CHAPTER TWELVE:

TOUGH DECISIONS

Marinette frowned at the two strangers before her.

She had never seen mermaids who looked so... un-mermaid-like.

Both girls had yellowish-green skin and sharp, vein-like fins sprouting all over their bodies, from their tails to their delicate ears. The tallest had long, greenish hair that was sleeked back into a ponytail, and her sky-blue eyes were thin and narrow. The shortest had cropped hair that fanned out at the bottom, and her teal eyes were more rounded and perky.

Tikki let out a high-pitched gasp at the sight of the strange creatures. She dove behind Marinette, peeking out through her friend's ponytails.

The princess just stared cautiously at the unexpected arrivals.

"Such a beautiful, heart-warming fairytale," the long-haired girl said with a sly grin. She tossed her hair aside with an exaggerated sigh. "And yet, so beautifully tragic. Isn't it, Sabrina?"

Her shorter companion nodded with a childish pout, obviously faked. "Oh, yes, Chloe," she said. "What's a poor, sweet thing like her to do?"

Their suspicious behaviour was starting to bother Marinette. "Who are you two?" she asked with a low tone.

The one called Chloe let out a haughty, snort-like giggle. "Oh, no one of any consequence, least of all to a goody-two-shoes princess such as yourself. But since you asked so nicely, my name is Chloe. And this bubble-brain beside me is Sabrina."

Marinette immediately didn't like the way the girl had spoken to her, and she placed her hands on her hips. "All right then... what are you? Forgive me for being blunt, but why have I never seen you before?"

Chloe made a disgusted frown and started admiring her long, black nails. "So much for the courtesy of royalty. And here I thought the daughter of the great Sea King knew everything that was going on inside her little kingdom." She grinned darkly at Marinette. "Or does Dear ol' Daddy swaddle you with so much love and devotion that you don't care what happens to ordinary, helpless creatures like us."

Marinette reeled back, her face flushing. "I never said...!" Her voice caught in her throat. Why was this girl saying such things to her?

Sabrina let out a tiny, "Ahem... Chloe?"

Her partner rolled her eyes, but then her face brightened up as though she was suddenly possessed by an angel. "Oh, don't mind me," Chloe said with a sparkly laugh. "It's not everyday I get to tease an actual princess. Where's your sense of humour?"

"And besides," Sabrina added, albeit tensely, "we came here to offer you our help."

Marinette blinked at them, but her narrowed expression faded.

"I don't like this, Marinette," Tikki whispered. "They're up to something."

Before the little mermaid could enquire further, Chloe interjected again.

"We represent someone with extraordinary abilities. Someone who can take any wish and turn it into a reality." Chloe clenched her fist and opened it up, like she was snatching and releasing an invisible fish. "He may be a sight for sore eyes, but his power is marvellous and limitless."

Sabrina nodded eagerly, her teeth flashing again as she bent closer. "He even helped me and Chloe once, and we've been his devoted servants ever since!"

Chloe's eyes widened before she scowled and jabbed a sharp finger into her companion's shoulder. "You didn't have to tell her that!" she hissed.

Sabrina cried out and rubbed her shoulder guiltily.

"Hold on," Marinette said, "what do you mean by "servants"?"

Even Tikki's curiosity was piqued, and she emerged from her hiding place. "If you're not from Atlantica," she said, "then... what master do you serve?"

Chloe regained her composure and grinned again. "Only the greatest sorcerer who ever lived in the seven seas!" she exclaimed as though it was common knowledge. "Who did you think I was talking about?"

Sorcerer? Marinette sucked in a tight breath. "You can't possibly mean..." She spoke the next words as boldly as she could. "... the Sea Wizard?"

The smirk Chloe and Sabrina exchanged was answer enough.

Marinette shivered. She had never seen Hawkmoth before. Her parents had banished him from Atlantica long before she and Bridgette were born. But stories about him had been passed from ear to ear, growing more terrifying every time.

They said that Hawkmoth was a master of the dark arts who tried to take the Ruby Miraculous and conquer the ocean. They said the Sea Wizard was so twisted and evil, he had changed himself from a merman into a monster; a shadowy demon of his former self.

Tikki was horrified, though she was trying really hard not to show it. "No way!" she shouted, getting in Chloe's face. "Why would anyone want to accept help from Hawkmoth? All he does is cause chaos and despair! That's why he was banished!"

"True," Sabrina noted with a shrug, "but people change in isolation, you know. Our beloved master saw the error of his ways. Now he seeks nothing but redemption."

"And what better way to right his wrongs," Chloe said, casting another mischievous look at Marinette, "then by granting the wishes of all the poor unfortunate souls in the sea?"

Marinette wanted to say some kind of comeback – that someone so wicked and malicious could never change – but the mermaid's curiosity once again got the better of her. "I don't understand," she said. "If Hawkmoth can grant wishes, why doesn't he just wish for my father's throne?"

Chloe folded her arms. "Who says he ever wanted the throne in the first place? Do you believe everything your Daddy tells you?"

Marinette looked away, thinking about Prince Adrien and the human world. "Well... no," she admitted.

Tikki eyed her worryingly.

"History is written by the victors," Chloe continued, "and the losers... well, just look at us." She waved a hand over her green-scaled form.

"Our master can't use his powers for himself," Sabrina explained gently. "He can only grant wishes for those who desperately need and ask for his help." She smiled at Marinette. "Isn't that proof that he is no longer the villain he once was?"

The two eel-mermaids twirled around each other, their tails intertwining into one long braid.

"Just imagine the things he could do," Chloe said, batting her eyelashes. "What if you could go be with your Prince Charming? What if you could be..." She snickered. "... a part of his world."

Marinette stared at her blankly, though a tiny seed of hope flared inside her chest.

"You and your one true love," Sabrina mused dreamily, "together forever."

Tikki huffed and turned away. "I don't believe it!" she stated. "Not one bit!"

Chloe and Sabrina looked at Marinette with anticipation.

The little mermaid felt her face heating up again, and she struggled to say the right words. "That's... I... I couldn't... It's..." She bit down on the inside of her cheek and narrowed her eyes at the strangers. "I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong girl. I won't accept any wishes from Hawkmoth. My father would never allow it."

Sabrina giggled unkindly. "And she says she doesn't listen to her father. Typical."

Chloe shrugged. "Suit yourself. It was only a suggestion." She pouted and plucked at her nails again. "Too bad about your prince. He is quite a catch. And he's rich." She sighed sweetly. "Any decent woman in the world would do anything for the chance to marry him."

Marinette scowled, but she held back an angry retort. "Let's go home, Tikki," she said coldly while glaring at Chloe.

Tikki let out another "Hmph!" and started swimming away.

Marinette went after her... until she felt a cold, slimy, taloned hand snatch her by the wrist.

The little mermaid stopped and looked back to see Chloe again.

"Here," the green girl whispered coolly, pressing something small and smooth into Marinette's palm. "Take this."

Marinette looked down to see a small, nautilus shell as black as night. The hollow end was rounded, and the inside was a deathly shade of bright purple. Marinette couldn't help but stare at it. She had never seen a shell as dark and unnatural as this one... much less one that was unnaturally-warm to the touch.

"In case you decide to not listen to Daddy Dearest," Chloe breathed into Marinette's ear, "whisper my master's name into this shell. No matter where you are, he will heed your call."

Marinette jerked away, but she said nothing.

The eel-like girl grinned again and swam away. "You'll thank me later," she said proudly. "Come on, Sabrina. Her Highness has no desire to listen to the petty preachings of a couple of low-lifes like us."

Again, Marinette was finding it extremely difficult to keep her cool.

Luckily, she managed to control her raging emotions until Chloe and Sabrina slithered off into the depths.

As soon as they vanished, Marinette loosed a heavy sigh and glanced at the black shell in her hand.

I should throw it away, she thought. Prove to them that they can't win me over that easily.

But the little mermaid felt that flaring seed of hope growing inside her again, tugging at her core.

Your and your one true love, together forever.

What if this was her only chance to go to the surface? What if magic was the key to granting her wish, even if it was the Sea Wizard's magic?

But... he was banished for a reason! Marinette argued in her head. Why am I even debating this?! If Mom and Dad found out, they'd...!

She paused and swallowed. If her parents found out, they would learn about Marinette's greatest secret. They would know that their youngest daughter had broken their most ancient law. They would know she had fallen in love with a human.

Marinette swallowed hard. She couldn't trust Hawkmoth. But, at the same time... Who else would ever offer her a chance like this?

The little mermaid sighed and clutched the black shell tightly in her hand. I'll keep it, she finally decided, but only until I find another way.

"Marinette?" Tikki called in the distance.

"Coming!" Marinette sped forward, ignoring the splinter of fear and regret buried in her mind.


Hawkmoth chuckled under his breath as he watched Marinette swim away in his farseeing bubble.

"No need to rush, my little mermaid," the Sea Wizard said smoothly, stroking the glowing surface with his finger. "I'm a patient man. And no matter what path you take, the longing in your heart will lead you straight to me."


When Marinette entered her bedroom window, she was surprised to see Bridgette awake and waiting for her.

"There you are!" Her sister hid her relief behind a mask of frustration and anxiety. "I've been looking all over for you! We've got a huge...! What's that you're holding?"

Marinette quickly buried the black seashell under her pillow. "Just something I found," she replied, feigning indifference. "So what were you saying?"

Bridgette lifted an eyebrow before rubbing her temple with a heavy sigh. "Huge. Problem. Need to talk."

Marinette noticed the weary but serious look in her sister's eyes, so she swam over to sit beside her on Bridgette's clamshell bed. "What is it?" she asked nervously. A chilling thought came to her, and Marinette covered her mouth with a tiny gasp. "Is it Mom and Dad? Do they... Do they know?!"

"No," Bridgette said. "At least, I don't think so."

"You don't think so?"

"Look, all I know is that some of the servants are spreading rumours that you have some crazy crush on a mysterious boy. Don't worry, they don't know he's a human. Yet." Bridgette cast her sister a wary glance. "But if Mother and Father haven't heard the news, they soon will. They're going to ask questions, Marinette, which means we won't be able to keep this secret for much longer."

Marinette stared down at the floor of their bedroom for a long time. Then, her brow knitted together. "Then I can't stay here," she said.

"What?"

"You're right, Bridge. The truth will come out one way or another. And we both know what will happen when it does." Marinette looked up at her sister determinedly. "That's why I need to leave Atlantica."

Bridgette gaped at her. Then, she let out a croaked laugh. "Marinette, that's crazy! You're a princess. You can't just leave. Where else would you go?"

Marinette smiled. "Adrien's kingdom," she replied. "Tikki knows where he lives."

"Oh, for Poseidon's sake..." The older princess groaned. "Will you get your head out of the clouds and back underwater where it belongs?" Bridgette took her sister's hand. "This is your home, Marinette. You have a life here, a family... and a royal duty." She indicated to the Ruby Miraculous on Marinette's ears. "You can't just throw it all away for some foolish dream. For some hu–" She stopped and looked away sheepishly.

Marinette's eyes hardened. "Go ahead. Say what you were going to say: for some human."

"I just meant... You're placing all your hopes on a lost cause."

Marinette dropped her sister's hand as though it were a dead fish, and she rose from the bed. She swallowed a hard lump and turned away. "How can it be a lost cause when it feels so good and true?" she asked quietly. "How can I live the rest of my life down here when my heart lies somewhere else?"

"Marinette..."

"Don't ask me to sacrifice my happiness, Bridgette," the younger princess interjected. "Just trust me, all right? I know what I'm talking about."

She heard Bridgette exhaling a long breath. After a moment of tense silence, the elder sister said softly, "It's late. We'll figure this out in the morning."

Marinette didn't look back or say another word as she meandered over to her own bed.

Why was she not surprised? Her own sister knew all her secrets, and she still didn't understand.

As she snuggled under her blanket, Marinette fidgeted with the black shell under her pillow.

After a few minutes, the thought of leaving Atlantica for good didn't seem like such a bad idea at all.


Why was Bridgette not surprised?

She woke up the next morning to find Marinette's bed empty.

Bridgette let out a sleepy groan. "Somebody's got to nail that girl's fins to the floor," she muttered.

After she freshened up and left the bedroom, Bridgette was (again) not surprised to learn that her sister wasn't anywhere in the palace either.

Knowing Marinette, she had probably snuck away to her secret grotto. Or worse: she went straight to the human kingdom like she said she would last night.

Bridgette plopped herself on a moss-covered rock in the royal gardens. She brought her tail up to her chest, folded her arms on top, and sat there with a brooding stare at the ocean floor ahead of her.

She couldn't let her sister leave Atlantica. One, because her father had told her to take care of her. And two, because Marinette was the Guardian of the Ruby Miraculous. Everyone would take her self-imposed exile the wrong way, and she would not only disgrace herself, but her whole family.

Bridgette wished she could help Marinette see reason. Maybe even convince her to tell their parents the truth.

Get real, Bridgette thought bitterly. She's too obsessed with that human princeling.

Bridgette's eyes darkened. She just never listens! I told her to stay away from all that human nonsense, but nooooo. And now she's gone and mucked this up even more than it already is! Father trusted her with the earrings, and she abused that trust! If he had just given them to me, as per tradition, none of this would be happening now!

The princess breathed between her teeth, trying to calm her heated nerves. What is wrong with me? Why did I think like that? Bridgette rested her head on her arms. I'm not jealous. I'm not.

But deep down, she knew that was a lie, and Bridgette felt ashamed of it.

"Princess Bridgette!"

She snapped up to see the palace chamberlain zooming towards her at breakneck speed.

The swordfish came to an abrupt halt, scattering bubbles around him as he saluted. "Your Highness..." He panted. "I've got an urgent message... from the captain of the guard."

Bridgette sat up straighter, her attention rising. "Has he found something?" she asked. "About the missing merfolk?"

The chamberlain nodded. "He's still conducting his investigation," he said, "but he's uncovered a piece of information he thought might interest you."

Bridgette glanced around her, making sure the servants in the distance weren't watching them. Then, she whispered to the swordfish, "Tell me."

The swordfish leaned in closer. "Whoever is doing this, Your Highness," he said carefully, "they're picking and choosing their victims, not just snatching them up at random."

"So there must be some kind of connection between all of the lost ones," Bridgette deduced.

The chamberlain nodded. "So far, the only connection the captain has been able to make is that each victim was a young merman or mermaid, either teenagers or young adults. Apparently, it doesn't matter whether they have noble blood or not."

"Noble blood..." Bridgette's eyebrows shot up as a memory came back to her. "Lady Caquet's daughter!"

"Princess?" the chamberlain asked.

"Mireille," Bridgette clarified, mostly to herself. "Her mother tried to force her into a marriage of her choosing, but Mireille was already in love with another. They swam off together, and no one's seen them since." Bridgette looked up at the chamberlain, squinting with thought. "Did any of the other lost ones have similar situations before they disappeared?"

The swordfish tapped a fin to his noggin. "Well... there was that boy from the lower city; a gangly fellow who was in love with a pretty girl, but he never had the courage to speak to her. And there was another mermaid who had complained she wanted to be more beautiful so she could win the heart of a mer-boy who had caught her eye. A couple days later, she was gone." The chamberlain shrugged. "That's all I can remember at this point, Your Highness."

Bridgette felt that old kernel of dread return. "Relay this news back to the captain," she ordered. "See if he can find out more about the victims' backstories."

The swordfish bowed and swam away.

Only when he was gone did Bridgette sink back onto her rock.

So the lost ones were not only young, but they were people who felt like they had hopeless, romantic pursuits.

That description fit one other person Bridgette knew.

The princess's heart pounded with newfound fear. If Hawkmoth really was behind this, and he knew that Marinette was hopelessly in love with a human...

Bridgette shot off her rock. "If she leaves Atlantica," she said to herself, "she could be playing right into the Sea Wizard's hands!" She ran her fingers through her hair. "I have to tell Marinette! I have to tell Father!"

She stopped. Tell Father what? She thought bitterly. That the Sea Wizard is planning to kidnap Marinette?

Bridgette groaned. She had no real proof to make the king believe her "ridiculous accusations", as he had called them once before. And by the time Bridgette would convince her father of her suspicions, it would be too late to stop Marinette from leaving the kingdom.

Unless...

Bridgette's stomach went all mushy and numb, and she got a foul taste in her mouth.

She'd never forgive me, she thought. She'll hate me for the rest of her life.

But wouldn't it feel easier, knowing that her little sister was safe and sound and would never slip into the Sea Wizard's clutches?

Bridgette dipped her head low, knowing what she must do.

Merciful Poseidon, don't make me regret this.


She found her parents right where she knew they would be.

King Tom was chuckling heartily at something Queen Sabine had said. Both of them were wearing the seashell necklaces Marinette made specially for them.

Bridgette's stomach twisted into a tight knot, but she ignored the pain as she approached the throne. "Father? Mother?"

The Sea King looked up first and beamed. "Ah, Bridgette! Just the mermaid I was hoping to see! Your mother and I need some help figuring something out."

Queen Sabine rolled her eyes. "I don't need to figure it out, Tom," she teased. "A mother always knows what's going on with her children." She turned to Bridgette with a mischievous grin. "So tell us, dear... Have you noticed anything peculiar about your sister lately?"

Bridgette sighed. They weren't making this easy for her. "Actually, Mother, she's the reason I'm here," she said.

Her mother gasped with delight. "So it's true, then? About Marinette? In love?!"

King Tom beamed and clapped his big hands together. "Oh, praise Poseidon – this is wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Our little girl has finally met someone!"

"Father..." Bridgette began.

"I wonder who the lucky merman is," the king rambled on, "and more importantly... Why hasn't Marinette told us about him? Is he a commoner? Does she think we wouldn't approve of him?"

"Father, that's not..."

"But it doesn't matter. As long as the boy is decent enough, and he knows his dorsal fin from his tail, then he absolutely –"

"FATHER!" Bridgette bellowed. "Stop!"

Her parents reeled back from the explosive outburst. Tom had a look of shock and apprehension in his teal-green eyes, and Sabine looked exasperated.

Bridgette took a deep breath and lifted her chin. "There's something you both need to know..." she said with grim resignation.


LXP: Ooooh, even I'm getting all gnarly inside just for writing that.

Some bits of the Chloe-and-Sabrina dialogue were inspired by the Broadway musical song "Sweet Child" (which I don't own). And yes, sorry – no "Under the Sea" in this Fanfic.