Sitting on a rock in the middle of the bog was a mermaid. She had pale green white scales that covered her from her head to her fish tail, she had dark green spots dusting her shoulders, dark red long wavy hair, her hands were webbed and had long nails, and she had black eyes. Her torso was covered with bog moss that formed a tube top. Her hair also had traces of bog plant life in it.
"Hello, soul for a song?"Said the mermaid with tinkling voice it sounded melodic to the men, but the girls it sounded like nails on a chalk board causing the girls to wince. It had the exact opposite effect on the men. They seemed entranced, almost as if they were under a spell.
"Soul for a song?" she repeated as she tilted her head.
"No thanks, we're good, bye-bye." Aimee said with a fake smile as she tugged worriedly at Hatters arm, but he acted as if he didn't even know she was there. Priscilla went to stand beside Jareth who was closer to the water's edge than he needed to be.
"Jareth?" Priscilla said as she waved her hand in front of his face. The mermaid slid off the rock when she heard Priscilla say Jareth's name.
"Jareth?" The mermaid said. "That wouldn't be the goblin king Jareth would it?"
"Yes." Said Jareth in a dreamy tone.
The mermaid smiled and swam to the edge of the pool she smiled and began to sing. The screeching in Priscilla's and Aimee's ears began to get louder as she reached towards Jareth and gestured for him come closer. He slowly reached for her hand then Priscilla stepped in front of him.
"Back off! Fish girl." Priscilla's sudden interruption startled the mermaid and its face changed as it shrieked at her. Its face became fierce, fangs sprang out of its mouth, and its eyes became sharp.
The water around her started to bubble and churn then all of the sudden four other viscous looking mermaids burst out of the bog. They began to swim towards the shore and to the surprise of the girls they walked out of the water on scaly legs covered with pale green ripped and torn cloths that served as skirts. They started to screech loudly at the girls although to the men it must have been a sweet sound because they started to walk towards them in a trance. In an act of desperation Aimee dropped to the ground and kicked hatter's legs out from under him.
"Stay." Aimee said to Hatter who was now laying in a daze on the ground.
'Zora, watch him.' Zora nodded as she changed to her feral form.
Aimee touched the earth and a full grown cotton plant sprang forth. She plucked the cotton, briefly cleaned it, and stuffed it in his and her own ears. It did not completely block out the noise, but it did muffle it.
"Priscilla, here, catch!" She tossed four in the air; they were lifted on a gust of wind that carried them straight to Priscilla who caught them in her hand. She cleaned them stuffed into her ears. Then turned and stuffed the other two in Jareth's.
'Aeryck I need you to take Jareth.' Jareth was trying to shove his way around her. He still had a glassy look in his eyes.
In her frustration Priscilla smacked him across the face. He snapped out of it and looked so surprised. Aeryck swooped out of nowhere and took Jareth onto his back. He landed gracefully next to Zora and Hatter.
"Aimee I need you!" Priscilla yelled as she called forth her sword. Its hilt had an owl head engraved at the base of the blade and at the end of the hilt was an owl's claw holding a burgundy crystal. The blade itself was engraved with a feather.
"Right here!" Aimee said as she did a spiral flip and landed next to Priscilla. "What say you to a little fish fry?" Priscilla smirked in reply and brandished her weapon.
The mermaids circled them and the first mermaid they had seen sauntered out of the water and walked over to them.
"You've only delayed us. They will be ours." Said the mermaid leader. Unfortunately the mermaid's voice could still penetrate enough for them to understand. Fortunately they had lost their painful pitch.
"Over our dead bodies." Yelled Aimee as she drew her swords and slammed the hilts together forming her double bladed staff sword then set the blades on fire. She took a few spinning swipes at the creatures, but they were too fast.
They laughed and drew their own weapons. They were medium sized double bladed tridents and each mermaid had two. They whirled them around with expert speed and grace.
"You were saying?" Said Priscilla sarcastically. They had communicated through their telepathic link because they couldn't hear each other through the cotton in their ears. Then something tied to the waste of the leader caught Aimee's eye.
"Priscilla look, it's the last crystal that's hidden in the labyrinth. It's tied to her waist. She's using it to give her a magical boost." Aimee said.
"So that's why they're so fast. We have to get it." Priscilla said and Aimee nodded in agreement.
Aimee charged the leader mermaid and one of her subordinates while Priscilla took on the other two. A deadly dance was started. Blows were blocked and returned. Calls to close for comfort were frequent and the girls were no closer to getting that crystal.
"Now what?" asked Aimee while breathing heavily, but before she could answer, Aimee noticed the leader make a move to stab Priscilla. Instead the leader of the mermaids stabbed Aimee in the stomach as she placed herself in front of Priscilla. She let out a piecing scream as she clutched the wound and coughed up blood.
"You did say 'Over your dead body'." Mocked the mermaid not really caring who she stabbed as she pulled her weapon out of Aimee in one sharp motion causing Aimee to scream again.
Aimee took her staff sword and in a moment of pure adrenaline she cut down two subordinates that had jumped in the way of her strike meant for the leader with a windmill spin of her blades, before collapsing in pain. Blood was beginning to seep through her arms as she clutched them around her wound.
"AIMEE!" A scream cut through the air, though it was not Priscilla who yelled, but Hatter.
Hearing Aimee's scream had brought Tarrant out of his trance. Zora dashed over to Aimee and gently nuzzled her, but Aimee didn't move. Then Zora vanished into the necklace in order to conserve Aimee's energy.
Priscilla who was still fending off the other mermaids was surprised when she heard the loud war cry from hatter and even more so when he charged the last three mermaids. His eyes were not orange, but a fiery red. He took out one subordinate, catching her off guard and battled the leader while Priscilla took on the other.
"You do not want to fight me." the leader mermaid tried to convince Hatter, but to no avail.
"You hurt my bonnie lass. You will pay." He said fiercely in his Scottish brogue as he took a swipe at her head and barely missed. The creature hissed in frustration and to her further anger Priscilla had just taken out her last warrior. The leader struck Hatter with all her anger and might sending him into the wall of the cliff causing it to crumble as he hit it and then retreated closer to the bog.
The water began to churn again and Priscilla thought more fighters were on the way, instead the leader started to transform. Her eyes became red, her hair turned into dark red tentacle connected by webbing, her body became bony and sharp, ragged fin like wings sprouted from her back and upper tail, and he nails became claws. She let out a high pierced shriek and to Priscilla's surprise Jareth teleported away from Aeryck and stood next to her on the shore of the bog. He had regained his dazed look.
"JARETH!" Priscilla yelled.
"He is mine, your friends have fallen, and there is nothing you can do about it." The mermaid taunted as she wrapped her tentacles around Jareth and nuzzled his neck. Priscilla's anger sky rocketed.
"Sing." Said Aeryck.
"What?"Asked Priscilla.
"Sing. It's the only way to break the mermaids hold on Jareth. Now sing." Aeryck commanded.
"I can't think of a song." Priscilla panicked.
"Any song will do. Just pick one." Priscilla looked at Jareth, still wrapped in the mermaid's arms, and the only song she could think of was the one from the movie. The words poured from her mouth:
There's such a sad love
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel
Open and closed within your eyes
I'll place the sky within your eyes
Priscilla began the first few verses hesitantly, but as she sang her voice gained confidence:
There's such a fooled heart
Beating so fast in search of new dreams
A love that will last within your heart
I'll place the moon within your heart
The melody soared and dipped as she put her heart into the lyrics. The mermaid's movements started to falter. She was being put into a trance against her will. The pure feelings that Priscilla put into her song was too much for the cold heartedness of the mermaid. She tried to sing louder to block out the sound of Priscilla's voice, but it was no use. Priscilla's love was just too true.
As the pain sweeps through Falling
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
Falling in love
The mermaids singing had faltered completely and Jareth's eyes were clear. He was smiling lovingly as he started to sing the last few verses with her. His voice intertwined with hers in a way that was so perfect it was as if one person was singing. He ripped himself away from the mermaid and tore the crystal off of the mermaid's waist.
Priscilla took flight and started towards the mermaid with blinding speed and took hold of her shoulders. She carried her up high into the air. The screeching mermaid struggled to free its self from Priscilla's iron grip to no avail. Priscilla's talon like nails dug into the mermaid's skin. Then she suddenly dropped her into the bog and before she could resurface Priscilla froze the bog with her in it.
She then turned and landed lightly next to Jareth. Together they sang the last of the song.
I'll paint you mornings of gold Falling
I'll spin you Valentine evenings
Though we're strangers till now
We're choosing the path between the stars
I'll leave my love between the stars
Falling
Falling
Falling in love
As the world falls down
I've fallen in love
They smiled lightly at each other and were leaning in to kiss, but a groan from Hatter caught their attention.
Hatter had stumbled to his feet and was making his way towards Aimee. He fell down to his knees and gathered her into his arms. Priscilla and Jareth ran over to his side.
"Aimee." Hatter said softly with a tinge of desperation. He shook her lightly while periodically saying her name louder and louder. Her face was deathly pale and her eyes were glassy. Tears streamed down Tarrant's face in anguish.
"Aimee? She's… she can't… be… no..." Priscilla sobbed in despair as Jareth put his arm around her. Even Jareth was upset, he might not have liked Aimee very much, but she did try to help in her own special way, then he remembered something.
"Priscilla, you healed the tree can't you heal Aimee as well?" Jareth asked.
Priscilla's eyes lit up with hope as she bent down and concentrated as she lightly waved her now glowing hands over Aimee's wounds like she had done for the tree. At first nothing happened so Priscilla concentrated even harder. Perspiration gathered on her forehead as the wounds finally started to heal and the clothes repaired themselves. Aimee's eyes fluttered, her skin regained a healthy coloring, and a tired smile lit up her features.
"Hey. What happened?" Hatter hugged Aimee tightly as Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief.
"My bonnie lass, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. I will never forgive myself for letting you come to harm. My heart could not bear it if I had lost you. I would have died on the spot my dearest love. I would have…" The Hatter was off on another torrent of emotional ramblings as he held Aimee. Aimee lifted her hand and placed her finger tips against his lips, shushing him. Then removing her hand and lifting his bandana slightly she gently placed her lips against Tarrant's. They drew apart slowly and stared into each other's eyes.
"Tarrant, I'm fine." Aimee said. Tarrant nodded and helped Aimee up to her feet and was tackled by a hug from Priscilla. "Now what happened? All I remember is getting cut by that stupid fish stick. Did I pass out or something?"
Aimee looked around at the grave faces for a moment then realization dawned upon her.
"I died." Aimee said quietly in a shocked voice as Tarrant hugged her even tighter.
"I am happy that you are unharmed." Said Zora as she rubbed up against Aimee's legs and leapt into her arms.
"I'm so glad you're ok." Priscilla said. Aimee smiled as Priscilla hugged her again.
"All thanks to you. Now, can I have my arm back? I hear circulation is important." Aimee replied as Priscilla released her then Aimee turned to Jareth. "What? No hug?"
He just rolled his eyes at her in reply. Aimee then questioned them on what happened after she went down.
"And now we have three of the five crystals. All we need to do is get the last two." Jareth finished. Aimee's eyes got wide and then she obtained a sheepish smile.
"Oh yeah, actually we only have one left to go." Aimee said in a high pitch nervous voice as she pulled out the crystal the goblins gave her and spun it on her finger. Jareth snatched it from her hands.
"You've had this all along." He yelled as Aimee just scratched the back of her head.
"Aimee how could you forget you had this?" Priscilla exclaimed.
"Heh-heh, yeah sorry about that, I forget things all the time." Aimee said as Priscilla and Jareth stared at her in astonishment. Tarrant just hugged Aimee from behind as they laughed at their friends expressions.