Shipping Bingo: C2 - Accidental Marriage
Trope Bingo: B3 - Presumed Dead
Spring Bingo: D4 - Bathe
Team: Brilliant Snitch
Chimera: Jerry (Love/Hate; Eating/Drinking)
Scavenger Hunt: Sp Items (Flower)
Stacked With: FPC, BAON, ToS, Star, Fence, Shower, T3, Chim, SpB, TrB
Individual Challenges: Long Haul (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon; Neurodivergent (Y); Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Ethnic & Present; Setting Sail (Y); Ship Sails (Y); Gryffindor MC; Durmstrang MC; Hufflepuff MC; Beauxbatons MC; Magical MC; Feather's & Such; Old Shoes (Y)
Representations: Merperson!AU;
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenge(s): Unwanted Advice; Spinning Plates; Tomorrow's Shade; Fire Song; Second Verse (Nontraditional; Found Family; Not a Lamp; Ladylike; White Dress; Persistence Still); Chorus (Machismo; Bee Haven; Pocky Pockets; Odd Feathers; Pear-Shaped; Endless Wonder)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenge(s): T3 (Toad)
Warning(s):
~o0o~
He was dying. He knew he had to be. The ship had caught fire and everyone who hadn't made it to the boats was flailing in the dark sea. Prince Viktor hadn't even gotten that far. He was watching the orange glow of the surface grow farther and farther away. He was certain he couldn't hold his breath much longer, yet still he clawed through the water, the rope tight around his leg.
Even as he grew dizzy, he sensed a shape move around in the water. He'd only lived twenty years and he was going to drown or get eaten by a sea monster, or both.
Just before he passed out, small hands cupped his cheeks and a dark shape blocked the rest of the light.
~o0o~
Viktor inhaled sharply and coughed, rolling onto his side. He was lying on a soaked through mattress inside a cave. It might've been terrifying if the walls hadn't sparkled and shone like the inside of a geode. He had been given one as a gift once and enjoyed cracking it open to see the treasure inside. And there certainly was treasure here bathed in the light shining from a hole in the top. Trinkets and chests and gold and jewels. He looked down at himself. He had been burned by the fire. Or… he thought he did. He pulled the moss off his skin and found it as good as new. Even the cut he had gotten at the feast he'd been invited to across the sea had disappeared.
How long had he been out? And where was he exactly?
A fire crackled in the middle of the room. The floor was damp, yet it had no trouble staying alight and kept the chill at bay. On top of the flames a cauldron bubbled, though what was in it he couldn't see. His body felt heavy like stones and he wasn't sure he could stand even if he wanted to.
"Folderol and fiddle-dee-dee and fiddly faddly foddle, all the wishes in the world are poppycock and twoddle," someone sang within the cave.
The funny little song continued and a girl appeared from the back of the cave. She had warm brown skin and her long brown hair was locked together and decorated with little things that twinkled and caught the sun. She wore strange clothes. Something like a leather vest and fishing net draped around her shoulders like a shawl. Her skirt was big and moved strangely. Viktor propped himself up and furrowed his brow. She jumped, the items in her arms clattering to the floor.
"You're awake," she said and moved closer.
Up close he could see a strong jaw and full lips. Her golden eyes seemed to catch the fire even with it behind her. And then he realized her skirt was no skirt, but eight writhing tentacles, as blue as the sea on a summer's day. A sea witch. He had thought they were a myth. Though, if the mermaids who helped the fishermen were real then wouldn't it be possible for a sea witch to still be around?
"You had been out for several days," she said. "How's your head?"
Viktor flinched and she looked away, drawing her hand back; guilt settled into his stomach at his reaction. She had saved his life.
"Well, you seem to be doing alright," she said. "When you can stand on your own, I'll bring you wherever you want to go."
He thought of what awaited him back home. Rigidity. Rules. Pressure for a union as advantageous as his brothers and sisters had. And once they were sure he didn't suffer too much injury, they would parade him around once more. Suddenly, stuck in a cave with a sea witch didn't seem like the worst option.
"Wait," he said, grabbing her hand before she could go. "Thank you… for saving me. Why did you save me?"
"I try and save who I can," she said. "If I'm near a shipwreck… I'll push debris under flailing people. But you were bleeding so badly, I worried your companions wouldn't reach land in time, even if I pushed the currents in your favor."
"Who are you?"
"The protector of this sea. I keep the ancient ones asleep and I help whoever I can."
A shadow passed over the hole in the roof and a bucket lowered into the ground filled with fresh fruit. Viktor's mouth began to water and he realized salt was caking his lips.
"O wishing well," the voice above spoke. "My mother has fallen ill, please grant me your healing waters."
The Witch scuttled over and emptied the fruit into a basket. She used a tea cup to scoop a bit of potion into the bucket, then brought it over to a spring of fresh water that trickled into another pool, all the while singing in a language unknown to Viktor.
"Store in a ceramic jug," called the Witch. "Give your mother two swallows in the morning and two in the evening. Should it catch, the same to the rest."
She tugged the rope and the bucket lifted back up to the ceiling and disappeared. She noticed Viktor's confused expression.
"Can you imagine if they knew who I was?" she asked. "It's easier being a well."
"How long have you been doing this?" Viktor asked, thinking she must be centuries old.
The Witch looked up at the sunbeam and moved her hand as if counting.
"I've lived in this cave for fifteen cycles," she said. "I've been the wishing well for five."
He hummed and tugged at the tear in his sleeve, no doubt making it worse.
"I'm Viktor," he said at last. "What is your name?"
"Hermione," she replied.
What a beautiful name.
A shadow passed over and a flower fell through.
"O wishing well! Tell me, will the man I love return my affections?"
"Folderol and fiddle dee dee, fiddly faddly foodle. All the dreamers in the world are dizzy in the noodle!" The witch returned and the shadow left in a huff. "If they want their fortunes told there are plenty of tellers on the surface," she scoffed. "Though it's all rubbish."
"Do you not believe in fate?" Viktor asked.
She looked cross at that. "Fate is something people use to remove blame from actions. It wasn't anything they did! It was fate that led them on the path. I deal in real magic. Healing spells, spells for good crops, or a good luck charm for a safe journey. They leave an offering and I keep a steady stock of what they want."
He had heard tales of a wishing well now that he thought about it. Though right now he was focused on the fruit.
"What's that song you sing?" he asked.
"Adds to the mystic of the well," she replied. "If I just said, 'I won't make that for you' then they might realize there's a person down here. Cheeky responses have a better reaction."
She had put a lot of thought into it.
Hermione brought over the basket of fruit and he picked up an apple, biting into it.
"If you want something, say so," she said. "You're not a prisoner. I can take you to the surface right now if that's what you wish."
"Well, don't do that," he said, wiping juice from his chin. "I mean… How do I repay you?"
"You don't repay someone for good deeds."
"No, of course not, I just mean it's an honor thing," he said. "So, I refuse to leave until… until I fulfill a wish of yours in honor of saving my life."
Hermione tipped her head. He was sure she could see through the lie, but it seemed there was something she wanted more than just calling him out on it. Instead, she went over to her pile of treasures and sifted through them.
"I collect many things from your world," she said. "I find uses for them. Though these intrigue me the most."
She brought the item over and handed it to him, revealing a book. The pages were warped and more than a few letters were smeared yet just barely legible.
"This is a book," he said. "It's meant for recording stories or things that are true. Sometimes a mixture of both. These markings here are words but some books have pictures."
It was strange having to explain something like a book. Though, he was sure someone had to tell him at some point, didn't they?
"And you can read this?" said Hermione, running her fingertips over the page.
"Yes."
"What does it say?"
Viktor took another bite of the apple and carefully turned the pages back to the beginning. It had been waterlogged and so he could tell the pages were fragile. The book ended up being a farmer's almanac, but Hermione was riveted. She asked questions as to what things were that had been referenced, so they didn't get very far.
"Will you teach me how to read this?" Hermione asked. "I can read Atlantean, but they don't have much in the way of books. It's all carved in tablets and it's mostly for trading. Everything else is told by elders."
It would definitely take time, going over the alphabet. Sounds. If he taught her in one, might as well teach her in the others he knew. And who knew how long that would take?
"We begin tomorrow," he said. "Do you have anything to write with? Chalk?"
"I have calcium carbonate," she said, reaching into the pool and bringing out a chunk of something white. "It helps me make calculations for potions."
She scribbled out on the ground in a language he didn't recognize.
"That is chalk," he said.
"Oh." Her tentacles curled in and Viktor watched in fascination as they turned a bright red.
It quickly returned to blue and she tossed the chunk of rock aside.
"Get some rest," she said. "I'll be back with dinner."
~o0o~
Hermione was much smarter than any human Viktor knew. She picked up on the languages easily and was soon reading everything she had collected on her own. By that point, Viktor had healed and was walking around the cave and helping Hermione when she was away. He learned her songs and the potions to give to the people who came by.
"You fulfilled your end of the bargain," said Hermione. "Where do you want to go?"
Viktor looked up from the stew he was making for dinner. Hermione loved stew and gobbled it down the first time he made it. Mother had wanted to make sure he knew how to care for himself.
"Surely you want to go back to your family," she said. "Your life?"
He looked back down at the stew. This place was constantly damp and smelled like fish and brine. His clothing selection was limited to what Hermione had salvaged from shipwrecks. But dammit if he wasn't the happiest he'd ever been in his life. When the work was done, nobody found more work for him to do. For activities he could do what he wanted rather than what was expected. They played games and sang and read. Sometimes, they just laid out in the sun and rested until it set.
"I would like to leave the cave," he said. "But just to go where you go. To explore."
"What about your friends and family?"
He shrugged and went back to stirring the stew.
"I see…"
"Can a human learn magic?"
"There are witches. According to the one I know, humans typically can't, but that doesn't mean you don't have a magical ancestor. My cauldron likes you."
He blinked. "It likes me?"
"I had to move it here because those silly mermaids kept trying to mix up their own potions," she said. "The cauldron fought back and I got blamed for the injuries."
There was a lot he didn't know about her. There was a lot she didn't know about him, either. And yet they were never short of things to talk about.
"I'll take you around tomorrow," she said. "Let's just eat and rest for now."
She took her bowl of stew and went over to her pool. Viktor brought his food over and sat down on a flat stone hanging over it, letting his feet hang over the water. Hermione glanced up at him and ate while reading her book by crystal light.
"You know, you have gold here," said Viktor. "I could go into the village and buy you more books."
"I'll show you how to leave in the morning," she said.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked. "Forever, I mean."
"No."
"Good. Because I don't want to."
"You can't seriously enjoy staying in a dark cave. You humans like it dry and warm."
"I am not like other humans."
She scoffed, "That's for sure." She took a deep breath. "That was rude, wasn't it? I… You surprise me. I have very little in the way of friends. Cedric and Fleur from the Nereid village are kind to me and I have Harini and Ronald. I studied witchcraft alongside them, but they have their own lives and seas to protect. They don't look like me, either. Sea Witches tend to be the only ones of their species—it's been that way for centuries, there used to be more of us—and the merfolk treat us as the rulers of the sea, but they also shun us. Only coming to us for help and potions."
"So… you just resign yourself to a life alone?"
"That's the way it is. Why do you want to stay here so much?"
He shrugged. "I like you. I like being around you and here I can be myself. There is not much to me, but maybe that can change."
Hermione climbed up onto the shelf and rested her head on his shoulder. His heart jumped in a way he hadn't expected it to and he wasn't entirely sure the name of this feeling, but it made him feel brilliant and foolish at the same time.
The next morning, Hermione used her magic to place a lid on top of the skylight.
"So nobody comes for wishes," she explained and slung a satchel across herself. "There are two ways to get out. The first is through the tunnels that way." She pointed to the back of the cave. "You must go in complete darkness or the crystals marking the correct path won't light. The second is through there." She pointed to the pool. "I will take you that way. Can you swim?"
"Yes," he said.
"Very good. I'll cast a spell to help you breathe. I'm still negotiating a trade for gillyweed seeds."
"Gillyweed?"
"It's a plant you eat that allows you to breathe underwater," she explained. "The Mami Wata incorporate it into their diets. For now…"
She rested her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. Butterflies filled his stomach and he melted into it, drawing her close. Hermione pulled away, their lips making the same sound her tentacles did when they got stuck on something.
"Viktor, I can't cast the spell with your arms wrapped around me," she said.
His face and ears burned. "Oh! The spell!"
"Yes, the spell. Let me try again." She returned her hands to his cheeks and kissed him.
This time he refrained from kissing her back. She blew a puff of air and slowly parted, a bubble forming over his mouth and nose. She pulled her hands back and he felt as if he was wearing a glove on his face.
"Come on," she said.
Heart beating madly, he shed his coat and followed her into the pool. She dove down and he did too, chancing a breath. He could breathe just fine. This must have been how she saved him. Grinning, he followed her through a tunnel. She was quick and kept doubling back to check on him. He wished he could move like that.
The tunnel opened and he could see the open sea. Hermione moved faster and more gracefully than she did in the cave.
"So, what are we doing today?" Viktor asked.
"Collecting ingredients for my potion stock," she said and held out her hand. "Hang on."
Viktor took it and she shot through the water. It was almost like flying. He laughed with joy.
~o0o~
He wasn't sure how long he was with Hermione. There had been a lot of full moons, but he hadn't cared to count. He was given new clothes when they visited the Mami Wata to the West. He met a few other Sea Witches, Harini the half-sea snake, Ron the half-crab, and Luna the half-eel. Fleur and Cedric the nereids liked him the most and told him to visit as much as he wanted. So he did, sometimes without Hermione if she was busy. She sometimes booted him out if she had a particularly difficult spell to cast, but he didn't mind because when he came back she was happy to see him and he made her stew. Sometimes, he would go into town in disguise and purchase books for them to read together.
Nobody knew him as the missing prince and he liked it that way. Of course, some assumed he was a prince from the clothes he wore and the gold jewelry. The fine purple cloak he used to hide his face was specially woven so it would dry instantly on land.
This particular occasion, he was collecting her usual ingredients for her. She had been doing research on a potion and wouldn't say what it was. He found some oysters while he was out and collected a few for dinner. He picked up another and turned it over. He brought out his knife and opened it up, finding a chunk of pearl. He picked it up and swam to the surface so he could look at it better. It was oddly shaped, but a beautiful shade of lavender. He thought those were only possible in freshwater.
He smiled and returned home just in time for the gillyweed to wear off.
"Hermione?" he called.
Her cauldron was bubbling, but she didn't respond. Perhaps she went out. Viktor used this to go through the pile of treasure. He found a chain, some wire, and a tool. He removed the gem from the original necklace and tossed it back in the pile, replacing it with the pearl. He stashed it away in his pocket. He could give it to her after dinner.
"Viktor?"
He whirled around to see Hermione return from the back of the cave.
"Hello," he said. "I brought you your ingredients."
"Thank you." She took them from him and gold magic appeared at her fingertips to sort and dry them for storage. "Are you hungry?"
"Famished."
After they ate and their food settled, they went out to look at the stars.
"I have something for you," said Hermione, reaching into her pouch. "Here."
Viktor accepted it and touched her wrist. "You're trembling."
"Open it."
He peeled back the fabric to see a beautiful spiral shell. There were holes in it. He brought it to his lips and blew, a haunting note playing.
"It's connected to my shell," she said, touching the small shell that hung around her neck. "If you're in trouble, it will help me find you, or if you play the right notes it will let you use my magic to cast your own. It… connects us. Do you accept?"
"I will treasure it always," he said and reached into his pocket. "I have something for you, too."
He placed it in her hand and she looked at it in the moonlight.
"A pearl…" she whispered. "It's beautiful."
"Let me put it on you."
"Yes, of course!" She turned away and lifted her hair.
Viktor clasped it around her neck, then wrapped his arms around her.
"This is so sudden," she said, covering her face with her hands.
She must not have received presents before.
"I think it's long overdue," he murmured and pressed his lips to her shoulder.
Hermione was much happier than Viktor had ever seen her. She greeted him with warm embraces and had moved his bed closer to her pool so they could hold hands before falling asleep. She had tried climbing in once but dried out from the spell she used to keep him dry and decided their arrangement was just fine.
In the following days she kept working on a potion, though she didn't tell him what it was for.
"I think I need… yes, Viktor," she said. "You know those flowers that grow near the nereid village? Could you pick some for me?"
"Of course," he said and kissed her hand.
He ate his gillyweed and dove into the pool, the transformation coming easily. He swam to nereid village where he was immediately hugged by Cedric and Fleur.
"Congratulations!" said Cedric.
"Thank you. On what?"
"Hermione told us all about it," said Fleur. "Show us the shell."
Confused, he brought out the shell he had been given.
"And of course, the pearl you got her is amazing," said Cedric. "I only wish you had told us so we could've been there!"
"Oh, she's already planning an official ceremony. It takes time to plan for all the sea witches to gather. It's been centuries since one actually got married, I mean most often when they grow old they turn to seafoam and the next generation is born from that."
Viktor blinked. "Married?"
"Uh, yeah. I mean the details are all muddy on account of it being so long," said Cedric. "But to marry a sea witch they offer a piece of themself in an artifact for their mate to protect and carry. She was just going to give it to you, she wasn't expecting you to seal the deal by giving her a rare item. How did you even find a lavender pearl?"
"You must've searched for weeks!" said Fleur. "So romantic! You know, since you came along and befriended the Sea Witches, the others haven't been so skittish. If a human likes them, then they should give them a chance."
"Married…"
That explained a lot.
"Aw, look at him," said Cedric. "Must be that honeymoon phase we heard about."
"If you figure out how, you will name us godparents of your little monsters, yes?" asked Fleur.
"Okay…"
"Why are you here anyway?"
Viktor blinked back to reality. "She wanted flowers for her potion."
"Oh! Of course!" said Fleur. "Take however many you need."
Viktor nodded and took five just to be sure. At the very least she could dry them and store them. Married… It definitely explained a lot. This meant… she loved him! He grinned and punched the water excitedly. All this time spent worrying and it was as simple as that. Now he could hardly wait for the proper ceremony. To announce his love to everyone.
He returned to the cave and poked his head out of the water.
"I got them!" he called.
"Oh, perfect!" Hermione hurried over and took the flowers, stooping down to press her forehead to his.
His gills closed up and he stood so he could embrace her properly.