Erik set the course for the shore as soon as the mermaid was secured and woke up Romei; the boy had to steer the boat while Erik stayed with the mermaid to make her feel safe if such a thing was possible. All he told Romei was that their mission was complete and no questions were asked; that boy truly was a good worker.
The girl was struggling against her restraints when Erik entered the cabin again, but ceased the moment he entered and eyed him with an eerie expression, making him feel as though he was on trial.
He came closer to her with raised hands in an attempt to show that he had no ill intentions and she didn't pull away in disgust when he reached her; always a good sign when he was dealing with others. Kneeling down next to the tub, he gently removed the gag, relieved when she didn't begin to scream, though she still observed him in a way that made him uncomfortable.
Trying to remind her of their connection, he began to sing to her an old lullabye from Persia he'd sung for Reza. The language didn't matter, she appeared to not speak any human language, but the emotions in his song mattered.
Finally, she began to relax and started to sing along, nearly imitating the lyrics flawlessly. Her talent was pure, unspoiled, and he wanted nothing to ruin this perfect creature; he was saving her from the cold, unfeeling world where none of them belonged.
They sang until the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon when the girl began to yawn. It seemed she was a nocturnal creature much like him, though he felt too exhilarated to rest. But he moved his cot closer to the tub, indicating his intention to sleep there and looked at her questioningly. She returned his look with an unreadable one, assessing him in silence.
He realized that while she knew his feelings from his songs, she knew nothing else about him and if he wished to have her in his life, they had to find a way to communicate. It should be possible for him to learn her language at least, considering how fast he'd learned Italian, Russian, Farsi and Greek.
Doing as he'd seen many do before when introducing themselves, he put a hand on his chest. "Erik," he said as he looked into her eyes, "E-rik." She repeated his name quietly, holding his gaze as she imitated the pronunciation to perfection. He nodded and pointed at himself to confirm.
However, when he pointed at her, she didn't respond; the look in her eyes made him certain that she understood what he was asking, but her damned eyes stared passively at him while her mouth stayed close.
He repeated the action of telling her his name and she said it as flawlessly as the first time, but nothing when he pointed to her. The third time she said his name the moment he pointed at himself, a little smile on her lips; she was playing with him. Usually when people did that, he hated it, but he found it almost… charming with her.
"Alright," he chuckled, aware of how unnatural it sounded even to him, "I guess I have to name you for now. How about Christina Nilsson, like the upcoming Swedish soprano, hmm? Though I doubt her voice can match yours in any way." Once again, she didn't answer, but this time he couldn't blame her as she didn't understand what he was talking about.
"Erik," he said one last time as he pointed to himself, then pointing to her, "Christina." She hummed in response and it was as good an answer as he could expect, he surmised. Laying down on the cot, he closed his eyes to pretend to sleep. He heard her splash a little and hum quietly before she appeared to settle. When he opened his eyes, she was sleeping in a somewhat comfortable position in the tub.
He knew well enough that taking her hadn't been a wise decision, but he couldn't bear to live without her. That voice provided him with a sense of belonging he'd never had before. How could he let that go?
His hand reached out to touch her soft, slightly moist cheek, caressing it tenderly. He was going to give her a life as good as what she had in the ocean. Her songs had spoken to his lonely heart; she was lonely too. Whatever she had before, he could give her much more.
At least that's what he told himself before he unexpectedly fell asleep, more tired than he'd admitted to himself, or perhaps just at peace at last.
He was awakened by splashing and panicked cries, along with a persistent knocking on the door to his cabin and Romei's worried questions. The mermaid - Christina, he reminded himself - was fighting against her restraints, probably frightened after waking up in such a strange place; he should've been awake to keep her calm.
Romei's frantic knocking was an annoyance and a reminder to Erik; if he realized that Erik technically was holding a woman captive on the boat, he might alert others when they reached the shore.
Erik tenderly kissed Christina's forehead which made her calm a bit before he gagged her again. Then, careful not to let Romei see the mermaid in the tub, he opened the door and stepped out to face the boy who was shocked by the sounds coming from the cabin.
"Is that a woman in there? What are you doing to her? Were you abusing her?" The boy was asking more questions now than he had in all the time they'd known each other, ruining the trait Erik had appreciated the most in him: the ability to stay quiet.
They were not far from the shore now; he could see the beach where the mermaid had left him after saving him. He must've slept for 11 hours - a new record for him, at least off opioids.
The use for Romei on this boat was to a certain extent over and while Erik hadn't planned to take any measures to keep the boy silent, he might not have a choice. It would not only be in his own best interest, but Christina's too. A real mermaid, if discovered, would be taken from him and sold to a freak show - a fate that no one should have to endure.
The need to protect Christina came first. With that in mind, he gripped Romei's collar and threw him overboard before he could second-guess himself. It was an easy death and the boy might even be a decent enough swimmer to survive; either way Erik felt certain that none of it would be traced back to him. No one knew Romei had gone with him.
He ignored the desperate cries for help and focused on getting the boat to shore instead of going back to Christina. There wasn't any way of calming her that wouldn't take too much time; getting her to his home - their home - would provide her with the stability needed to get her used to her new life with him.
It was a trying feat to get the boat to shore without capsizing, but luckily he had quickly become a skilled sailor. However, the next step turned out to be a problem he hadn't anticipated: he hadn't thought of a way to get Christina safely to his house. He didn't know how long she could survive without water and he couldn't think of a way to transport her in water.
In the end he ended up running the whole way with his panicked mermaid in his arms. She only struggled against him while they were near the sea, but as they moved inland, she trembled in fear instead. Clearly, she had not contemplated a life on land before.
As they neared his house and the stable he'd made into a sanctuary for her, she grew weaker; her skin dried, turning grey in the process and her blue-green scales of her tail lost their shine. Even her sky blue eyes dimmed.
He kicked the door to the stable open as soon as they reached it and without hesitation jumped into the water with her because he in a moment of folly feared that she would drown without the strength to swim.
While treading water with her nearly limp in his arms, he untied her wrists and removed the gag. For a minute he thought it was too late, that she would wilt away in his arms, but slowly she seemed to come out of her stupor. She looked around them with wide eyes, frightened and uncertain, and left his arms abruptly to swim away swiftly.
It was only natural, he told himself, that she was disturbed by her new surroundings, though he felt a little hurt. He stayed in the pool for a while, hoping for her return, but she probably went to explore her new home; an hour passed without any sign of her before he crawled out of the pool.
She couldn't leave, something he kept repeating in his head as he dried himself and changed into a dry set of clothes. It wasn't long after when he saw her golden hair and the glistening tail just beneath the surface, swimming to each edge of the pool - looking for a way out.
When she finally resurfaced, it was with a look of apprehensiveness. There was no joy or love in her eyes as he'd hoped to see, but that would change when she understood. He sat down by the edge, smiling through the mask when she came to him.
He felt a surge of hope when she reached for him, but instead of taking his outstretched hands, she gripped the leather of his mask and pulled it away before he could stop her. If she hadn't been in the water and a faster swimmer than him, he was sure he would've strangled her in that moment, but his anger calmed when he saw the smile in her eyes as she looked at him.
He remembered the acceptance he'd seen in her when she'd first unmasked him. Could it be that she preferred his misshapen face?
She let the leather scrap flow away and grabbed his hands to lift them to her mouth, kissing them. He followed her lead in dumbstruck silence as she pulled him into the water, wrapping her arms around him and dragging him downwards.
When they were completely submerged, she leaned to him and kissed him like she'd done the first time they'd sung together. He responded eagerly, his hands straying from their hold on her waist to caress her naked back and the supple mounds of her breasts, enjoying the feel of having a woman wanting him to touch her.
His lungs burned with the need for air, but he fought to stay with her as long as possible, not daring to break their kiss. His body protested and without his mind's consent began to fight its way to the surface.
It was a relief to see her emerge with him above water, but he hated the expression he saw in her: disappointment. She must've thought he could live with her down there, something that he wished for too. He shook his head in despair and her breath hitched, a sob escaping her, before she disappeared into the water again.
His body was weak after the lack of air and he pulled himself back up on land. From the deep he could hear a gloomy song without words, mirroring his own feelings, and when he'd gained enough strength he sang with her about their impossible love.
They may live in two different worlds, but they shared a soul. She had to learn that living here ensured that they would never be apart again, even if he couldn't join her under water.