"Handsome is as handsome does, my beautiful fish, and you would do well to remember it."

A sing song voice wound its way into the emotions and spirits of the young mermaid, desire flowed through her veins with such a need it seemed to jump out of her very skin. Desire for anything, for a jewel, for a favor, or for control. Eyes shut with such feeling, her voice joined in the singing, one way to perhaps relieve her body of the exhausting want it always felt.

She wasn't the same as her other sisters, Iara had courage that pulsed in her heart, Roan had kindness, and the others felt strongly with a sense of duty, pride, and obligation. How she sometimes wished her emotions were less taxing, yet she could not change what her soul was composed of. All she felt night and day was need, she wanted everything so strongly. As a small mermaid, she had wanted things so badly she would throw tantrums to get what she wanted, and soon discard them because they lost their novelty. Yet she had grown, she was still not grown like her older sisters were, but she was not as little as Roan. She adored when her mother gave her attention, she knew she was her favorite. She stroked her mother's swollen belly, wondering about the new baby sister or perhaps even a brother she would have.

Minne had just grown out of childhood, her waist had tapered, her tail growing longer and leaner into an elegant, beautiful limb instead of the childlike stub she had had only a few months ago. She regaled in wearing beautiful shells below her neck, to cover the small yet prominent mounds of flesh she had sprouted. Longing for men to lust for her body, for them to shower her with gifts, led her to the attentive care she took. Every morning she would rub jelly fish across her breasts to firm them and keep them growing, and then carefully place her new jewels and shells to cover her pale blue nipples. Essence of coral was spread thick across her tail to make her scales glisten, and she took great care in the colors of her fins. Minne rarely ate, and when she did so, it was to eat fish that gave her great energy.

As weeks wore on, she became the favored daughter, their uncle the king always invited her to all the balls leaving many of her other sisters behind. Everyone adored her, and secretly desired her. Mermaids wanted to be friends with her and at the same time tear her long wavy blue hair out of her head. Mermen, married or not, wanted her, threatening to give in to suicide if she would not ease their pain.

The favored mermaid stood alone, she did not need friends, only admirers. Climbing the social ladder became her goal, her utmost desire.

"I always knew I would be great, being named Minne, queen of the sea. I was the youngest mermaid in society, yet the most sought after. I entertained men and all their wants, letting them follow me and kiss me. Yet I never grew attached."

Living a dazzling life, which could all come crashing down with one word, one promise.

Betrothal.

Betrothal for a mermaid lasted exactly two months, beginning the day the merman and the father of the bride decided on a date. Leading to this was courting, enquiring, and efforts to ensnare the young maid. Yet if the father agreed, there was nothing a mermaid could do, she was as good as sold. After the deal is determined, the mermaid was forced to give up her virginity, to the need of the merman.

Terentio fought off many bidders, though they came bearing great gifts in return for the keeping of the most beautiful mermaid in the waters. He enjoyed seeing how high these men would bid, and liked that they were after his daughter, rather than his niece, a princess. In this effort to capture Minne, four of her sisters were married, which suited the Prince well. Until one day, a merman came with an irrestible offer.

The kingdom celebrated the betrothal, the women glad she would be away from their mermen, the men envious of the one merman who had surpassed them, an old, fat, Count, who had great wealth. The merpeople puzzled over this change in heart of her father, it seemed as though no one was good enough, yet here was this ancient balding ugly man who had finally tempted him with something he couldn't refuse.

The betrothal ceremony took place in the courtyard, Minne covered in her betrothed's gifts of jewels. Tears ran down her eyes as she reluctantly offered her perfect hand in his rotten one.

"Rage replaced my desire, as I flung my vase at my father. I would not be betrothed, I hadn't even reached the peak of my youth, and to be promised to this disgusting old merman, was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I would not let him get away with it.

That night, after the ceremony, my maids stripped me naked, and covered my nipples with two small sea diamonds, and wrapped a clear kelp wrap around my body.

They sent me to the ceremonial bed in the castle, where previous unhappy couples had lain. I swam around the bed, outraged.

The sick merman entered, and I fought to keep the vomit from spilling out. He came towards me, and his breath bubbles grew larger as he gasped. I was sickened as he motioned me to unwrap my shawl, and I did it as quick as possible. He ordered me on the bed, and removed the diamonds. I called him husband and let him get it over with. He kissed and sucked my newly grown plump breasts, marveling at the blue of my nipples. I ignored him, and wriggled myself away from his agape mouth. He soon toyed with my scales, until they finally peeled away with great force. He giggled like a girl, and I squirmed away from him.

'I'll have none of that, wife! You will do as I please!'

'I am not your wife, and never will be. I hate you, but I know my duty as a daughter.'

This enraged him, and he revealed his parts. I hissed in disgust, and he angrily pushed himself into me as I cried out in pain."

The couple writhed for a few short moments, until he relieved himself, and Minne swam home in anger.

The mermaid, her father hoped, would become more subdued, yet the opposite occurred. She took lovers one after the other, young men in her court, and paraded them in front of her husband. Yet one she loved, and always would. She left her home, and lived with him at nights in his cave. Her husband grew angry, and all would change for her.

"My first months of marriage I died inside. Nothing left, I simply was a wife in every sense except in the heart. I loved another, and could not see how I could be happy. I spent the nights in his cave, being with him, until one day, my husband had him murdered."

Holding his remains, Minne cried bitterly, and all changed. A fire lit her from within, and she murdered her husband and five of his friends. She made herself a countess, and invited the married men of the court into her chambers, leading to the splitting up of many great marriages. All she took joy in was the suffering of others, and inflicted it in as many ways as she saw fit. Then the unthinkable happened, the king, her own uncle, her flesh and blood, banished her to the shadow waters, with approval of her own father.

She became a common whore, letting the rotten spirits of the shadows touch her and prod her, for a few coins for her pocket. Minne grew to be coveted, and the price for a night with her grew and grew, mermen relishing her so they would pay anything.. She set up her own cave, with visitors coming to her hourly, and every night she cried, and thought of her dead love. None of her family ever came to see her again, and she accepted it as fate to her mistakes, though she wondered about them, of her sister whom she had really seen as she was simply a baby when she was banished.

Days wore on, her tail grew ragged, her fins ripped from the force of others, her breasts no longer lively and alert, but used, with bite marks covering them. Her scales were gone, leaving only those on her tale. Woe ripped her up from inside. The only living things she saw were the melancholy fish outside her tiny cave, the worn customers weren't alive to her, simply coins to keep her alive. Until one day, she saw her sister in her cave, and taking in her beauty and the utmost care she took to herself, she felt desire to be like her again well up inside, the substance that had so lit her as a youth, had rarely made an appearance in her life. Desire had died, and beauty had died.

The most beautiful mermaid was dead in all ways except that of her baby, pretty, child sister Roan.

Thank you so much for reading, this chapter was long, but I hope that you liked it.

(Hint, Minne is not the sea witch.)

Metaphorical: I'm so happy you found it heartbreaking, and I'm glad you see that the story is beginning!

Aedyn Star: Hmm I'm not going to say too much except that Minne most certainly is not the sea witch…

Glaze: I've updated! And will be all the time I've now realized what this story is becoming. I'm happy you see the darker side of the mermaids' world now.

Biancarobinson: Oh thank you so much! Yeah I'm sorry about that confusing chapter…

Midori Kosastsu: I'm glad you like it!