Into the Pacific
AU fan fiction for Hetalia
Characters: Maria Clara de la Cruz, Arthur Kirkland, Alfred Jones
For 18+ audiences
CHAPTER 1
"LAND HO!"
The blaring sound of the ship's horn was more than enough to wake Arthur in his worn-out hammock. The young, blonde fellow looked around and saw his fellow crewmates running up and down the rickety staircase of Queen Elizabeth.
"Well, what are you doing there, boy? Ye scallywags, we are now in the Pacific! Come on and put your bloody backs into it! HYAH!" The large man from Wales they call Jimmy bellowed downstairs to whip the other sleepy sailors.
Arthur was smart enough to move, as Jimmy's whip was barbed with rose thorns. The thick-browed fellow got up to his feet and joined the others in the assembly upstairs.
He must have been fooled by the bright torches of the ship for he thought it was early afternoon. His inner clock went nuts as soon as he joined his first voyage as a sailor, and to the calm seas of the Pacific. They had been struggling to survive for days; most of their supplies were carried away by the storms they had encountered in the Atlantic Ocean. The last time he was asleep, they were at the tip of the Americas, almost killed by the barbarians. Now, he wondered where the bloody hell they were; it was all ocean around them, except for the gnat-sized spot to the west.
"I have been sailing my entire life, boys, but this time.…" An oily voice bellowed from the upper deck of the ship. The man wore an elegant dark blue coat with white trimmings. His feathered hat tilted with every movement he made. He played with his pistol in one hand, his other tucked behind him like a gentleman.
"I have a few lousy sailors with me. May I remind you, filthy Queen's men… everyone, everyone sailing for the Queen is brave, disciplined, or.…" He stopped in front of Arthur. "Die trying."
Arthur gulped but said nothing as he stared at the Captain. The Captain smiled at him. "Master Kirkland, correct? How long have you been sailing?"
Arthur tried not to stammer. "This… This is my first time, Captain Walker."
Captain Walker nodded, as if he understood Arthur. "A newcomer, eh? I believe the ocean shall forgive you, along the other indolent bilge rats in my ship." The captain smirked, reaching the other end of the line of sailors.
"Gentlemen, we have arrived to new shores. Our ever-brilliant navigator Master Richmond has committed an error in determining the coordinates of our voyage. I am afraid he has led us to our own peril!" The Captain ironically announced it as if it were the best news he had heard in his entire life. Arthur did not appreciate it; he never liked that tone of the Captain.
Murmurs of fear and uncertainty rose among the sailors.
"Our own peril? Jesus, I just want gold for my family."
"I still have to study in Paris!"
"I want to go home!"
"SILENCE!" The Captain snarled and struck his sword on the deck. "You yellow-bellied nitwits! You are all in no condition to be sailors of Britannia! Why, do tell, do you sail in the name of the Queen, if you all whine like silly little schoolgirls!" He inhaled a deep breath to calm himself and looked at all the men in the deck, his serpent green eyes fixed on Arthur.
"I am afraid the Fates are also to blame for this misfortune. According to the others, the island we are to face is blessed by all sorts of bounty: food, fruit, animals to hunt, and of course, gold."
"Lord Walker, how is it perilous then?" One of the younger sailors asked.
The Captain's eyes glinted hungrily, murderously. "You see, Master Peter, this island is also the home of cursed beauties, the mermaids of the Pacific! The enchantresses of the ocean, beautiful yet cruel, they are every sailor's dream and nightmare!"
"Aye. I heard these damned sea-witches sing so beautifully, they enchant any sailor!" The old man next to Arthur commented. "Once they captivate a sailor, they will bring him to the bottom of the ocean, and tear the poor man from limb to limb! Very much like the Sirens of Mediterranean!"
The Captain nodded. "An excellent version of the story, Master Glimpse, but these beasts, they are far more dangerous than the Sirens. They look into your filthy minds to steal the faces of your imagined maid… to lure you even closer to your death. But…." He smiled as he looked at his blade, the reflection appeared to be slightly warped. "A mermaid's kiss can grant safety from all perils laid out by Poseidon." He looked at his crew with a huge, maniacal smile.
"I'd love to kiss one. They say they are enchantingly beautiful!" Joseph Weaver swooned against Arthur.
"If you kiss one, you'd be dead meat for sure." A blonde opposite Arthur muttered.
Everyone chuckled as Joseph Weaver looked miffed at the said blonde.
"I say kill these mermaids to get the treasures of their island." Arthur finally said. "We all just want their treasured island, right? Then we kill them. No rats on the cheese." The ship fell silent for a few seconds but there was a murmur of malicious agreement among the sailors.
Captain Walker raised an eyebrow and managed to chuckle. "I like you and your thoughts, Master Kirkland. I second the suggestion: kill the mermaids and get all of their wealth!" All of the men raised their hands in the air and yelled: "FOR BRITANNIA!"
The Captain chuckled even more and approached Kirkland. "Master Kirkland, you shall lead the invasion to the Mermaid's lair. I shall teach you how to use a gun." And the Captain led him to his quarters as the sun melted into the horizon.
Arthur stared at the darkness of the ocean, his mind already blank from two hours of waiting for the mermaids to come. He was in the longboat with the other volunteers: Joseph Weaver who was talking non-stop about the mermaids, Master Glimpse who kept on eyeing each thing that surfaced on the still ocean water, Alfred Jones who was cleaning his glasses with his cuffs, and the clergyman named Ronald who kept silent in one corner, praying for their lives in case it would not go as planned.
"You know…" Alfred frowned as he stared at Arthur. "We could just avoid the mermaids and get their treasures without killing them." Like Arthur, it was Alfred's first time to sail. He did not like the idea of killing people, even if they are damned beasts in the middle of the ocean. Besides, he was doing it for his father, who had died in the ocean in the name of the King when he was just a baby. After this, he would be allowed to settle in Florida to live on his own.
Arthur smiled slightly and stared at the torch held by Master Glimpse. "My father said not to fear anything in the ocean. Just kill them if they show their fangs, unless you want to be killed first."
"But they wouldn't do that. We are challenging them and their strength. They might curse us for stealing their treasure."
Glimpse grumbled and frowned at Alfred. "You are cowardly, young Jones. Your father would never be proud." In the bright firelight, it was hard to tell if Alfred went pale at the mention of his father. "There would be no bared fangs if we all kill them first. Bloody hell, there would be no cursed treasure if we all kill them!" Glimpse chuckled as Joseph chimed in.
"Whatever, you bloodthirsty nitwits. I just want to smooch a mermaid!" Joseph swooned against his oar.
Arthur scoffed at him. "Kissing a mermaid. Master Weaver, you are out of your mind."
"If there is a mind inside your skull." Glimpse laughed, the others joining in.
Joseph huffed. "Yeah, yeah, laugh at the virgin sailor. I just want to brag at my mates back home." He grinned a toothy grin.
"Shush now! Any minute the damned women will be here! It's already past midnight!" Glimpse growled, reverting back to his suspicious behavior, and looked at the water around them.
The moon shone brightly, striking them with its soft heavenly light. Arthur looked at Joseph and Alfred. "Maybe we should sing?"
"Sing?" Joseph and Alfred frowned at him. "Will that catch the mermaids' attention?" asked Alfred.
Finally, Ronald, the ship's priest, looked at them, his grey eyes as cold as the moon light. "Mermaids are attracted to man-made light and singing, no matter how bad you think it is."
"How do you know that, clergyman? Isn't the mermaid lore a pagan belief?" Arthur asked.
Ronald just chuckled. "Before I fully served the Lord, I used to be interested in these stories. I read them in my free time."
Alfred looked at him in disbelief. "You have access to the elite's libraries?" Alfred examined Ronald as if he did not look fit for an elite.
Ronald nodded nonetheless. "My father was a baron. But I chose clerical duties over political ones."
"As if the Church isn't political enough already." Glimpse murmured and went back to search for significant movements. "Well? Lads, what are you waiting for? Sing!"
Arthur thought of a song for a full minute. "This is the only thing I can think of…." He cleared his throat and started singing, albeit lacking cadence.
"My name it is Maria, a merchant's daughter fair…" Arthur looked at his fellow shipmates and Joseph continued the next lines.
"And I have left my parents and three thousand pounds a year. My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold…."
"There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold." They all sang in unison, repeating it to the first verse again.
"Upon one summer's morning, I carelessly did stray,
Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay,
Conversing with a bouncing lass, who seemed to be in pain,
Saying, William, when you go, I fear you will ne'er return again."
"I think we're just making a fool of ourse—" Joseph was cut off by Glimpse. "Shush, you fool!"
As if on cue, a shimmering fish tail flopped out of the dark water's surface. Glimpse immediately held his gun and trained it to the area where it appeared.
"Master Glimpse, not too quick! We should not be too rash. We need the others to back us up after all." Alfred slightly put Glimpse's pistol away from the target.
"Master Jones, before the bloody crew could even get here, we are already mermaid food! Now scram! I won't be satisfied unless I kill a mermaid tonight!" And he shot a bullet, the pistol's impact slightly disturbing the still water. There was no other sound afterward, just the sizzling sound in his gun.
"Master Glimpse!" Alfred screamed in exasperation. Then they saw another tail brandishing itself, south of their boat. All of them looked at where they heard the second splash.
"These she-devils are playing on us." Glimpse said as they got back to their seats.
Arthur sighed. "Maybe the gunshot indeed frightened them."
"Then why is she here?" Joseph absently said, his blue eyes gazing on the female that illuminated at the side of their boat. All of them tripped over to view the female and she was indeed breathtakingly beautiful.
Arthur had always thought people were exaggerating their versions of their own mermaid experience. Bloody hell, she is indeed exotically gorgeous. Her hair was not kelp like he had imagined; it was graced with shine and the right curls despite its wetness. Her skin was slightly green, intricate scale patterns glowed around her arms. Her face was angelic with her brown, round eyes, and greenish full lips. Her breasts were full and perky, the mauve-colored tips barely covered by the ocean's surface.
Arthur gulped back his idea of killing the creature; she was just too beautiful.
"So… still want to kill her?" Alfred was the first to talk. Arthur glanced at the other blonde and saw the same glimmer in his eyes. "What a magnificent creature."
"Let me kiss her first!" Joseph exclaimed, trying to position the boat nearer to the mermaid. The mermaid swam further from him, looking afraid of Joseph.
"Joseph, you are scaring her!" Arthur hissed and looked at the mermaid kindly. "Hello." He extended his arm to the mermaid.
"What are you doing?" Ronald hissed but Arthur just stared at the mermaid, forgetting all his agenda.
"Arthur, don't." Alfred warned and got his hand on his gun.
"Are you the one singing?" The mermaid spoke softly, her voice ringing with melody.
"God, her voice is just too beautiful…." Joseph swooned at his seat.
"Yes, yes, we all are…." Arthur seemed to be lost in her eyes. He looked at it with reverence, like a devotee praying to God.
The mermaid smiled at him. "Are you my jolly sailor bold?"
"I am! I am your jolly sailor bold!" Joseph nodded eagerly, trying to get the mermaid's attention.
The creature swam close to him. "Sing with me…." She crooned and softly sang the verse.
"My name it is Maria, a merchant's daughter fair,
And I have left my parents and three thousand pounds a year,
My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,
There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold."
Joseph seemed to have fallen for the mermaid, "Blimey, my heart…. You have my heart now, darling." He inched closer to the ocean surface. The mermaid raised her body higher, her iridescent tail slightly visible now.
The mermaid's hand went down to his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "Yes, yes, indeed, your heart is… mine!" Claws sprung up from her fingers, digging deep to his chest. Joseph was speechless as the mermaid's smile went morbid, sharp, white fangs appearing from her mouth. She hissed as she clutched his heart from his chest, a screech of victory from her mouth.
Joseph coughed up blood, enough for Arthur and Glimpse to snap out of the dream.
"Joseph!" Arthur screamed, but his fellow crewmate tumbled down the ocean as other tails appeared and followed his sinking body to the depths.
"You little sea bitches!" Glimpse aimed his pistol at the mermaid and shot her but the mermaid deflected it with her tail. The mermaid snuck back to the depths as her sisters appeared, four pairs of bright, devious eyes with fangs bared for their helpless snacks.
"MERMAIDS!" Ronald yelled and got the oar, Alfred doing the same. Together they paddled back to the ship but were stopped by two of the mermaids who swam to block their way back.
"Mga kapatid! May makakain na tayo ngayong gabi!" The one who literally stole Joseph's heart yelled. The others started to swim closer to them.
"GET YOUR BLOODY GUNS AND SHOOT THEM, LADS!" ordered Glimpse. Arthur hastily crawled for his pistol and started to shoot the mermaids, aiming uselessly at their tail fins. Glimpse only grumbled and aimed for the mermaids' hearts. Some were shot but as soon as they got back to the depths, the bullet holes disappeared.
"Glimpse! This is useless! We can't kill them!" Arthur yelled as the mermaids splashed over their boats, trying to stick their long thread-like appendages on the men's chest.
"Useless, lad? You saw those damned ocean devils killed Joseph! An eye for an eye!" And he shot the coming mermaid, sending her back to the ocean.
"No, we can't! If they keep on coming back to the ocean, they will heal!" Arthur reached for his knife to cut the thick, sticky thread that snaked around his arm.
"Then we die trying! FOR BRITANNIA!" Glimpse yelled defiantly and aimed at the mermaid that followed their boat.
A split second later, the boat burst from below, the floor crackling to splinters. A huge, glittering tailfin whipped all four men to the ocean surface, putting out the only torch they had.
"Blast these creatures. Swim! Swim back!" Alfred said, gurgling the salt water.
"Wait! Wait, I can't swim!" Ronald exclaimed. Alfred and Arthur nodded and put Ronald's arms around their shoulders, swimming and paddling for their lives.
Glimpse swam behind them, suspicious of the other movements beside the three's frantic paddling. Then a sticky vine roped around his ankle, sending the old man to the depths.
Arthur noticed Glimpse's disappearance. "Glimpse!" Then from the ocean's darkness, they felt a rope snake around Ronald's thigh and dragged him down.
"BLIMEY!" Ronald fought back but the grip was too strong, letting him slip out of the two's hold.
"Ronald!" Alfred shook Arthur. "Arthur, we have to get to shore! The ship is too far away!" He pointed at the dark patch of island in the south. "We need to get there!"
Arthur nodded and swam with Alfred side by side. Soon, they were able to see the white beach and the waxy foliage of the huge plants of the forest. Both of them seemed to get tired for every stroke of their limbs. Alfred started to pant, fresh panic obvious in his breath. "My glasses!"
Arthur turned and was quick enough to grab Alfred's glasses before it could sink to the ink black reef. "Come on. We are almost there!" Alfred nodded in exhaustion and swam like a dog. A few paddles more, and they were almost at the beach. But there was the screech of the mermaids again.
"Arthur, we have to hurry!" Alfred yelled, his limbs starting to get heavy from the silt and saltwater.
"Almost there, we just have to—" Then something grabbed Alfred's leg, the force almost too strong to be won over.
"Arthur!" Alfred yelled, his voice filled with alarm. "Arthur, help me!" Arthur grabbed for his arm and pulled him to the shore, revealing that there was the sea vine of a mermaid that was dragging Alfred's leg. Arthur got his knife and immediately slashed it, but the vine retaliated, wrapping itself around Arthur's hand.
Alfred understood the situation and held Arthur, pulling him to the opposite direction. With the two men's force, a mermaid sprung up the surface and directed herself to Arthur.
CHAPTER 2
If there is anything Arthur could wish for, it would be another longboat. A metal one if he could ask for more.
The two blonde men waded through the leaves and branches of the tropical forest. Arthur had already been suffering a mild case of hives, since he had accidentally touched an exotic plant he never knew he would be allergic to. Alfred was already half-naked, his shirt ripped to shreds from fending off the mermaid that almost killed Arthur last night. Arthur would have been dead carcass in the bottom of Pacific if it weren't for his friend.
Arthur heard a low growl and immediately looked around. "You hear that?"
Alfred looked around as well, readying his knife, and heard the growl again. He then realized it was coming from him. "Geez, Kirkland. Can't you tell a growling beast from a growling stomach?" He chuckled.
Arthur blushed slightly from embarrassment but just grumbled. "Your stomach might be classified as a wild beast." HE bluntly said.
The taller male shrugged. "Fine. We should find something to eat. I am betting my spectacles this island is not a trade spot."
"Considering it is near mermaid waters, I am afraid so." Arthur sighed and knifed through the tall grass.
"I wonder if Captain Walker had this in his mind..." Alfred kept his eyes on a lookout for snakes.
"He won't look for us. They must have assumed we sank to the bottom along Glimpse, Weaver, and Ronald." Arthur muttered.
"May they rest in peace, but that's not what I am thinking." Alfred stopped and looked into Arthur's green eyes. "I mean, did he intentionally bring the crew in a dangerous place believed to give a sailor some power and wealth?"
Arthur thought about it for a second. "He said we were brought here by accident."
"And yet he seemed to be prepared of what to do here."
Arthur shrugged. "All captains should be. That is why he is sailing for thirty long years."
"He joined the Navy just a few years ago, they say." Alfred murmured under his breath.
"Are you insinuating the Captain has a different sailing experience before the Navy?" asked Arthur.
Alfred did not say anything and just seemed alert for any danger. Soon, they heard a gurgle of water. The two of them slowly waddled through the tall grass until they faced a bubbling brook.
"Finally, some darn freshwater!" Alfred exclaimed, immediately scooping some water to drink. Arthur followed and splashed some on his face.
"Pacific islands… fresher than ours indeed." Arthur sighed and stood up, feeling oddly rejuvenated.
Alfred frowned as he noticed that energy surged into his veins. "Odd. Is it me or the water washed our exhaustion away?"
"I felt it, too." Arthur looked around more warily this time. Northwards, they heard a soft melodious ring, just behind the bend of the towering grass.
"Shh." Alfred waded closer, careful not to make any splash.
As they got closer to the bend, the soft melody was not the bubbling sound of the stream. It was coming from a female, an enchanting voice they know fully well.
Arthur prepared his knife. Alfred carefully draped the grass open, as if they were curtains.
Arthur felt the mermaid was not from the night before but he could not be so sure. Her skin was more human than the one they had encountered last night; it was more sun-kissed than a greenish, piscean tint. She still had intricate scales like them, but her patterns were more pronounced, the soft sunlight making it glitter. Her hair was the darkest known shade of brown, adorned with small shells and oddly, flowers. Her back was onto them so Arthur still thought whether she'd be a beautiful maiden like her sisters, or some sort of a devil fish species with fangs and slanting eyes.
Arthur and Alfred stayed low and quiet, listening to the soft mumble of the petite mermaid.
"Naku, Digoy, may kinain na naman sina Ate…" The mermaid said forlornly. A small furry creature appeared into view, cuddled by the mermaid. It looked like a mouse but the size of a small deer. The animal squeaked and borrowed its head into the mermaid's chest.
"Alam mo naman, Digoy, ang tanging kinakain ko lamang ay lamang-loob ng baboy ramo!" The mermaid huffed and put the deer on one of the large rocks she sat on. She then swam upstream, splashing up to the small waterfall. The two peeping toms then backed away, still not seen by the mermaid.
"Do we kill her?" asked Alfred.
Arthur looked uncertain and stared at his knife. "I'm not sure. She seems different."
Alfred frowned. "Just because she looks more human than the rest of them, doesn't mean she's less hostile."
"We better just let her be." Arthur decided.
"But her sisters killed our friends!" Alfred said, his voice a bit louder now.
"Ironic. You were the one who said not to kill the mermaids just eight hours ago!"
"I was wrong. Her kind is dangerous! We could save a lot more sailors should they be stranded in these God-forsaken waters. We can kill them, starting with that wretched sea de—"
Arthur elbowed Alfred's gut as he saw the mousedeer near their feet.
"Kwee?" The deer tilted its head and squeaked at the two.
"Digoy?" The mermaid now swam closer to the curve.
"Shit. This is your fault!" Arthur hissed very low and backed away even more. The mousedeer still squeaked at them, as if it were yapping at them like a dog.
"Shhh! Do not blow our cover, stupid mouse. Or deer. I mean, Christ!"
Alfred saw the large, shimmering fish tail disappear into the tall grass. "Where is she?" He exclaimed.
Arthur tugged at his pants. "A-Alfred..."
Alfred turned and almost cursed out loud. The mermaid, unbeknownst to them, swam behind them. Now a mousedeer and a mermaid cornered them from both ends of their spot.
The mermaid's face looked human except for the swirling patterns on her forehead and temples. Her golden brown eyes looked into Arthur and Alfred's eyes. She tilted her head with curiosity, looking like a cute puppy lost in the woods.
"Filthy mermaid." Alfred grabbed for Arthur's knife but Arthur immediately hid it from his prying arms. "Give me your knife!"
"No! No more mermaid killing! The others failed to do that!" Arthur hissed and tried to calm his nerves. "She probably understands us. Remember her sister talked to us when we were ambushed?"
"Sisters?" The mermaid asked and looked at her palms. "Sisters killed humans last night. Heard bubbles and screams last night."
Arthur crouched in front of her and looked into her eyes. "You were not with your sisters last night?"
The mermaid blushed and looked down to avoid his gaze. "Ma-I… not like depths much. I enjoy springs and streams than dark depths."
"Ma-I? Your name is Ma-I?" Arthur asked further.
The mermaid nodded. "Ma-I. My place." She patted the rock under Arthur's foot.
Arthur blinked. "Oh. Your place." He stepped out and goaded Alfred to do so, too. They now stood at the edge of the bank. "Can you tell us the way out of this island, love?"
Ma-I looked at him. "Island appears only in low tide. All of this… disappears in high tide."
Arthur looked at Alfred. The taller male shrugged. "She should lead us out before high tide."
"High tide is three days away." Ma-I poked at her own scales. "To get out here… you need to reach other end of island. The one that faces north."
"Are you sure that won't lead us to your sisters' place to kill us?" Alfred frowned, still not trusting the mermaid.
The mermaid just looked at him and shrugged. "That is my sisters' cove. They meet large ships there..." Her voice trailed off.
Ma-I blinked and looked at them. "Can't... My sisters will eat you. You're bound here forever."
Alfred kicked some mud at her and the mermaid hissed. "Punyeta!" Arthur stopped Alfred's next muddy onslaught and wiped the muck out of the mermaid's face.
"That attitude of yours led you into this island!" Ma-I exclaimed and plopped down the water, disappearing instantly.
"Hey, no! We're sorry!" Arthur desperately looked around for her but she was already gone. God, how could he forget mermaids can pop in and out bodies of water?
"Good riddance, I say." Alfred grunted and marched north.
"Good riddance? You lost our only chance to escape this hellhole!" Arthur picked up a rotten mango from the ground and threw it at Alfred's back. "She is the only one who knows how to avoid her devil spawn of sisters!"
"Well, you heard her, Arthur, right? She says walk north to see the other end of this island. Now we walk north and prepare some sharp weapons to fend off her sisters." Alfred still did not look at him and kept walking.
Alfred sighed and stopped walking. "I'm sorry, Kirkland. But if you want to beat the high tide, we should get moving."
Arthur nodded, knowing Alfred was right, and followed the taller blonde man.
"Alright, lads. What do we have here?"
Captain Edward Walker strode down the deck to inspect the net. Contrary to Arthur's belief, the crew of Queen Elizabeth searched for them all night, casting nets and calling out their names in hopes of them being alive.
"Heave ho!" The men chanted as they pulled the net's ropes up, the rigging of the ship yawning slightly from its weight.
Queen Elizabeth groaned as soon as the net was dumped on the ship's deck. Immediately, some of the crew slashed it open, only to see a heap of large splinters, upholstery, and some game fish.
Captain Walker grumbled and walked off the scene. "Blast those two imbeciles. I know they are alive." He looked at the island east of the ship.
His lieutenant followed him. "We can't be in that course again. It be dangerous to our crew. Especially without—"
"Hush, Master Reynolds." The tall man played with his pistol. "I know that but we don't have it here. That's why we are finding it! We can't fully cross mermaid waters without that wretched piece."
"Captain!" Master Richmond ran up to him. "Master, you have to see this."
The captain walked back to the net and surprisingly a female whose lower half slowly morphed into a pair of porcelain-smooth limbs was under all the wood and broken boat parts.
Captain Walker aimed his pistol at the female's head.
"Speak. Where be two young humans you almost killed last night, mermaid?" His menacing smile started to spread across his face.
The mermaid just looked at him, her lips pursed.
"SPEAK!" The captain clicked on his pistol.
The female looked at his gun with arrogance, still not speaking.
"Very well, lead shall be your last meal." And the man inserted his pistol in her lips and shot the mermaid.
"You know, it could have been easier if we did not drive the mermaid away."
The two young blondes waded through the humungous leaves and vines of the tropical plants, with Arthur's hives getting worse. He sneezed every minute, and red, itchy welts started to blossom on his arms and legs.
"Alfred, a little help here?" Arthur panted and succumbed to a large rock, ripping his shirt open. "Good… God… my hives… worse than… before."
Alfred offered his back to the smaller male. "Come on. I can carry you."
Arthur frowned and shook his head. "No… journey… long… you need no more burden on you…"
"Artie, it also burdens me that you're like this." Alfred pursed his life.
Arthur managed a swollen smile and nodded. "Shut up, Jones. Just carry me, if you insist."
Alfred crouched in front of him, his back on Arthur. "Come on, Kirkland."
He wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck and the larger male started to walk down the path. "Just be my spare eyes, will ya, Kirkland?"
Arthur nodded and looked around. "I'll be the lookout from above, Master Jones."
A few miles of hiking up and down the forest terrain, they found yet again a river, this time, the mermaid they met this morning was crying.
"Hey, Arthur, your fish girlfriend is crying." Alfred said rather sarcastically, but with a grin in his face. He just loves teasing the other blonde.
Arthur blushed and smacked Alfred's shoulder. "Should we approach her?"
"Why you be asking me, Kirkland. You're much closer to her."
Slowly, Arthur climbed down Alfred's back and beckoned the younger one to follow him. "Ma-I?"
Ma-I's face was contagiously sad. Her eyes were watery and red, as if she just poured chili juice down her irises. Her nose dripped bluish goo—maybe mermaid mucus was different from humans or she just applied some runny ointment down her nostrils. Her lips were curved downward like a boomerang plastered on her face. Worst, tears, and not just clear, salty tears, flowed down her cheeks, leaving a reddish trail from her eyes.
Upon seeing the two men, Ma-I snarled and let out an earsplitting shriek before splashing downstream.
"Ma-I!" Arthur tried to follow her but she was already gone. Then he noticed the river for the first time. When Ma-I left the water, darkness swirled with the current and the entirety of the stream began to boil. After the steam cleared out, dead fish and frogs were left on what used to be a river. It became a dried-out riverbed. Arthur fell back to his butt.
"What... How did this happen?" Alfred looked at the river, horrified.
Arthur frowned at him. "She cursed the river… but a mermaid can't do such thing, right? Not to her own source of life?" He looked up at the orange-purple sky. "We need to get back to the ship."
"Arthur!" Alfred shook him. "The ship! The crew! Something must have been wrong with the mermaids!