Ariella studied the mermaid, entranced by its innocent beauty, yet shocked at how exposed her body was. While her golden scales crept up her belly and covered her breasts, much of her skin was left exposed. Apart from the seaweed that was draped over her shoulders like a shawl, she had nothing else covering her.
The smooth blonde hair that was sleek against her head had pearls and shells strewn through it and Ariella thought of how cordial they made her look.
"Are you staring at me because I am a mermaid or because I wear so little?" the mermaid mocked in a musical voice. "How can you wear so much? Surely you are suffocating beneath such restrictive cloth?"
"I-it is the appropriate a-attire for a lady," Ariella stuttered, smoothing down her dress feebly with her hands. Compared to the mermaid's tail which glittered like a noblewoman's jewels, Ariella felt horribly plain.
"Such stuffy creatures you humans are," the mermaid teased. "What do they call you?"
"Ariella."
"A pretty name indeed, it is a shame you do not give your name justice." Swimming back so that she could splay herself out like a sacrifice the mermaid smiled. "I am Ursula, first daughter to the king of the Northern sea's and sea-witch to the kingdom of Atlantica."
If Ariella had the capacity to feel anymore overwhelmed in the presence of the mythical creature, she would've surely felt at a loss when hearing that she was also in the company of royalty.
"Well? Have you nothing to say standing in the presence of royalty? Most mer-folk would be honoured to hold an audience with me, yet all you do is stand there gawking."
"Forgive me," Ariella apologised, dropping to her knees and bowing her head. "Seeing a mermaid...seeing you is incredible and unheard of. I thought mer-folks were a myth in the stories I read."
Ursula swam to the pier and grabbed hold of the end, hauling up her lithe figure in an impressive show of strength. She carefully dragged herself to sit beside Ariella running a hand aimlessly down her body.
"We prefer to keep anonymity. Many mer-folk despise humans, but I am thoroughly fascinated by your race. It is why I decided to reveal myself to you."
A fleeting moment of panic ran through Ariella; she knew that when it came to the world outside of Laveon, that her experience and knowledge was limited to the pages in her books and words that flowed from Scuttle's mouth.
"I'm afraid there is very little that I might share about the human world, for I am very limited in my own experiences and barely know anything that is outside my isolated life that I have lived in the pub."
"Dearest Ariella," Ursula chuckled, stroking Ariella's cheek for a moment before Ariella pulled away awkwardly, unaccustomed to contact of any kind. "What use have I for your explanations of human culture? I wish to experience these things for myself."
"I don't understand, what use am I to you then?"
Ursula studied Ariella kindly for a moment before her hand shot out and grabbed her leg. The mermaid's hand was strangely warm despite being covered in water. Her slender fingers gripped Ariella's leg so tightly that she could not pull away.
"I can make myself human but in order to do so, I must make a bargain to the source of magic. A life in the sea must be replaced by one on land, a tail for a pair of legs."
Ursula's words didn't make sense for a moment but when Ariella's mind finally comprehended what the mermaid meant, she began struggle harder against her grip but the more she tried to escape, the number her legs became.
"Calm yourself," Ursula scowled before closing her eyes. The wind began to pick up as the mermaid chanted in a strange language and a light covered the both of them.
Ariella's legs felt strange and she couldn't fight the force that pushed them together. Though she couldn't see them through the white light, it felt like they were being stretched and soon she could only feel one leg, with two very strange feet.
The light soon dissipated and Ariella gasped as she saw Ursula naked in front of her. The mermaid, or human as she was now, seemed oblivious to the shocking nature of her nudity and made no attempt to cover herself with her hands.
Looking down at her own legs, Ariella whimpered as she saw a green scaled fishtail sticking out from her dress in the place of her legs. Under different circumstances she might have found the beautiful emerald scales appealing, but in the replacement of her own legs, she couldn't find the appeal of it.
"Give me your dress," Ursula demanded but Ariella ignored her, reaching out to touch the tail with disbelief. Her tail was try but the small scales were smooth and she found it uncomfortable as she stroked against the scales.
With a frustrated glare, Ursula stood up and though she wobbled slightly, she seemed to grasp the use of legs quite well.
Grabbing Ariella's shoulders, she pulled the dress over Ariella's head. At the sudden exposure, Ariella quickly ripped some of the purple material from the bottom of the dress and wrapped it around her scaled breasts, as she face turned a deep shade of red.
"You should be grateful," Ursula said, pulling on the dress, looking at the material with disgust. "No human has experienced the life of a mermaid."
"But I was happy as a human," Ariella replied, though the words seemed shallow in her mouth.
"Oh don't be such a bore, you'll get your legs back." Pointing to the sky, Ursula said, "In seven moons time you will get your legs back, so I warn you to stay near land during that time. I also warn you, do not let your image be reflected in the mirrors of the mer-folk, for they will reveal your human form and who knows what trouble may befall you if someone should find out what you really are."
Ursula walked by Ariella, making her way down the pier but stopped to turn back at Ariella. "Another warning, you'd best leave the river and head to the ocean before the fishermen come out in the morn, or they might see you. Now go and enjoy my gift."
And with a flick of Ursula's hand, Ariella was flung into the cold, dark water of the river below.
I hope you guys liked the chapter. I'd like to point out, I did think about Ariella having her voice taken from her but I found that it might make it a little to difficult to show interaction between her and others and the reason I'm doing fanfic isn't to make things harder on me. Besides, I love dialogue. I don't know when I might update next, I'll try for next Sunday but I do have an assignment due soon and I'll be working hard on that (but if you write, you know there's no better motivation than reviews to get you writing). Have a good week!
