Hello! The lore I've been coming up with for this fanfiction makes me want to make this a totally different novella. But I won't as I can't bother with characters (at least for now). This is a bit of a longer chapter, and hopefully you can understand all my fight scenes. Oh, spoilers, FIGHT SCENES! Which also brings me to the fact that I kind of feel like I'm going a little OP with the characters. I'm sorry if that's the case! But anyways, I hope you enjoy, and rememember, REVIEW!
Shirayuki scoured the cave's water. She could see through the darkness easily. But there didn't seem to be anyone inside. The cave walls were as smooth as a seal's hide-there was no place to hide. She cursed in her native tongue, Mermish. It felt odd after spending so many minutes speaking English, which she didn't really do all that often.
She looked up to the light blue glow coming from the surface. Her heart was still beating with anger. If the Prince was unaware of the tale of her people, who would be? Humans really were as horrible as she was told.
But more importantly, she had heard someone speak in Mermish.
Shirayuki dove for the cave opening, her eyes open and straining all of her senses. She paused just as she could see the open water once again. What she saw caused her heart to drop into her fins.
A Sharkman floated there, pale and scaled arms crossed. His tail moved slightly against the few currents, sharp and thin like one of a Great White's. His black hair was short, floating upwards in the water as a current pushed at it. His eyes were golden, and he held a large spear in one hand.
Sharkmen were the protectors of the sea-employed by the Ocean herself. They listened only to the command of their home, and apparently could actually hear her voice speak words. Sharkmen were rare-apparently only having five of them a sea. They were notorious for keeping the amount of humans the mers killed as minimal as possible-though why no one really knew. They were Mers as much as Shirayuki was a mer-why would they be so upset over the destruction of the race that destroyed them?
To meet one in person...well, Shirayuki wasn't necessarily honored.
"No humans are allowed to live under the Surface for more than ten minutes, miss Shirayuki." Said the Sharkman. He was bare-chested, covered with light gray scales all along his skin. His muscles were toned and sharp, his jaw jutted out slightly. He had a glint in his glowing eyes Shirayuki wasn't sure she liked. The spear he held was a ragged, seaweed-wrapped weapon with an extra long tip. It was almost like one of a harpoon, but according to legends the Ocean crafted the spears out of the various bones of long-dead creatures that used to live in her domain.
"How did you know my name?" She asked.
"I know all mers." The Sharkman responded. "Do you wish to go against the laws of the Sea?"
"No!" Shirayuki put her hand on the side of the cave, not feeling safe to leave the small space. "I would never!"
The Sharkman raised his eyebrows. "Really? Well, you are."
Shirayuki bit back the pout she was feeling. "I'll kill him shortly. But he's not even in the water right now, not technically."
"The law says under the Surface." The Sharkman looked around, a fake expression of shock on his face. "I believe that's where we are."
Shirayuki wanted to argue, but she knew there was no way to win against the Sharkmen. She sighed. "Alright. I'm sorry, I'll kill him now."
The Sharkman uncrossed his arms. He had extra flippers underneath his forearms-most likely for speed. They were an odd mix of the gray of his scales and the paleness of his skin. "It's alright, I can manage it."
Shirayuki twitched. "No, let me. I didn't get to sink the ship-"
"Which is why you should let me kill him. You have a ship that the Sea wants to be a new reef. She's depending on you, Shirayuki. Besides, you've never killed someone up close." The Sharkman twirled the spear around his fingers. That was another odd thing about the spears of the Sharkmen-they acted like a weapon on land. Mers mostly fought with stabs and blocks instead of slashes-because the water make it difficult to properly move the weapons in long motions like that. But the Sharkmen slashed instead-their spears were blessed by the Sea.
Shirayuki bit back her irritation. "He hurt me. I want to kill him in revenge."
The Sharkman hummed. "Revenge killing-let me ask you something, Shirayuki, do you sink the humans' ships because it's a small bit of revenge for what happened to the Mers?"
Shirayuki blinked. "Don't all Mers sink them because of that?"
The Sharkman slipped his weapon into his other hand. "Perhaps. But the question is-do you feel any more satisfied? Watching their mighty ships crumble into the Sea's embrace, the men flailing uselessly around in the sea, or watching as they lose their safety from a small dinghy?"
Shirayuki paused.
The Sharkman swam forward. He put a hand on her shoulder-his skin cold and his fingers webbed. "Killing isn't a great way to get revenge. Now, go sink your ship. I have a man to kill." In a second, the gesture turned from a reassurance to an order. He shoved her shoulder aside and ducked into the small tunnel, being careful not to hit her with his tail as he swam. He kicked his fin like a shark-right and left instead of up and down.
Shirayuki watched him go, pursing her lips. His words haunted her. Killing isn't a great way to get revenge.
She looked back to the open water. Finding the ship again-that would be annoying as well. The ocean must have pushed it miles away by now. She might have to journey for a few more days. But that might take her even into another pod's territory. While they wouldn't fight her for it, she would be questioned by their border guards. She really didn't want to reveal she had let the ship move too far from her usual sinking spot.
She looked back into the cave. Her red hair floated in her face and she angrily swept it out of the way. She supposed she had no choice, really. If a Sharkman had told her that this was what she must do, then the Ocean herself had given her an order…
But then she heard a loud splash.
How did a Sharkman kill? She knew he said otherwise, but she could like to see the body to at least know for sure the Prince was gone.
She hesitated, then turned and sped back through the tunnel.
The Sharkman wasn't in the water in the cave. Shirayuki slipped over to a tall stalagmite and broke the surface. The sounds of struggle immediately met her ears. She peeked over the edge, and gasped aloud.
To her shock, the Sharkman was pinned to the land by the Prince of Clarines. He held the chain across the Sharkman's neck, sending him into a writhing frenzy. The Prince had somehow gotten the magic spear out of the Sharkman's reach, it was dangerously close to falling back into the sea's hold. His tail slapped around wildly, trying to reach the Prince. Occasionally, the Sharkman managed to brush the Prince's back, but not as a hit. It just slipped off of his sandy back harmlessly. The Sharkman's hands were pushing at the chain, desperately trying to pull it away from his gills.
Shirayuki's own hands were still aching. Iron was a metal the mers would never willingly touch. Something about it burned like fire when it came into contact with a magical being's skin. Mers were not excluded-and apparently, nether were Sharkmen. How had the Prince known? Shirayuki had just barely touched the chains, but they still gave her a considerable burn.
He lied to me! He knows more than what he told me!
Anger welled up within Shirayuki again in a massive tidal wave. She darted forward. In Mermish, she shouted. "Let him go, you swine!"
The Prince tilted his head, but didn't move from his position.
Shirayuki pulled her dagger from her satchel. She lunged out of the water with a mighty kick, her knife lifted over her head. She aimed to drive it straight into the back of the Prince.
But to her shock, the Prince flipped up and over the head of the Sharkman, still keeping the chain pressed against the Sharkman's neck. Shirayuki kept her dagger suspended in the air as she landed hard on the ground, next to the tail of the Sharkman. He looked at her with a surprised expression to mimic her own. But the Sharkman recovered quicker. He lifted his tail with a heave and rolled, landing on top of the human. Shirayuki jumped back as he slipped his head free from under the chains's wrath and straightened like a water snake. He wrapped his tail around the Prince's neck tightly.
The Prince gasped and grabbed at his fin, pulling and trying to dig his nails through the Sharkman's scales.
The Sharkman meanwhile slipped off of the Prince's back, landing hard in the sand on his stomach. He coughed and rubbed at his neck, Shirayuki could see the burn marks already. He really needed the touch of the Ocean to heal him, but his tail was wrapped tight around the Prince's neck.
Shirayuki flipped her tail around so it was facing the pair, her breath shaky. "Kill him." She asked the Sharkman. "Please." The threat of the iron had scared her. Let the Prince's body sit here and rot in this cave for all eternity-she couldn't believe she nearly witnessed one of her own be killed by a human.
The Sharkman gave a soft laugh. "I'm trying, miss. Believe me." He squeezed tighter.
The Prince's face turned blue. But his eyes flashed. He let go with his right hand and pressed the chain tied around his wrist to the Sharkman's tail.
The Sharkman howled again, and loosened his grip. He pulled away, and the Prince gasped for breath. He coughed, while the Sharkman lifted his tail around and grabbed the fin. He studied the wound. Iron on gills could kill a Mer instantly. On their scales-they would sometimes give them something like a limp. The scales would lose all (if any) color, and the Mer wouldn't be able to feel or move that area for a while. Luckily for the Sharkman, it wasn't a large wound. Shirayuki had once helped with an incident where a child had gotten his tail caught in an iron net. He was unable to swim for an entire month. The only way to avoid a completely dead scale, the Mer would have to have the sea's salt cover the wound. Not the water, but only the salt. .
The Sharkman hissed at the human. "You will die a slow, watery death." He hissed in Mermish.
The Prince lifted his wrist and stared at the iron. "If this is what's killing you so much, I think I should be grateful."
The Sharkman slithered down backwards into the water. His golden eyes glowe underneath the surface, always on the Prince. He swam along the edge, going towards his spear.
The Prince's eyes widened, seeing where he was heading. He strained against the iron unsuccessfully.
Good. Shirayuki thought. With his spear, the Sharkman would be invincible. How the human had even disarmed him in the first place was a mystery.
The Prince's eyes went to her. "You're just gonna let him do this to me?"
Shirayuki flicked her tail around her body and sat up, spreading her fin. She rested her hands on top of it. "Yes. You killed my people without a second thought, why should I care what happens to only one of you?"
The Prince strained against the chain again. He waited, watching her, then the Sharkman's hand reached up from the water and grabbed the spear. He glared at Shirayuki. "Fine." He snarled. He reached up with his free hand and grabbed a single link of the chain. Shirayuki watched, as fast as he could, he pulled the chain through itself. It unknotted without a hitch, and he lunged to his feet, grabbing the chain with both, now free hands.
"Shark-!" Shirayuki turned to see the ocean swell underneath the Sharkman's tail. He loomed over the land on an ever rising wave of water, glowing purple against the reflection of the Vidre. The Sharkman let out a battle cry as he pointed the spear at the Prince's heart.
Shirayuki was astounded. A common myth about the Sharkmen was the Aigua, the power to control the ocean's movements with just a single thought. She thought it was all fake, because the only way you could control the ocean was with the four-colored pearls that were extremely hard to find. And even then, you'd need an extreme magic level to successfully use it. There was a rumor that maybe the Sharkmen had all of them-but he would have to crush the pearl first. There was no way he could have cast the spell that fast.
The Prince didn't look phased. As the spear came down, he shifted the position of the chain just slightly. Sparks flew as the spear glided against the iron, just missing the Prince by a few inches. The Sharkmen let go of the spear, but before he could move away the Prince reached up with the chain. He wrapped it around the Sharkman's wrist, pulling tight and tying him to the spear's handle. The seaweed had ripped open along the side of the spear. It burrowed into the earth with a thud. The Sharkman howled, this time in pain, and flopped down to the sand. He writhed, twitching his fingers and trying to pull away.
The Prince stepped out of his reach and pulled the chain tight. He held it with both hands and put his weight back into his hips, burying his bare feet into the now wet sand.
The Sharkman slapped the ground helplessly with his tail. He glared at the human. "You and your kind are worth less than the barnacles we put on your ships."
Shirayuki couldn't believe her eyes. "How did…how did you…?" She tried to find words. A Sharkman…out done by a human?
The Prince looked at her briefly, focused on holding the Sharkman in place. "Your kind aren't the only people who have tried to assassinate me in this world. I know how to defend myself, and you used a basic sailing knot to tether me." He explained.
The Sharkman's eyes widened at his words, and he directed his glare to Shirayuki. She jumped, tightening the curl of her tail to grasp at her fin nervously. "You underestimated him."
"I did what I had to keep him here." She responded, trying to keep her voice even. "Without touching the iron."
The Sharkman sighed, then his facial features contorted in pain as the Prince tightened his grip.
"I'm guessing that's your language. Listen to me. I can't die. I have a country that needs me." The Prince spoke firmly. "So, if you don't want to have these chains tied around you forever, you'll take me back to Clarines."
The Sharkman huffed a laugh. "Getting threatened by a human is…a new one." In English, his words were slow and soft.
The Prince tipped his head. "Well, getting nearly killed by mermaids is a new one for me too."
"Do I look like a female to you?" The Sharkman sneered. He strained against the chain again.
The Prince stepped back, tightening his grip. It was then Shirayuki noticed that he had red marks all along his forearms-from where the chains had gripped him before. Did iron affect humans too? Or maybe it was just from prolonged exposure of the rough surface. "No. Sorry, mermaids and mermen." The Prince made eye contact with the mermaid, as if surprised she hadn't done anything yet.
She realized with a start she should have done something. Shirayuki reached into her satchel and pulled out her knife. She looked at the human. "Let him go." She ordered.
The Prince sighed. "I was hoping that you'd just swim off and let this gentlemen take me home."
The Sharkman barked out a laugh a little like a seal. "Did you really think I would even consider it? You are supposed to be dead, by decree of the Sea herself."
"Oh, really? Then how come I'm still alive now?" The Prince pulled tight on the chains once.
Shirayuki's sympathy went out to the Sharkmen. She always considered herself to have a high tolerance for pain, but by now the chains must have been ready to break through to the Sharkman's skin. How he wasn't moving more than a twitch of his fin or fingers was beyond her.
"Because she was stupid." The Sharkman snapped, tilting his head to her.
Her sympathy lessened a little.
She unraveled her tail and straightened. She slithered towards the human, dagger in hand. She was slower on land-she hated that. But she had to try.
The human braced himself.
She tucked in her dagger, and gave him a test stab.
In the blink of an eye, he had knocked her dagger out of her hand and held it between his two fingers. He studied it. "What is this even made of?" He didn't give her a chance to respond, however. He stretched out the end of the chain. The Sharkman howled in pain. With his free hand, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the iron. Her finger tingled as the tip got near it.
"No!" She cried. She pulled her tail across the sand and knocked the feet out from underneath the human. He didn't let go of the chain, however, so it shifted down a small inch on the Sharkman's wrist.
The Sharkman grabbed his wrist in pain. "Watch it, girl!" He yelled at her in Mermish.
Shirayuki slithered on top of the human's legs. She reached for her dagger, but in a flash he had spun it around in his hand and given her a small cut on the back of her knuckles. She gasped in pain and reeled upwards, away from him.
He put her dagger against her chin, the entire blade pressed against her neck instead of just the tip. "I don't necessarily want to kill you, but if you won't take me home…"
"I'm not taking you anywhere!" The Sharkman snapped. Then he looked at Shirayuki. "Get off of him before he slits your throat open, you incompetent minnow."
Shirayuki shot him a glare. She started to slither off of the human, and he sat up. His legs still pinned under her tail, he got right into her face.
Her heart crept into her throat. This was no ordinary human.
And that's when an idea came to her.
Although she was a little embarrassed to be doing it in front of the Sharkman, as she had never done something like this in front of one of her own people before…She shook away her embarrassment. He was about to kill her.
In the ocean, it was kill or be killed.
She lowered her chin and batted her eyelashes. The knife dug a little deeper into her neck, but it didn't break her skin. Softly, she began to sing under her breath.
"This is the Song of the Sea.
It sings to you and me…"
The human's grip on the knife faltered. He blinked, looking stunned. Like she had just hit him between the eyes.
Shirayuki watched through her mask, interested. She had never been close enough to see her spell take affect besides just the abrupt turning of a boat.
"It sings to all who feel lost.
And even those who feel found.
The Song of the Sea is just for you and me."
The Sharkmen was blinking at her, completely unaffected. But he waited, seeing her ploy.
The Prince's eyes were locked on hers. He had stopped blinking as if he confused, and instead was now leaning closer to her, eager.
Shirayuki's fin opened and closed, amused. She could probably tell him to drown himself right now, and he probably would. She sang louder, encouraged by his reaction.
"The Song of the Sea lists left and right.
The tone is never quite right.
It speaks of love and those lost.
And it speaks of danger and the urge to fight for a cause."
He was totally hers now. His hands lowered to his sides. Her dagger fell from his hands, resting next to them uselessly. He still gripped the chain, however. He looked at it softly, as if confused to why he was holding it. He squeezed it.
It was distracting him. She grabbed his chin and pulled his gaze back to her eyes. As she sang, she ran her fingers across the bottom of his jaw.
"Soon you will feel what it means
To sing the Song of the Sea
Here with-"
Her song was cut off with a yelp as he suddenly dropped the chain and pressed his lips to hers. He pressed his hands gently to the sides of her head, gently pushing her wet hair away from her face. His eyes were shut, but hers were wide open.
The Sharkman groaned aloud, but he immediately began to carefully pull his hand free of the chain.
Shirayuki couldn't inhale. His lips tasted salty-just like the ocean. His touch was gentle on the sides of her face, his hands warm. He pulled back softly with a gentle exhale, the air puffing over her lips as he broke contact.
His eyes were narrowed, but then he blinked-and they widened. He jumped back, holding her at arm's length. "Ah! No, I-I'm so…um, sorry! That wasn't-I didn't-" Then he grunted as the Sharkman punched him in the cheek.
He didn't go far, obviously, as Shirayuki was still on top of him. He collapsed on his side, almost immediately lifting his head.
Shirayuki was still stunned. Her fingers went to her lips. She had never been kissed before.
"Move away already." The Sharkman snapped at her.
She slithered off of the Prince and the Sharkman grabbed the Prince by the throat. The Prince gasped, clutching the Sharkman's wrist as his oxygen was cut off.
Shirayuki watched from a short distance. She couldn't believe someone had actually kissed her. And she couldn't believe that same someone was being choked to death.
"You humans. None of you can resist the spell of a maiden, can you?"
The Prince's cheeks flushed-ether from embarrassment or lack of oxygen. He glared at the Sharkman.
Shirayuki was so in shock, she didn't see the movement. But the Prince's feet suddenly were on the Sharkman's shoulders. They rolled slowly, and suddenly the Prince was on top, his feet on the ground and his back arched as the Sharkman still held his throat. The Prince straightened, pulling the Sharkman up as he held onto his throat. The Sharkman tried to use his upper body strength, but then the Prince grasped the small fin on the Sharkman's forearm. He pulled and Shirayuki gasped as he ripped the fin from the Sharkman's flesh.
The Sharkman roared and dropped immediately, blood flowing from his wound like a fountain.
The human stumbled backwards, nearly into the water. He rubbed his throat, coughing and gagging. He then lunged towards the Vidre, the purple lightning making it look as if the salt in his white hair was actually stars. He grabbed the chain and untied that from the rock too easily. He pulled the chain, and the spear was pulled from the ground. The chain was still wrapped around the shaft, the Sharkman was only able to free his hand without touching the iron with his other hand.
In a massive yank, the human now wielded the weapon of the Sea.
"No!" The Sharkman yelled. He thrashed his tail and struggled around to sit up. The extra fin from his forearm dangled uselessly from his skin. "No human can wield that!"
"Oh yeah?" The Prince challenged. He pulled the now completely free chain and wrapped it around the handle and the ripped seaweed-leaving only the pointed tip free of the iron touch. "Come at me, fish-face." He dared.
The Sharkman glared. "You have tried my patience for the last time, scum of the land."
With that, a massive wave swelled over the land. The ocean looked as if it had inverted on itself. The rush of water was deafening as it blocked the rest of the cave from view, then the roof.
The Prince tensed, brandishing the spear as if he had used one all his life. "Don't do that." He warned, his voice a little shaky.
"You've proven yourself to be worthy in battle, but not worthy enough to ignore the order of the Sea." The Sharkman snarled. He lifted up on his tail, spreading his muscled arms wide. "This, is you're end!"
The water fell straight down on top of them. Shirayuki was suddenly surrounded, as if the cave had flooded. She knew what was best in this situation. She let her tail hang limp and the wild currents throw her forward. She crashed into something-she hoped it wasn't the rock. Her hair rushed into her face and she had to shut her gills against the rush of all of it. It was too much.
Then, abruptly, all of the water retreated. She held her breath. Air rushed to fill the gaps, and droplets of it rained down on her skin harshly. Her tail trembled, and she finally took in a breath of air as the rain stopped.
Her heartbeat was pounding. She had never, ever, seen such control over the water. The Aigua was completely terrifying.
Then she felt more than heard a groan. Her fingers clutched at a soaked jacket, unfamiliar fabric. She started, her hands slipping off a shoulder and into a soaked sand bed. The grains rolled over her skin and stuck-like it was trying to hold her hand. Her other stayed on the Prince's chest as it rose and fell quickly as he coughed. He groaned and shook his head. He reached up, but stopped as his fingers brushed her arm. He opened his eyes and found hers not two inches away from his.
He froze. His mouth was open as he breathed. His eyes darted down to her lips, and hers went down to his.
She was remembering what it felt like to kiss him. She thought he might be thinking the same thing. But then she remembered the Sharkman.
She looked away, and found the Sharkman unmoved. His skin was soaked, his wound had somehow healed. The blood had washed away. He held his spear tightly in his hand, the chains gone and nowhere to be seen. The seaweed had somehow mended.
Water dripped down his chest in rivulets. His hair had been pushed backwards. His golden eyes were wide. His scales shimmered.
That's when Shirayuki realized that the Vidre had turned a light, rosy pink. As she watched, it slowly began to change back into that surface blue it usually was when no one was around it, and no emotions were running high.
The Sharkman slumped. He looked to the two of them. He shoved his spear into the ground, and turned to face him. "Second Prince of Clarines, Zen Wisteria. I am to escort you back to your home immediately."