Chapter three



Eric

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The prince's ship was unlike anything I had come across in my life. Even after the several days I had sailed on it, I could still scarcely believe my fantastic luck. The ship was magnificent, everything out of a dream. We sailed on the sea like we controlled it.

The sailing was fine for the first few days. The fish were unusually plentiful, and the dolphins leapt high, following our boat. I tossed them a few fish we had brought in, and they laughed their thanks. I grinned at them, and watched the horizon. Tomorrow we would be in Göteborg. There had been a little rain earlier in the days, and that had worried the captain a bit. The dark, menacing storm clouds that loomed overhead I only hoped would be a slight shower once again. I tried to push Catherine's voice out of my head.

" I don't think you should get on that boat Eric. I have a bad feeling about it." her voice echoed in my head. I shook my head, as I knew that Catherine was just overreacting as usual. How I had even gotten on this ship was amusing. In truth, despite Catherine's lack of knowledge of it, it had been the name of her father himself that had pulled the strings to get me on the Prince's boat. His name alone had raised the eyebrows of the first mate, and earned me the last place on board. All the other sailors were well dressed, higher class then I. Lighting suddenly illuminated the dark sky.

" Get the sails down!" someone shouted, and suddenly the entire boat began stirring. Several men climbed up, and began the long task of taking them down.

" Isn't that just like those royals. Always worrying that a little taste of the ocean is going to get them." One of the younger sailors grumbled. A few more joined us.

" Just our luck a storm comes a day before we reach port. If I didn't know better, I'd say that someone was controlling the weather." I snorted, as did a few other men, until a rusty voice stopped us.

" I wouldn't be laughin' if I were ye. I'd be praying."

" Why old man? It is a harmless storm." The old sailor was the oldest man on the boat; His white hair and wrinkled skin showed that. He hobbled on the cane, but at one time he had been a strong man. His eyes were deep, brown pools of wisdom and knowledge.

" Because it ain't the Sea that's causin this. It's the Sea Witch, controlling the ocean in her lair." he rasped.

" The Sea Witch is an old wive's tale. Everyone knows that no one can control the ocean."

" Oh no, my son. That is where you are wrong. Only the Sea knows the depth of the Sea, I will give you that. But the Sea Witch is another matter. She controls the ocean's raging them whenever she wants to, sinking fleets of ships. She rises a hand, and the oceans bow down to her, making immense waves. The merfolk and the people fear her alike-- for the ocean is a very powerful thing, and the Sea Witch may do whatever she pleases. And that is why, on this day, the Ship will sink. All of you will drown." he told them all.

There was dead silence. No one had the gall to laugh. Finally one of them spoke up.

" Old man, I do not know who you think you are, but what I do know is that you'd best not be threatening the Prince's sailors, unless you prefer swimming alongside the boat. Even if this grand boat did sink, surely one of us would survive." The old man's eyes switched to me.

" You will not die. Oh no, you will not die." Another lighting bolt struck, this one loud and close. Immediately we leaped into action, anchoring the ship and helping the men who were getting the sails down.

" Hang on! Waves a coming!" a man shouted. My eyes snapped to the voice, and that was the last I remembered seeing. What I saw was a dark, black wave the size of a castle, looming over us.

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Pearl

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I didn't realize how close to the surface I was until a wave knocked me down. I gazed up in wonder from a safe distance; they were stronger then I had thought. All above me, the ocean raged it's fury, with waves thrashing and tumbling down. The sea witch was causing trouble again. I gazed at it for a moment, taking it all in. The surface was so close! Yet even I didn't dare to go up. Searching human ships underwater was one thing; venturing into the human's land was another. However, I was content to watch the activity above me, and be glad I was beneath it.

A slight darkness suddenly covered me, and my eyes darted up. High above us, a dark shadow was coming down at an alarming speed. A ship was sinking. My eyes peered at it with fascination, and my breath caught.

A ship. Sinking. There were humans on it. A thrilled, excited fear paced through my veins, and I gazed at it, filled with wonder. Within several moments, bodies began to flounder in the surface above me. I gazed at them, confused for a moment.

Then, I remembered. Humans couldn't breathe underwater. I cursed myself, wondering how I could of forgotten that in the first place. My throat suddenly caught as I realized that they were dying.

A shiver ran through me and a feeling of horror replaced my amazement. As I have said, I am not meant to be a Queen because of my rebellious nature. And it was only that, that alone that made my tail propel me forward.

Knowing perfectly well that my father would kill me, along with the rest of Norkindas, I swam as fast as I could toward a flailing shape. Speeding up as fast as I could, I burst to the surface. Wind ripped at my face like a current. My eyes were blinded by the brightness, and took several moments to adjust. Merfolk can see in the dark, and our eyes can adjust to any area, with no sunlight or too much sunlight. My vision came back. I looked around frantically for someone, a human. And then I spotted him. The one I had seen kicking so fervently. He was floating upside down in the water, something humans do when their dead. I swam over to him and lifted his head in the air, and with a swift movement, whipped him hard in the back with my tail. The man coughed up water, and blinked. I smiled. I had found a human







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Erik

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I was falling in the dark water. Most of the sailors couldn't swim, they were afraid of what lurked within the water. They were dead now, probably. As the last bubble of oxygen escaped my lips, I closed my eyes and resigned myself to death. I'm sorry Catherine, I thought silently as I slipped into darkness.

Something grabbed my hair and yanked me up. The wind raged at my face, but I hardly cared at this point.

" Breathe!," a feminine voice told me forcefully.

Was I dead? My lungs, water was filled with them....

Suddenly, something cracked across my back. I coughed up water, and inhaled air. It was the sweetest thing I had tasted in my life. No sooner did I have it, then did a wave push me back down.

This is it, I thought, closing my eyes again. I've been given a shot at life to have it taken away again. Suddenly, I was yanked up again to the surface. This time I willed my legs to move. After years of labor, they didn't fail me.

" Keep on kicking. I didn't realize humans were this heavy," the feminine voice said again.

Had I gone to heaven? There were no women on board the ship. My head hurt, my back hurt, I could barely breathe, and I was still in the Ocean. It occurred to me immediately who this had to be.

" Sea Witch!" I managed to croak.

" Sea Witch? That ugly old hag that starts a storm every time she's upset? I think not!" the feminine voice told me again. Before I could ask who she was, a wave came over again, and I saw darkness.