Gil's ears perked at the sound of someone singing nearby. The voice was beautiful, melodic... Like a mermaid's. But it didn't sound familiar, which confused him. He knew each and every one of the mermaids' voices in his father's kingdom, and this voice's owner was a stranger to him. He listened closer, trying to determine where it was coming from. ...It was above him, which meant the voice probably belonged to someone on a boat passing by. The song sounded lovely, and he wished he could hear it more clearly. Perhaps if he got closer, but...
His tail fins twitched at the thought. Merfolk were forbidden to have contact with humans, it was law. Once long ago they had been able to, but according to his father, there had been too many incidents of the humans causing harm to their kind. Mistaking them for monsters and killing them with their weapons, trying to catch them to take back to land for experiments... The merfolk always came to the captive's aid and wrecked the ship, which only enraged the humans further. After so many incidents and before war could be declared between species, the merfolk vowed to never again have contact with the humans, and after centuries their existence must have become a myth. They would overhear humans above in their rickety boats and great ships, laughing at the idea of mermaids still being in the waters. And it was better that way, as their blatant disbelief made life much safer for the merfolk living below.
But as the singing continued, Gil felt his curiosity rising. That voice... It was enchanting, and he cursed the waters for muffling the words. He shook his head and crossed his arms. "Just ignore it. You don't need to know the song. ...It's probably a dumb human sea shanty or something," he grumbled, trying to convince himself the song wasn't worth his growing interest. But a minute later, he huffed and his mind made up, he bolted for the surface. No one was around, he wouldn't be seen... Why not take a quick peek and listen to the rest of the song in clarity? There was no harm in it, right?
He spotted the ship and breached the surface just beside it, hiding in its shadow. A quick glance told him no humans were in sight, and he breathed a sigh of relief. The singing instantly caught his attention, and he gazed up at the ship, mesmerized by the sound.
"I'm on my way,
I don't know where to,
but I'm on my way to something great...
I'll show them all,
I'm not who they think I am,
I may be a princess but
I'm a warrior first!
I'll wear their dresses
and take their flowers,
but I'll show no mercy
when I break their hearts.
They're not for me...
At least out here on the shining sea
I know I'm free..."
Gil was sad as the voice stopped singing, and he felt his heart skip. So, the girl was a princess... But she didn't want to be? That's what it sounded like, at least. He couldn't blame her. There were stories of the humans and their strange traditions royalty had to follow. He had heard they were often married off for territory, and that pissed him off. He hated the thought of anyone being considered property, even if they were human. He grit his teeth at the thought.
"Miss Elizabeta?" An old man's voice.
"How many times must I tell you? You can call me Eli when we're at sea." The singer's voice.
"I know, it's habit. At least allow me to call you Miss Eli."
"If you absolutely have to," the girl, Eli, sighed. "What is it?"
"Your father wished for me to talk to you before we got back... But I know you won't like the news, for which I am very sorry."
"What news?" Eli asked, clearly suspicious.
"He... He has ordered me to stop taking you on these expeditions. He wants you to stay home and-"
"And improve my image as a proper lady," Eli growled. "I get it."
"I really am sorry, Miss Eli. I enjoyed our time together... The whole crew did. You were a pleasure to have on board. We're sure to miss you."
"I'll miss all of you too... Thank you for letting me travel with you. I learned a lot..." The girl gave a wistful laugh. "Heh... You would think it'd be the opposite. Father should want me as far away from the palace and him as possible. ...I don't suppose you could just drop me off somewhere and say you lost me?"
The man gave an awkward cough. "You and I both know the answer to that."
"I know..."
It was a private discussion Gil felt awkward listening to, but he couldn't help it. His heart beat fast as he felt the girl's grief in her voice. Her words had trembled, ever so slightly, and her tone was that of defeat. He saw movement over the ship's edge and he pressed himself against the ship, not wanting to splash and alarm whoever it was by diving into the water.
"I don't want this...!" It was Eli, and she was brushing tears from her eyes. "I don't want to go home and be someone I'm not! I don't want to marry! I want to be me... Just me!"
Gil fought back his desire to lean forward a bit to see what she looked like. Once again, curiosity burned into him, and when he heard her starting to cry softly he chanced a quick peek. Just like her voice, Eli was beautiful, and his heart beat faster in his chest. If he had fallen in love with her from her singing alone, he could have swam back into the depths of the water and maybe forget her within a year. But having a face to go with the voice, and knowing her story, there was no way he could simply hope to forget her. He was in love, real love. His pounding heartbeat and flushed cheeks told him so.
He lingered in her sight too long. Before he could retreat back into the shadows Eli turned her face and spotted him. Her eyes grew wide and Gil stared back, frozen. Shit. What would she do...?
"I-I'm Gil." Before she could do anything Gil found himself speaking. He hadn't meant to, the words had just blurted from his mouth! His cheeks grew crimson as he stayed frozen in place, embarrassed as her mouth gaped open.
She closed her mouth, opened it again, then closed it once more. She was obviously shocked. But then she smiled, and the sight made Gil's heart flutter.
"I'm Eli..."
He swallowed and grinned back. He opened his mouth to speak again, but heard someone approaching Eli above and slipped into the water. He could hear a muffled question being asked, and a muffled answer. He waited, wondering if Eli would tell on his presence. After a few minutes of silence, he poked his head above the surface. There was no commotion, no yelling, no one making a fuss... He was safe. The notion that the human girl had kept him secret from her crew mates made Gil feel warm, and he wanted to thank her. He waited at the side of the ship for her to return, but she must have been tasked with something, as after a few minutes she still did not show.
Disappointed, he sunk into the water and debated waiting longer. He wanted to, but if he didn't return home soon his whereabouts would be found and he'd be in for it. If his father found out he had not only let a human see him, but had also spoken to her... He closed his eyes. He had to let Eli go. She was a human... And he was a merman.
As he swam farther down and the light of the sun grew dimmer, he felt an ache in his heart. He wondered what would happen to her once she returned home, if she would be married off to a stranger and if she would love him or hate him... The thought of her being with someone else flared jealousy in him, and he grit his teeth as he swam faster. There was no point wondering now... He couldn't forget her, but he would never see her again.
Or so he thought.
Later that evening he couldn't stop thinking about Eli, and he sneaked out of the kingdom to take a swim. He didn't mean to follow the same path he had before, but his thoughts sent him back to where he had met Eli. He noticed the change in the water, how it was more active and rough than usual, and knew a storm was happening above. He swam closer to the surface to see how bad the storm was, and when he popped his head from the water he was startled.
There was so much lightning... Though it was not yet night, it was so dark that it hurt his eyes with each bright flash, and he had trouble focusing for a few seconds through the pounding rain. The large waves crashed against something he at first took to be a rock. But when he looked again he realized it was a piece of a ship. Instantly a cold fear settled over him and he stared in horror as he picked out more and more pieces of the wreck. A few barrels here, part of the hull there... On the horizon he spotted the rest of the ship, burning brightly as flames swallowed it. Lightning must have struck it. He saw a small boat in the near distance, and he picked out some people yelling over the sounds of thunder.
"Miss Eli!"
"Miss Elizabeta! Where are you?!"
"Miss Eli! Miss Eli!"
The fear pierced his heart as he realized they were searching for her. No! She had to be okay! She had to be alive! He had just met her! She couldn't die so soon!
He swam the fastest he had ever swam before, darting from piece to piece of the wreck, diving into the water and searching frantically for her. He spotted her just as she slipped from the barrel she'd been clinging to, and as she began to sink he hurried to her and scooped her up in his arm, muscles straining as he pushed himself to reach the surface before she ran out of air. They broke the surface and she gasped, coughing up water. She tried to speak but only coughed more.
"It's okay, I got you!" Gil called over the thunder. He started to swim in the direction of the boat, but she dug her nails into his arm, shaking her head.
"N-No! T-Take me... s-somewhere else..." she faintly pleaded before losing consciousness.
Gil understood. She didn't want to go back to the life she hated. He turned, and began swimming away from the boat and towards the nearest island.
The storm had moved on by the time he reached land, and the sunset glared behind them, a deep red surrounded by gray and purple clouds. As he crawled onto the sand, he noticed remnants from the shipwreck had beat them to the island. That, or a ship had wrecked there before. He didn't really care either way. He found a rock and set Eli up against it, and leaned back against a large piece of ship siding, tired from the swim. As he caught his breath, he looked Eli over.
She looked so peaceful as she slept, and Gil sighed with a love-struck smile. He knew he was in love when he heard her sing...! She could be one of them with that voice!
He chuckled to himself. He was in love with a human... He wondered if she could love a creature like him...
