The Sun Does Not Die
For the Contest Where a Bird May Love a Fish. Non-competitive entry. This is my antithesis work for the contest. Contest Graphic: mephistowaltz.kleigh. net/ misc1.html (take out spaces.)
Pairing: 3+4+3
Warning: shounen-ai. Interspecies relationship. Fantasy. Very sad. Death.
Rating: PG-13.
Note: Please see contest details on my author page or at mephistowaltz.kleigh. net/ contests. html
Atop Mount Meer he basked in the light of his forbidden love. Stretching his arms above his head, he rose his naked back from the cold stone surface, arching into his beloved's heated embrace. Languid waves of pleasure lapped over his stomach, catching him by surprise. A soft moan escaped his pursed lips as he fell back against the rocky platform, flushed and over-stimulated. He closed his eyes tightly to force the tears of pleasure from their ducts. When he opened them again, he was blinded by his lover's radiance. Sighing contentedly, he gazed up at his love through lowered eyelids and eyelashes sparkling with tears.
"I. . .I love you." He whispered, reaching out to clasp his beloved to his chest. A rich warmth tickled his fingertips, trickled down his arm and made his heart palpitate. Oh rapture! Oh. . .
"The Humans call it Seasonal Affectation Disorder. However, they only get it a few months out of the year- you seem to be perpetually affected, your highness." Something wet and scaly caressed his shoulder. Rolling his eyes, he reached out to caress the slippery length.
"I cannot go back. I will not. It's so dark. . .so cold. . ."
"You say that every time, and every time I have to carry your flaking, sunburned body back down to your sister. It's a rather vicious cycle."
". . .Let it kill me. I'd rather die in its arms than live another thousand years in darkness."
"It's the sun, Triton, it doesn't have any arms. Stop being such a poetic fool."
The mer-prince flicked his sun-dried tail and caught the sea dragon by surprise. Sputtering, the creature fell off the rocky perch and back into the sea. After releasing a strain of indignant curses, the water spirit latched his claws onto the peak of the ocean mountain and directed a fierce glare at the merman.
"As the humans say, you're as red as a lobster."
". . .A sign of my lover's affection."
"Affection?" The sea dragon snorted, sending a spurt of water through his nostrils. "That's a pretty abusive lover."
". . .Thank you for your concern, Wufei." Sighing, the merman momentarily revelled in the heat of the sun, then rolled back into the frigid waters of the ocean. While the mammalian part of him adapted to the temperature change fairly quickly, the rest of him went into a cold shock. Shuddering, he latched onto his companion and rubbed his tail against Wufei's back for friction.
" Shall we go?" The dragon tried to ignore the warm rubbing against his back, but was only distracted by the unique smell of cooked merman.
"I. . .I don't want to go back down there yet. I need to adapt first." The sea man shimmied up the sea dragon's back to grasp hold of the spirit's winding horns. "Let's do a tour of the human island."
The dragon sighed.
It was a faze. Over the last hundred years or so, the young prince had been fascinated with the land. Supposedly all merpeople went through the same sort of thing, but Prince Triton was a bit different. His preoccupation had driven him to do bizarre things, the least of which being his sun-worship rituals. Wufei had long lost count of the times he'd been sent to bring Triton back underwater, but the shock value of seeing the merman slowly bake to death never decreased. Today was no different- the once unparalleled beauty of the Prince's tail had been utterly ravaged by the jealous sun, for the silver and aqua scales were now browned and flaking white. Prince Triton was by far the darkest-skinned merperson living, for he'd allowed the sun to paint his once fair skin a ghastly shade of caramel cream. However, the sea kingdom still loved their less-than-beautiful prince, for he was kind and wise beyond his years. Wufei loved the young merman with all the platonic affection his immortal heart could bear. . .which, of course, made him give into the boy's every premeditated 'whim'.
"Of course. Shall we check on the royal builders? Perhaps they've finished the renovations on the northern wing of the palace."
"Yes. Let's." Triton pressed himself flat to the sea-dragon's back and gripped the horns tightly, for it was sure to be a bumpy ride!
The Prince couldn't stifle his uninhibited and joyful exclamation as the water spirit skimmed across the water's surface. Though he was generally emotionally unaffected underwater, something about the marriage of the sun and the surf brought out his suppressed romantic side.
The island was not large and accommodated little more than a castle and a small village. Most of the humans were fishermen, as had their forebears, so there was a certain mutual respect between the two kingdoms. Of course, those who lived underwater were quite afraid of the humans, while humans- as was their nature- consciously feared nothing. Over the past hundred years, the human settlement had undergone dramatic changes, most of which Wufei did not understand. Box-like monsters that moved as lightning across glossy roads were brought over on massive ships without sails, and sky high buildings overshadowed the quaint cabins that had once housed schools of human children.
It was all so strange.
The Sea dragon sliced through the waves just slow enough for the prince to get a good look at the humans as they went about their business. The beaches were full of partially clothed humans, all darkened obscenely by the sun. Men, women and children played in the surf, whose gentle hum was overshadowed by useless chatter and mocking screams.
Wufei hated it. . .
But he didn't matter at this point.
Triton did his best to hide his wonder, but anyone who knew him would've seen through the façade immediately. All the brilliant colours dashing back and forth on the beach amazed him-there was so much heat, so much warmth! They flew by the beach too quickly for Triton's taste, but the disappointment evaporated when the castle came into view.
"It seems they finished the last tower. It flows right onto the beach."
". . why do they need to build those things so big anyway? They're so small themselves. . ."Wufei shook his head in disgust.
"Maybe it's to be closer to the sun." Triton whispered.
". . .I don't think so. The sun gives them cancer." Wufei chuckled. Triton frowned- he wasn't quite sure what cancer was, but he knew from Wufei's tone of voice that it was a bad thing.
'How can they not love the sun? I suppose it's just another thing they take for granted. . .'
The castle was quite different from the one he'd seen as a child. The great stone parapets were gone, as was the entire outer cloister- in fact, the entire thing had been torn down and rebuilt. This castle was still huge, but it was pristine white, and more delicate looking. Humans would most definitely call it "modern".
"It has changed so much since I was a child." Triton spoke in reference to the castle.
". . .Humans don't live very long, so they tend to devote their lives to change- change for the bettering of their civilization, change for the bettering of themselves, et cetera. . .However, most of the changes they make aren't for the better. They're highly destructive creatures and that is why they don't live very long."
Triton wasn't one to argue, but in his mind he disagreed somewhat with his friend. Of course, he knew that humans polluted his ocean and hurt his subjects, as well as other humans, but they could also make beautiful things from nothing! Poetry and dance and sculpture- these were foreign to the merfolk. During his childhood, Triton had scavenged many treasures from sunken ships to bring back to his sister Catherine. All of the pearls in the sea couldn't compare to the beautiful fabrics and jewellery he'd recovered. While Catherine had long gotten over her fixation with the land, Triton had simply grown into his.
"Look, there's the new queen." Wufei motioned with his head. The merman pressed his left cheek to the crown of the dragon's head so he could watch the beautiful, golden-haired woman in comfort.
There was a curving staircase that joined the deck to the beach, which she descended. She wore a diaphanous dress that whipped around her slender body with the sea breeze. In her arms she carried a rather large and squirming bundle which she set down on the beach. Immediately the bundle wriggled its way out of the beach blanket and onto the sand, babbling and smacking its tiny hands together. Triton smiled.
"It's a human guppy."
"I think they're called toddlers."
The creature was well named, for it toddled about as though the act was in danger of extinction. Rising on shaky stems, the child bounded toward the sea with his arms outstretched and fingers spread wide. Wufei chuckled and swatted at the merman who was thoroughly absorbed in the moment. For-strangely enough-the infant reached for the sea just as Triton longed for the sun. Perhaps the two races were not so different, at least in their childhood years.
"Oh Quatre, come back!" The queen laughed and scooped the boy into her arms. He protested with a strange mewing sound but gave into her embrace quickly, choosing to cuddle against her warm breast over struggling. With her child safely nestled against her, the lady strolled down the beach to the shore. After removing her gown and the child's shirt, the pale humans in their brightly coloured bathing suits waded in the sun-warmed water.
"Are we done? Are you ready to go home?" The Sea Dragon asked stiffly. Triton rubbed his cheek against Wufei's smooth scales to indicate a negative response.
"Just a little longer. . ."
Picking up the child, the queen walked out deeper, kicking at the water playfully. The infant tried to catch the droplets as they rose and fell, but his efforts were in vain. They wandered out until the water reached the woman's waist, and then she slowly sank down to her knees, bringing the dry boy with her. He expressed his displeasure with a wail- the cold water obviously shocked him- but the woman's soothing tone brought the innocent smile back to his face.
Triton and Wufei watched from less than a hundred feet away.
"Let's go. This is too much sun and too much surface air for one day. We need to get you back home so Cathy can rub that ointment on your tail."
There were times when Wufei could be easily manipulated and then there were times like these when he held fast to his decisions. True, Triton's tail and cheeks were sore from the sun's kisses, but he didn't want to go back down into the dark sea- he wanted to stay with the colours and the heat!
But it was useless to argue with the sea dragon.
"Alright." The merman sighed. Wufei grunted in satisfaction. Without looking back, Wufei twisted himself around and sank beneath the surface. Before he submerged his head, Triton took one last look at the beautiful humans. . .
Only to witness the expression of intense pain pass over the queen's face as she collapsed into the water.
"Wufei, no!" Triton called out, choking on the water that entered his unsuspecting mammalian lungs as they submerged. He released his grip and torpedoed up to the surface. Surely his eyes had deceived him!
However, there was no sign of the humans.
"Oh no." He gasped. Diving back into the water, he flicked his tail back and forth madly, propelling himself toward the sandbar. The water grew thick with suspended sand crystals which told the merman he was close. Though the sand burned his eyes and cut up his throat he continued his frantic search for the fallen humans. A flash of yellow caught his eye and Triton immediately recognized the Queen's bathing suit. The tide had pulled her farther out, for they were significantly deeper than she'd been before. Without considering the repercussions of his actions, the young prince wrapped an arm around the human's waist, held her to his chest and pushed them both to the surface.
"Triton, what the hell?" Finally spotting the wayward merman, the sea dragon shimmied over angrily. "Put that down! Are you mad?!?"
"The humans." The merman gasped. "The queen collapsed."
"I see that. Put her down!"
"The child! I need to find the child!" After laying the Queen's body atop Wufei's back, Triton dove back under in search of an electric-blue bathing suit and a cloud-white body.
Though the water seemed shallow to Triton, the depth was more than enough to swallow a little human whole. The merman's search was hampered by all the vision-obscuring sand the Queen had kicked up in her fall. He reached out into the murk with his sonar, hoping that the sound waves would find the child before they smashed into the sand.
Something was hit several feet deeper and Triton rushed toward it, desperately hoping it wasn't a shark. The unnatural shine of the unnatural blue material beckoned to him. Yes, there he was- the human child- suspended in the content of the ocean. His chubby body was curled up like a shrimp with his flaxen hair pointing up toward the surface. Triton gently gathered the child in his arms and re-emerged.
"Triton. . ." Wufei called out as the merman returned.
"We need to get them to the shore."
Sighing, the Sea dragon carried the lot to a stony cove just west of the castle. It was the only place accessible to Wufei and it was private enough for Triton to reveal himself.
The merman gently took the child and mother from Wufei's back and laid them ashore. Neither moved and both were white and cold as ice.
"Triton. . ." Wufei sighed.
"Why aren't they moving? How do we fix them?" The young prince whispered. "Triton, they can't be fixed . ."
"But. . ."
"The Queen is dead." The Sea Dragon pronounced. "She was dead before you got to her. Probably a stroke or a. . ."
"No." Triton shook his head. He looked down at the woman and she stared back at him with cold, unblinking eyes. Yes, she was dead. Tearing his gaze from the lifeless body, he focused on the golden-haired child.
"He's not breathing. He's drowned. . ."
The merman put his head on the boy's chest to hear for a heartbeat. If humans were mammals, they would have beating hearts just like whales and merfolk.
"Triton. . ."
"He's alive. . ."Triton could make out a tiny heartbeat. "His heart is beating." Rising his head, he looked back at Wufei with wide, sorrowful sea-green eyes. "H. . how do I fix him? Please, Wufei?"
The water spirit lowered his head in anticipated sorrow. All of the wisdom of the ages told him that this could not end well. But. . .he loved Triton dearly and could never deny the child such a selfless request.
" You need to resuscitate him. Tilt his head back, open his mouth and move his tongue. Yes, like that. . .Pinch his nose and put your mouth on his. Breathe into him gently. Again. Pause. Again. . ."
Triton willed all his strength into every puff of air he gave the small child. Only Wufei's calm voice kept him from screaming. Breathe. One. . .two. . .three. . Breathe. . .
"Triton. . breathe. .it's no use. . ."
'Please. . .' The merman silently begged. What good was owning the power of the sea if it could only be used to destroy?
Then. . .the child coughed.
The little chest began to heave and the sea water gushed out through the rosebud mouth. Overcome with joy, Triton leaned back to stare in wonder at the little miracle. The child shivered and, after letting loose a tiny mew, opened his wide eyes.
Large dark blue irises gazed up at Triton in fascination and terror. His pale eyelashes fluttered against an even whiter cheek. The Prince found himself unable to flee those eyes and leaned toward the boy for a better look.
The navy coloured eyes suddenly began to glow and swirls of green and gold danced across the mirror-like finish. Then the eyes were no longer coloured like the night sky, but as the dark turquoise of the southern sea. They both blinked, which broke the spell.
"Quatrina! Quatre!"
"Are you satisfied? Lets go. I hear his sisters' voices- someone will find him. You've done enough."
Disoriented, Triton stared at Wufei, then looked back at the child. "I. . ." Wufei did not allow Triton to finish his thought. Grabbing the merman by the tale, the sea dragon pulled him back into the frigid waters of the ocean. And, though Triton struggled, Wufei held fast to the prince.
He would not let the sun take their prince.
Down, down they went into the darkness of the sea. And all the while Triton wept and stretched his arms out toward the fading light of the human world.
T.B.C.
A.N.:Just because I know someone will ask: Triton is about sixteen here(roughly eight hundred years old) and Quatre is nearly three years of age. There will be no shota. Ever. Please, enter the contest! :)
Art
A Quick sketch and CG for this chapter: kleigh. net/mephistowaltz/otherpic1 .html
The Contest Art: