Chapter 29

Dawn walked up to the beach with nothing but a small bag slung over her shoulder. She was still wearing her day clothes. She slowly made her way towards the shoreline before dropping her bag. With a small sigh, she slowly sat down and stared out at the water, smiling as she watched the light of the full moon reflect on its surface. It had been a few days since she and her sisters had met up with May, and since then, she found herself thinking of her mermaid sister more than usual. She looked up at the moon, blinking slightly as her eyes took in the light.

She stood up and walked to a small bathroom stall not far off and changed into her swimsuit, then came back to her stuff, sitting on the sand once again. She smiled and took a deep breath, now feeling much more relaxed as she stretched her legs out in front of her.

That was when she heard a small splash from not far off. She blinked in surprise and looked in the direction the sound came from. She noticed a familiar silhouette circling around a large rock not far away, prompting her to smile. She stood up and slowly waded into the water until she was deep enough that her feet couldn't touch the bottom and started swimming towards the rock. It didn't take her long to make it, and sure enough, she found a familiar someone sitting there, looking up at the sky.

"Just passing through?" Dawn asked with a smirk.

"You could say that," May smiled, turning to her sister and mirroring her smirk. Dawn chuckled and pulled herself out of the water, seating herself next to her. "Lillie said I could find you here in the evening, but I haven't seen you until now."

"I only come out here when I have a lot on my mind," Dawn said, "or when I want to reconnect with home." She sighed as she looked down at the water as it gently lapped the rock. "I don't regret becoming human, but I really do miss you...and Mother."

May looked at her with a warm smile and put her arm around her, pulling her close. "We miss you too," she said. Dawn smiled at her affection and leaned her head on her shoulder. May looked down and noticed Dawn wearing the same swimwear she wore a few days ago. Eventually, her eyes fixed themselves on her legs. She stared at them, almost in a trance.

"May?"

She blinked and pulled her hand back. "Sorry," she said. "Was that weird?"

"A little," Dawn said, sitting up. "You've never seen human legs before, have you?"

"Not this close," May shook her head. "I never realized how elegant they looked." She looked at her sister. "Do you mind if I look a little closer?"

"Go ahead," Dawn smiled, stretching her legs out in front of her. May leaned forward as she gazed over their length. She even moved back into the water slightly to get a better look.

"Wow," she whispered. "I always thought human legs were just stiff logs that helped them move around. I never realized just how...beautiful they looked."

"I was pretty surprised myself," Dawn admitted as May returned to her seat next to her. "I figured being able to walk and run would be a thrilling experience, but I had no idea how elegant human legs looked."

"Well, to each her own," May shrugged, lifting her tail out of the water. She wiggled her tailfins, which sprinkled them with small drops of water. Dawn responded by lifting up her foot and wiggling her toes, prompting them to giggle as they dropped them back in the water.

"To each her own," she agreed.

"Hey, by the way," May said, "what's with the tiny fingers on your feet?"

"Huh?"

"Those tiny fingers at the end of your feet," May repeated. "You were wiggling them just now. What's up with that? Is it a deformity?"

"Oh, no," Dawn chuckled. "Those are my toes."

"Your what?"

"My toes. You're not exactly wrong in calling them fingers, since they look similar, but they serve a different purpose. They're not as flexible or adaptable as fingers are, though."

"Well then, what are they for?"

Dawn was about to answer, but as she thought over the question, she suddenly looked just as confused as her sister. "You know what?" she said. "Now that I think about it, I actually don't know! I guess they're just there to provide symmetry with my hands."

"Symmetry, huh?" May chuckled. "Eh, who needs that?" She smirked as she looked down at her tail, swishing it in the water.

"So how have you held up adapting to being out of the water?" Dawn asked.

"It's been a big adjustment," May said. "I never thought I would stay out for more than a few seconds, let alone get out at all. Even after a few nights coming up, the wind still feels like it's trying to bite at my skin." She shivered slightly as she said this. "I'd much rather stay in the water, thank you very much."

"That's what I thought you'd say," Dawn smiled. "I'm just glad you can at least come up to visit whenever you want."

"Yeah, me too," May agreed, placing a hand over her mask. "I still don't know how Lillie managed to figure this out."

"I do," Dawn said.

May turned to her in surprise. "You do?"

"Yep!" she smiled. "I actually helped her a little."

"How?" May asked.

At this, Dawn got a sly look in her eye. "Maybe it would be better if I showed you."

"Huh?"

"Here, I'll be right back," she said. She pushed herself into the water and swam away. May noticed how she kicked her legs to push herself through the water, slightly surprised at this. Although it was certainly effective, it didn't look anywhere near as easy (or elegant) as flipping fins. Dawn quickly returned and pulled herself out of the water before bringing a small apparatus up and placing it in her mouth. "All right," she said. "Let's go for a swim."

"What?"

"Let's go for a swim!" Dawn repeated cheerily. "There are some sights I've missed in the ocean, and I think it's only fair that since you made the effort to meet us up here, we should make the effort to meet you down there."

May looked at the water, slightly surprised at Dawn's logic. "I guess that makes sense. Okay! Let's go for a swim, then!"

Dawn giggled, and with that, she stood up and leapt up before elegantly diving into the water. May quickly followed, and the two of them found themselves floating just beneath the surface. Dawn had her apparatus in her mouth while May took off her mask and held it in her hand.

"You wanna tie that around your wrist?" Dawn suggested, her voice muffled slightly by the water.

May looked at her mask, then at her wrist, then shook her head. She reached up and stretched the mask around her head. After a few moments, she managed to tie it into what looked like a nice headband.

"Nice touch," Dawn winked with a grin.

"Okay," May said, getting to business. "Now that we're down here, where did you want to go?"

"Oh, I don't know," Dawn shrugged as she gently kicked her feet to keep herself afloat. "Anywhere sounds good!" With that, she turned and started swimming away.

"Hey, wait up!" May said, swimming after her. She quickly got ahead of her, since Dawn couldn't swim as fast as she used to. May quickly realized this and flicked her fins out in front of her, stopping herself and swimming back towards Dawn. "Sorry," she said as she floated in front of her. "Why don't you lead the way?"

"Sounds like a plan," Dawn agreed. She took May's hand and started swimming along, kicking her legs to propel herself forward. Although she couldn't swim as fast as she could when she was a mermaid, May was surprised that she still moved relatively quickly through the water. Eventually, they stopped and floated in place before Dawn ascended back to the surface for a moment. She poked her head out, then swam back down to May. "Just refilling my mask," she explained.

"Got it," May nodded. With this, Dawn dove down and swam deeper into the ocean. May followed close behind her once again. Finally, they came to a small alcove in a rock wall. Dawn floated upright and seated herself as best she could under the water, while May sat beside her with little effort after briefly checking the alcove for predators.

"Wow," Dawn smiled, staring out at the view in front of her. "I've really missed this. This is probably the deepest I've swam since I left."

"Are you sure this isn't too deep?" May asked in concern. "This isn't far off from where I usually swim on a normal night, and I rarely see humans try to come down this far, and even those who do only stay for a few seconds."

"I'm fine," Dawn assured her. "I used to live down here, remember?"

"Yeah, but you don't anymore. You're not a mermaid anymore, Dawn. You're a human."

"Correction: I'm a human who was once a mermaid!"

May blinked in surprise. "Is there a difference?"

"Believe it or not, yes!" Dawn said. "Since I spent most of my life in the ocean, my body is attuned to large amounts of water pressure, allowing it to survive at depths other humans couldn't normally survive in."

"Really?"

"Yep! Misty, Serena and I are all a bit tougher and sturdier than our peers at the surface. Plus, we can hold our breath longer thanks to our more powerful lungs."

"Wow!" May exclaimed. "I didn't realize turning into a human would give you that kind of super strength!"

"It didn't," Dawn giggled. "I told you, living underwater for most of our lives toughened us up. When we became human, our tails transformed into legs, but everything else stayed the same. The only problem is that we can easily trip over our own feet or twist our ankles. Learning how to stand, walk, and run has been a lot harder than any of us thought it would be." She looked at her sister, whose eyes were wide with amazement. "Sounds kinda silly, huh?"

"No," May shook her head. "No, that makes perfect sense! Your legs were once a tail that was completely flexible so that you could move in the water with ease, with your fins being its most delicate part. So when it turned into a pair of legs, it hardened and became much less flexible, but your body didn't adjust immediately. It wasn't used to the pressure standing placed on it, so it struggled to hold you up like a pair of legs should!"

"Exactly!" Dawn said with a grin. "I figured you would understand."

"What do you mean?" May blinked. "The other girls don't?"

"Eh, they're not interested," Dawn shrugged. "As far as they're concerned, they're just not mermaids anymore, and they'd rather keep it that way."

"Well, we both know how they are," May muttered, looking out at the view. She smiled as she took it in. "It's beautiful down here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Dawn agreed. "I wish I'd taken more time to appreciate it while I still lived down here."

"Yeah?" May turned to her and noticed she wasn't wearing anything over her eyes. "Can you not see it as well now that you're human?"

"Actually, I can see it just fine," she said, turning to her. "That's another thing: our eyes and ears are sharper than other humans. They were built for life underwater, but now we're using them for life on land."

"How interesting," May mused. "I wonder what else former mermaids can do." She sighed as she gazed out at the ocean. "It's hard to appreciate all these things when you live under the sea."

Dawn blinked, curious. "You're not having second thoughts about your decision to stay down here, are you?"

"No," May shook her head. "I know I made the right choice. Still, there are times when I wonder what life would be like if I chose to join you. Would it really be as bad as I thought it would? Would it be better than living out here in the sea? Don't get me wrong, I love it out here, but what if I could learn to love the world of the surface, too?"

Dawn sighed and put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "To be honest with you, May," she said, "I don't think you would've been happy up there."

"Yeah, probably not," May agreed. "I'd be giving up too much here in the sea. This is where I belong."

"Yeah, but it's not just that," Dawn said.

"Huh?"

"Do you remember how you pointed out that becoming human might not solve your problem with breathing air?"

"Yeah."

"Well, after living with humans for quite some time, I think you were right to be concerned about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Most humans can breathe air just as well as any mermaid can," she explained, "but there are some who have a rare condition that makes it difficult for them to breathe. It's a lasting condition, and while they can mitigate it, they can never completely get rid of it." She sighed as she finished her explanation. "I think that...if you had come with us...you would've ended up like them. It would've just been day after day of struggling with an incurable condition." She leaned over and hugged her sister. "I would never want you to go through that."

Hearing this, May smiled and hugged her sister back. "So I guess it's settled, then," she said. "I'm staying in the sea."

"I thought that was settled a while ago," Dawn giggled.

"It was," May smirked, pulling out to look her in the eye, "but it's like I said: there have been times where I wondered what it would be like if I chose differently. Now I have a clearer picture of what the answer is." She smiled widely at her sister. "I made the right choice, and I won't turn back from it."

"Atta girl," Dawn said, returning her smile as small bubbles floated up away from her mask. They looked up and watched them float until they were out of sight.

"Is your mask running out of air?" May asked.

"Yeah, it's starting to," Dawn nodded. "I think it's time for me to head back home. Plus it's almost time for bed."

"Yeah, it probably is," May nodded. With that, they started swimming up towards the surface. When they were getting close, May took her mask out of her hair and pulled it over her mouth. They emerged from the water and moved towards the shoreline.

"We should do this again soon," Dawn said.

"Agreed," May said before pulling her sister into a hug. "Take care of yourself, Dawn."

"You too," Dawn replied, reciprocating the hug. Then she pulled away and walked up out of the water, heading over to get her stuff and head home. Once May couldn't see her anymore, she turned away and dove back down into the water, swimming back the way she came. She returned to the small alcove she and Dawn were at earlier and sat down, staring out at the open ocean once again with a wistful sigh.

"Did you enjoy catching up with your sister?"

May nearly jumped out of her scales in surprise. "Mother!?" she exclaimed, looking behind her and finding Cynthia floating inside the alcove with a warm smile. "When did you get here?"

"When you and Dawn were swimming back up," she said, floating up and sitting beside her. "So, did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah, I did," May nodded, looking back out. "It was nice to catch up with her after so long."

"I know what you mean," Cynthia nodded.

"You do?"

"What, you don't think you're the only one who's been visiting family at the surface, do you?"

May's eyes widened. "You've been visiting the others?"

"Checking up on them, yes," Cynthia smiled. "They seem to be doing well."

"Yeah," May agreed. "Were they annoyed that you did that?"

"Serena was," Cynthia chuckled. "Poor girl thinks she can run away from everything she used to be."

"Tell me about it. What about Misty and Dawn?"

"They were happy to see me." Cynthia sighed and smiled wistfully. "I missed them so much."

"Yeah, me too," May sighed, staring out at the ocean. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of the vast blue expanse in front of her. Seeing this, she sighed and looked down, idly flicking her fins while deep in thought.

"What is it?" Cynthia asked.

"Nothing," May shrugged, looking up at her. "Just thinking."

"What about?"

May looked down again and sighed. "I was thinking about the ocean, and how vast and beautiful it is." She looked back up at her mother. "Do you ever wonder what's out there?"

"No," Cynthia shook her head. "I've been out there many times when going to meet with other Mertriarchs, so I've seen quite a bit of it in the years I've reigned."

"Oh," May said, looking down at her fins again. "I guess it's nothing special to you now, is it?"

"Of course it is," Cynthia smiled knowingly. "The ocean has always been special to me, and I know it's special to you, too."

May looked up at her mother again and thought long and hard about what she wanted to say next. Should she tell her what she had found not too long ago? Or would her mother not believe her? She eventually came to a decision and, taking a deep breath, told her the truth:

"I found the Oceansong."

Cynthia's breath caught in her throat, and she slowly turned to May with a curious gaze. "You...what?"

"I found the Oceansong," May repeated herself. "I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I was feeling really depressed after I had to say goodbye to Popplio. Then I happened upon a small cave with strange materials all over it. And that's where I found it."

"May," Cynthia said, floating in front of her daughter to look her in the eye, "the Oceansong is a legend we merfolk have passed down throughout our generations. It is said that it only reveals itself to one whose heart belongs wholly to the ocean. Creatures of the sea may participate in it, but no mermaid has ever been able to find it. How can you be certain that you found it?"

"I don't know," May shrugged. "I just...know, somehow. I've never experienced anything like it before, or since. Like I said, I know it sounds crazy, and I don't blame you for not believing me." She floated up to return her mother's gaze. "But I know what I saw, what I heard. It was real: it is real. The Oceansong is real."

As May spoke, Cynthia noticed how her gaze remained firm and unmoving, unswayed by the waves that glide over the surface. A small smile formed on her face as she put her hand on her daughter's face, brushing a stray hair strand out of her eyes.

"You want to find it again, don't you?"

May blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"You want to go look for it again, don't you?"

"Uh," May stammered. "No, that's not what was on my mind."

"No, but it's why that was on your mind."

"Why what was on my mind?"

"You want to leave."

May froze in place, her eyes widening. "I...what? W-Where did you get an idea like –?"

"You don't have to hide it, May," Cynthia said, her smile unfaltering. "I've known this night would come for a long time. You want to leave home to swim to unexplored waters."

"Well," May said, poking her fingers together nervously, "I do like exploring but…"

"May," Cynthia said, putting a firm hand on her shoulder, "don't be afraid to be honest with me."

Hearing this, May sighed. "Okay, you got me," she said. "Yes, I want to leave and explore the ocean. I honestly don't know how it happened, but it's been my dream for a long time now. It's just...I can't just leave home like that. You know as well as I do that I'm no ordinary mermaid; I'm a princess, and that comes with responsibilities to these waters and their merpeople."

"Oh, May," Cynthia smiled warmly, putting her other hand on her shoulder, "you've grown up so much: you are strong and wise, and you truly have a heart for your own people. But you don't need to worry about them like that. You're not the Mertriarch, and I don't expect you to be for many years. You have many more years of life as a princess ahead of you. Do you want to spend them here at home? Or do you want to go out and see the vast and glorious ocean, like you always dreamed?"

May's eyes were wide with shock. She had thought her mother would disapprove of her dream, especially since she would be the one to succeed her one night. Not only did she not disapprove, but she was actually encouraging her to pursue it?

"Mother…" May whispered, "I...I don't know what to say."

Cynthia just smiled and leaned forward to peck her on the cheek. "Take your time to think about it," she said. With that, she turned and swam off for home.

May floated back to where she was sitting, staring out at the open ocean once again. As she lost herself in the vast wonder, she noticed a small shadow swim over her. She looked up and saw a school of Finneon swimming by, prompting her to smile as the light from above shone off their scales. They swam out to the ocean, fading into the endless blue waters. As May watched them swim off, she heard a faint but familiar sound. She strained her ear to listen and, sure enough, recognized the melody. She closed her eyes and quietly hummed along, losing herself in her memory of the melody...and what it meant to her.

As she swam home later that night, she made her decision.