A/N- Sorry, I forgot to slip in the disclaimer. I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter, the characters I own are the ones you find in this chapter... later on, however, I might add a centaur or two from the actual books, but I'll inform you when that happens. I also own the cultures of the creatures (or most of it, in the centaurs' case), but other than the world and the odd wizard that might pop up, some of the centaur culture, a tiny bit about the mer-people (like how they 'cannot speak above the ground'), plus the odd spell from the odd wizard, and Hogwarts and the lake... The rest is mine. Anyway, on with the story!
Of Earth and Water
Chapter 2
The centaur carefully lifts me from the grainy ground I lie upon. Slowly and carefully he places me into the cool water of the lake, its waves caress me, healing me with motherly love.
"Thank... you..." I croak out, for even though we know the human language, that does not mean our voices will allow it.
"You are welcome," the centaur says softly, before tilting his head to the side. "You are a creature of water. My people have told many tales of your kind. What were you doing outside of the lake, little fish-dame," the centaur murmurs as he walks closer to me, bending down slightly to get a closer look.
"I fell... asleep," I say, wincing at the feeling of my throat, speaking this alien tongue makes my throat want to tear itself apart.
"You should not fall asleep on this land, little fish-dame," the centaur warns. "For the hunters might choose something more filling than the average fish."
"I am not a fish!" I growl out, the centaur steps back, holding his hands to me as if to ward me off.
"I did not mean to offend you, fish-dame, but that is the name we give your kind- the fish-dame. If it makes you feel better, we have tales of fish-dames holding the ability to grant wishes and dreams, and other tales of anything you have previously dreamt, be it fair or mare, coming true depending on the treatment you bestow upon the fish-dame. Your kind, among mine, are considered beings of lust and beauty, with the ability to change their forms at will to appeal to each creature. Do not take the name of fish-dame as ill manners, it is actually quite the compliment." I consider what the centaur had just said, and smile at him.
"I am afraid I cannot grant... dreams or wishes, I do not... walk on land, I am not a shape... shifter and I am certainly not a fish. Fish do not need to... breathe above water, my kind do, only we do not need to... surface as often as most land beings... do. As for our legends for your kind, and yes, we have many, taught to us by the... humans. It is said that the stars them... selves tell you events to come. It is said that you are creatures of great... wisdom and knowledge, and that you have greater... sight than even the most dangerous of the sky creatures above, and that when you draw your... weapons, your aim is true and deadly to all on the re... the receiving end of the weapons you wield. We do not believe that you grant... wishes, but we do believe that you can tell us... what is to come..." By the end of my speech, I almost fear that I have lost my voice forever, my words barely understandable by the end, but the centaur seems to understand them, for his eyes glitter with laughter.
"Little fish-dame, most of what you say, although a little over exaggerated, are mostly true. We pride ourselves with our perfect aim, we can predict the future from the stars above, though what we see does not always come to pass, but none the less, I am afraid I am forbidden from telling outsiders what we find from the stars and planets up high. As for our vision, perhaps it is better than the 'sky creatures' you speak of, but that we will never know. I can see the rings of Saturn, and each crater of the Moon in great detail, so perhaps we do have brilliant sight, but the best? I do not know... Tell me little fish-dame," he tilts his head, as if observing me. "What is your name, unless you would prefer me to keep calling you 'Little Fish-Dame,'" he smirks as I scrunch up my face at the thought of being labelled with such a name.
"My name... is Brycil...ia." I croak out. He nods, smiling slightly.
"Brycilia..." he breathes, nodding his head in approval. "A beautiful name, far more lovely than the names we centaur curse our children with. My name with Boren, not as lovely as your own name, I am aware, but it is traditional. Besides, at least I did not inherit my father's name of Brontak," Boren shudders, making me laugh. Boren's eyes widen at the sound of my voice as if caught by a sudden yet brilliant thought.
"Brycilia, how do you normally speak? I can tell the unusual words and shifts of tone when speaking Human is very much foreign to you. In fact, if I am not wrong, your kind does not seem built to speak the language of the Humans..." I look down in shame and embarrassment for my obvious lack of ability to speak as he and they do, but I do as he asks.
Above water, we cannot speak as well as below. When in the lake, we can speak in our own tongue, a beautiful language that few humans have heard, but many of which have compared to songs of sirens, which are our evil, seductive counter parts, so the humans say. So, as I speak to Boren in the language of the Meloskans, it comes out as nothing more than croaks and screeches.
"It is... better... underwater..." I explain, but Boren just shakes his head, looking at me as if he believes every one of the centaur legends to be true.
"It is how you normally speak, and besides, I have heard many of the legends the Humans tell of, both true and false, about the fish-dames, and from those tales, they say that above water, your kind sound like a screeching banshee,"- I glare at him as he smiles back- "Yet underwater, it is said that the words you speak are like the sound of music, the words flow like the lake you live in, and the words themselves are said to be sung rather than told in haunting tones of everlasting beauty or eternal sadness. Are what the humans speak of true? Do you sing choruses rather than speaking sentences?"
"Yes," I say simply. We cannot ourselves hear when we speak, we only have the humans to tell us how we sound, but from what the humans have said, that is exactly how we sound- like as if we are singing songs of beauty and sadness. It is said that our words can cause all to hear to feel as we feel. If we feel unbearable sorrow, the humans would cry for us. If we feel joy and happiness, the humans would smile at our words. They might not understand us, but they understand the sounds. I look up at the darkened sky and am reminded of the dangers that lurk beneath the surface.
"I am sorry, Boren, but I need... to leave, before the predators... wake up, if they have not already awo... ken. We can meet... here tomorrow... when sun is highest..." I wish him farewell, my speaking growing more difficult, before diving beneath the surface to return to my home. Luckily, no predators try to kill me as I swim home, which is a blessing. Once I arrive, of course, my parents instantly demand to know where I had been. I tell them of how I nearly died, of the centaur who came and saved my life and of what we spoke of. They seem stuck between split thoughts. Both were hesitant in believing, saying how I might have been seeing sights due to the heat of the sun, my father also obviously felt angry, most probably for me leaving the cave and almost dying due to my foolishness, while my mother seemed flattered that the centaurs thought such things about us. I finally manage to escape them and my father's fury by saying how tired I am, settling in for the night to the sound of my father promising a full 'conversation' in the morning.
A/N: I'd just like to say, when Boren says "fair or mare" he's not talking about female horses (which is kind of ironic, considering what he is...) What he meant was nightmares. Also, remember, these creatures come from completely different cultures, but I'll try my best to explain any random phrases that might not make sense to you, like, for example, when Brycilia's parents thinks she's 'seeing sights,' that's basically her seeing things- hallucinating, which you'd most probably figured out, but I'm just saying to get rid of any confusion...
