eyes, exposing his sapphire orbs to the world and to the human girl.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" The girl sighed in relief.

"Y-you saved me…" The prince smiled at her. Still weak, his eyes fell shut and his consciousness slipped away again.

Fetching the other girls, the green-eyed human lifted the prince's body and carried him into the building, not knowing that a certain mermaid saw everything the whole time.

Nya was unhappy.

She was the one who saved the prince. She wished that he smiled at her. She wanted for him to realize it was she who rescued him from the storm.

Kai also saw everything from the shallow water.

"What an idiot!" The red fish splashed around in irritation. "Nya! YOU were the one who saved him! Not that… that… human!"

Kai didn't have anything against humans, it was just that girl who stole the prince from Nya that irked him to no end.

"Kai, it's not a big deal," The mermaid dismissed her friend, "Humans and merpeople shouldn't even see each other. We don't belong in the same world so we were never meant to be. Come on, let's go back."

Nya sighed sadly and dived back into the deep ocean.


The mermaid couldn't get the human prince out of her head. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see his perfect blue orbs and his scarred eyebrow. She still told herself it was only by pure chance that she met the prince and it didn't mean much to her. She would never see him again, so why can't she stop thinking about him?

Nya's mind continued to revolve around the prince until she caught sight of the grand palace where her family and the guards were, without doubt, worried about her.

"Your Grace!" One of the mermen guarding the castle gates bowed down before the princess. "You were gone since your journey to the surface! Your father hadn't slept a wink. He's VERY worried about you."

"I apologize…" Nya responded as she made her way down the hall and its winding pillars.

While she swam down the hall, she happened upon Zelda leaving the royal archives with a book in hand. She lifted her crystal eyes from the pages and saw her little sister.

"Nya!"

The elder mermaid princess swam up to greet her younger sibling.

"Where have you been? Father and grandmother are very worried about you."

The younger princess only answered with a sigh.

"Nya," Zelda started, "you've always dreamt of visiting the surface ever since we were little. To be honest, I should've expected that you would consume many hours gazing at the wonders of the surface world, but I wasn't expecting this sort of attitude. Did something happen?"

"No…" Nya lied. It was no secret that the Sea King was protective of his two daughters when it came to contact with humans. Even the slightest interaction would be a big deal. But Zelda was as smart as she was beautiful. She knew something happened to her sister during her journey. But she wanted for her to see their father first so his anxieties will disappear.

"Come, sister. Father would like to see you."

Zelda swam ahead of Nya and led her to the throne room where her father sat.

The Sea King's kind eyes were wrought with parental anxiety over the safety of his daughter.

"Father…" Nya bowed down, not wanting to look him straight in the eye.

"Nya, I couldn't be more relieved that you are safe. The world above can be a dangerous place. I do not wish for you to put your life at risk."

The young mermaid remained silent, hoping she won't be punished by confinement.

"But you are here, safe and sound. That's all I could ever want for you, my daughter. Now let us be happy. Let us all celebrate your safe return."

Everyone in the room clapped and soon, a grand ball commenced. It was even more wondrous than those on the surface. The entire palace glowed with the cheerful spirits of the merpeople as they sang, danced, and laughed to their hearts' content and even the seashells and coral that adorned the castle walls sparkled with all the festivities.

The best thing about these royal galas was the mermaid princesses would sing, and there was a very good reason why they were reputed to have the most beautiful voices on land and sea.

First to sing was Zelda, whose silky smooth voice enchanted all who heard it. All mermen's eyes were on the elder mermaid as her operatic soprano voice rang across the halls of the palace.

After her was Nya. She knew about her reputation as an amazing songstress. During the party, she couldn't stop thinking about the prince and what it would be like to dance with him in the balls held in the world above hers. But she decided to sing for everyone, hoping to get her mind off the prince for even one minute.

The young mermaid's voice had a light, innocent tone that charmed all mermaids and mermen alike. Nya and Zelda's voices were different but all the merpeople agree that they sure can sing.

But in the end, Nya was still unhappy.

The inhabitants of the underwater kingdom already heard her sing so many times, and she still wanted the prince to hear her voice.

He was unconscious when she sang that song to him so it was unlikely that he heard her.


After the party ended, Nya and Zelda returned to their bedchambers, removing the decorations in their hair as they readied themselves for bed.

"Nya? You are not yourself." Zelda continued to observe her little sister throughout much of the gala. That playful sparkle in her hazel eyes were absent, except when she sang.

The ebony-haired mermaid only looked at her sister.

"I'm asking you this because I'm truly concerned about you. Please, tell me what happened."

"I-it's… you wouldn't understand…"

But Nya knew that Zelda was something of a prodigy. She was one of those mermaids who had both beauty AND brains. If she keeps hiding the truth, her sister will only get more suspicious.

"Actually, Zelda, something happened."

Zelda's usually stoic face held an expression that said 'I knew it'.

"What happened, Nya? If it is something that troubles you so, I won't prod you further, but on the other hand, please tell me. I promise I will not say anything."

"I was really planning to come home in time last night, but I saw a ship. It was one of the most glorious things I have ever seen, and there were people. They were singing and dancing, and I saw him…"

"Him…?"

"Yes. He was a human prince. A storm ravaged the ship and I saved him."

"Did he see you?"

"No."

Zelda sighed. Because the only people on the surface who believed in the merpeople were little girls with their innocent fantasies, the people of the underwater kingdom rarely interacted with the inhabitants of the land above, and doing such was practically unheard of. It was also for this reason that most merpeople who visited the surface always made sure they wouldn't be seen by humans, which was considered an official rule in the Sea Kingdom. But she was relieved that her bold sister wasn't seen by the prince, or their father would scold her something fierce.

"Then you haven't done anything wrong, but why does this upset you so?"

Nya, who kept her hazel eyes on her swishing red tail throughout the whole conversation, lifted her head to look at Zelda straight in the eyes.

"Because I wish he did…"


Yeah, the 'prince stealer' is my genderbent version of Cole aka Colette. Don't get me wrong, Cole's my favorite ninja, but I chose 'him' to be the human princess because he and Nya had the same hair color. I'm also expecting some hate from Cole fangirls, so come at me once I get my 'raging fangirl' shield.

Again, it's HC Andersen's fault for making such a stupid prince. I'm sure you're all tempted to reach your hands through the screen and strangle Jay for being an idiot, but that's how the (real) story goes.

And I also wanted to show some interaction between Nya and Zelda in this chapter.

Anyway, review and have a happy Halloween!