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Chapter Three – The Fall
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Throughout her mermaid life, Akane had never seen humans, but nearly every trip to the underwater markets, she'd manage to hear bits and pieces of gossip about an infamous kingdom near the shore.
But what caught her interest the most was the rumor of a handsome prince living in the castle. She didn't understand why the older mermaids' cheeks would become flushed with a rosy pink hue and why every year, more and more mermaids giggled as they fawned over the prince. Apparently, this attraction to the prince caused the pounding of blood that sounded like strong waves crashing upon the shoreline.
Apparently a human boy could cause such strange bodily responses in mermaids.
She wondered what he looked like, and wondered if this prince was as handsome as the mermaids always said.
… …
Before she opened her eyes again, she felt her body encased in a soft, warm, and dry material, and her head elevated on a fluffy and dry material. She wasn't on the shore anymore.
Where am I?
Akane didn't dare open her eyes, but continued to note her surroundings. She could hear human voices a few feet away.
"-and he brought her to us to clean up last night. Sir Kirino said that Shindou wanted to keep it a secret from his father~~" said a bubbly 'voice 1'.
"If anyone else in the castle ends up knowing, it could end up as a scandal. The King would be utterly displeased to hear that his son is secretly housing a lady in his personal wing of the castle!" a childlike feminine voice, which Akane named as 'voice 2', gasped.
Realization hit her like a forceful current. I'm in the castle! Her eyes shot open to see herself in a cream-colored dry room with high ceilings.
"Oh, she's awake!" said the 'voice 2', who bounded towards her bedside and put her face inches away from Akane's. Shocked, Akane squirmed back under the linen covers reflexively, but the petite and bubbly girl didn't seem to mind her reaction. "Hi, I'm Kinako!"
The green eyed redhead nodded at her. "I'm Midori. Nice to meet you."
Ah, she's 'voice 2', thought Akane.
The honey blonde maid quickly swung her head towards the clock on the wall opposite Akane's bed. Kinako gasped loudly. "Oh, I nearly forgot! Prince Shindou is coming in thirty minutes!"
She began to close the curtains hastily. Midori sped-walked to a wardrobe and forcefully yanked them open to reveal lots of dresses.
Prince Shindou? Akane wondered as she tried with all her might to push herself upright on the bed without touching her now-bandaged wounds.
Even with her accomplishment of sitting upright to see what the commotion was about, she fought the urge to dive back into the fluffy covers again when the maids rushed towards her, each holding a dress in their arms.
"If I may say, I do think that this green dress would be fitting for tonight," Midori held a green dress up with pride. "What do you think, miss?"
Kinako stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face Midori with puffed cheeks. "No way! The yellow one is CUTER!" Kinako insisted, pushing out the yellow dress to counterattack Midori's selection.
"Whatever. We'll discuss our fashion tastes later, Kinako." Midori huffed, knowing her fellow maid and friend was too cute to resist. She halfheartedly shoved the green dress back into the closet. "We can't waste any time." She then yanked out a simple satin gown in a dark shade of purple.
"Then, how about this one?" Midori nonchalantly asked and held said dress up to Akane. "The color matches your eyes."
… …
Twenty minutes later, Akane gasped in awe as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Kinako and Midori had dressed her up in a deep violet gown that reached the floor. It accompanied her clear purple eyes perfectly, and to accompany it, Kinako was braiding her hair with tiny white flowers. She couldn't believe how nice the gown and braid looked on her.
Midori and Kinako put their finishing touches, tidied up the room, and headed towards the door. Akane noted how peculiar they lined up side by side, and bowed respectfully to her. "We are at your beck and call, miss. Let us know if we can do anything for you."
These humans are not as bloodthirsty as I believed. This entire time, Akane had not said anything, fearful for her life. Akane gave a bashful wave as they quietly exited through the door.
Akane was left in silence for a good while of time and twiddled her fingers. She wandered around the room, where the wardrobe, vanity, and chair sat in a glossy white furnish on the left side of the room. On the right side of the room, there were archery targets and curved bows and arrows neatly organized.
She ached with curiosity, like with her treasures she had spotted yesterday, but she dared not touch this odd human machinery in fear that the Prince might return any moment.
Still, he had not come. There was nothing to do but wait. Evening fell quickly, and the starry night crept over the vibrant orange sunset. The window on the side of the archery equipment now showed a deep dark night sky with the bright moon shining through.
She sat down on her bed and leaned against the bedpost as carefully as possible to not crumple up the beautiful gown. Her eyes glossed over several times, but she quickly fluttered her eyelids awake.
As she did so, a knock came at the door, and the door creaked open to reveal the Prince, who bowed and closed the door behind him.
The room was only illuminated by the moonlight flowing through the window, but she could not believe how beautifully his features shone. She could not help but to stare at the Prince's gorgeous, perfectly curly, ash brown hair. His skin was as smooth as the insides of a shell. His chestnut eyes, defined and flawless.
Akane's heart started to pound like the waves on the shore. This isn't a dream… this isn't a fairytale… they were right. He is stunning!
Prince Shindou stood in silence and after a minute of looking at her, he cleared his throat and looked away bashfully. "I'm sure you have waited long, miss." His serious yet apologetic handsome voice echoed across the room as he made his way towards her.
Akane finally spoke, albeit timidly, unsure of how her voice would sound in the air as opposed to the water she'd been in her whole life. "How do you do?"
He met her lilac eyes again. "Just fine. I am more concerned about you, however. My two best maids I ordered to care for you didn't give you too much trouble, I hope," he said, removing a bag from his back as he walked over to the bows hanging on the wall.
Akane gave a soft giggle. "Please don't worry. They were gentle with me."
Prince Shindou nodded. "I do apologize for the mess. I'm afraid I don't have a better room for you to stay in. This is the room that I usually keep my archery equipment in," the Prince admitted sheepishly.
Akane felt her heart jump at his cute gesture. "I am fine. And…"
Prince Shindou raised his eyes up, waiting for her to finish her sentence.
"Ah.. .thank you so much for saving-" Akane took a step towards him to bow like the maids had bowed, but promptly slipped on her gown. She immediately closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact.
For some reason, it didn't come. Her eyes cautiously opened to see herself in the Prince's arms holding her steady from the fall, his face inches from hers.
"Careful," said the Prince in his deep, serious, caring voice.
Oh no! He must think I'm a fool for slipping in front of him, in front of royalty…
He was so beautiful up close. She gasped, and breathed in his scent. He smelled like a scent she had never smelled before, like a melodious new song the mermaids would sing. It was intoxicating and she felt her head swim.
Sadly, the moment ended too soon. Prince Shindou helped her onto her feet and stepped a great distance away from her. Akane felt her skin cool from his warm touch.
"I see you may be still unstable. After all, Kirino and I found you in critical condition the day before, when I found you sitting on the beach, um… ah…" Shindou stuttered, remembering her bare apricot skin indecently exposed against the backdrop of soft sand.
"Oh, ah, yes… thank you." Akane followed his imagination and looked to the ground, embarrassed with the state in which the men must have found her.
"It might be odd to ask this just now, but, what are you called, and where do you hail from?"
Akane wrapped her arms tightly around her. She couldn't possibly let him know the fact that she was a mermaid, who were often hunted by his people. "I am Akane… and I… I am from… the seaside, um, much like everyone else around here," Akane squeaked.
"Well milady, I am glad to have found one of the maidens of this town in her distress before it was too late. I can't imagine what could have happened if we had not reached you in time… either if you had died from losing too much blood, or if a man saw you and took advantage of you in your vulnerable state…" he trailed off and shook his head, his robust curls framing his every movement.
"I have caused you to worry over me. I'll leave tomorrow as soon as possible," Akane said, reciting the words that she learned in a play at her mermaid school when she was younger.
Prince Shindou didn't notice at all, and made his way to the door. "Do not depart unless you are completely healed. I shall plan for your departure until after you're able to walk without falling over. For now, do not move out of this room, and don't let yourself be seen by anyone other than the two maids and Sir Kirino." His voice became stern, and his eyes matched his resolve to keep her safe.
Kelp and seagrass does a better job of healing cuts than this human-made medicinal paste, thought Akane. Nonetheless, she nodded.
"Very well. I shall see you in the morning, after you finish your breakfast given to you by the maids."
Faint footsteps echoed in the hall outside. At the sound of this, Prince Shindou bowed and exited the room quickly.
Dazed at the marvelous prince, Akane did her best to toddle to her bed. She curled up on the bed and fell asleep trying to hold her arms the way Prince Shindou held her from her fall.
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Author's Note: It has been such a looooong time since I last updated this story! Don't worry, I have a plan in place for the duration of this story, so sooner or later it will be completed.
Stay safe, and blessings to all.
Happy New Year!
