The Little Martian
Deep under water, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
"Megriel!" A small red fish with green stripes shouted as he swam as fast as he could through the water. "Megiel, wait for me!"
"Hurry up, Robder!" With a light-hearted laugh, an auburn haired mermaid with green skin swam ahead of the small fish. Even though she was very beautiful, she did not realize it and was dressed like many other mermaids her age with a pair of oyster shells covering her chest area. Her blue tail propelled her through the water expertly as she excitedly continued moving forward.
"You know I can't swim that fast, so please…ease up."
"But we're nearly, oh, there it is. Isn't it fantastic?" The two stopped a few yards from a ship that was rumored to have been sunk a few days ago. Its masts were broken, save one, and holes evident of cannon fire were blasted in its side. The large cloth sails were also torn and lying lifelessly on the sandy bottom of the ocean floor.
"Yeah, sure, it's great. Now let's get outta here and get back home."
"Not yet, I'm going inside. Just, stay out here and watch for sharks if you want if you're going to be a guppy about it." Megriel shot ahead and disappeared inside the derelict ship.
"I'm not a guppy. I love, excitement, adventure and danger lurking around every corn…sharks? Megriel, wait! I'm going in with you!"
As Robder quickly made his way inside, he could hear Megriel laugh lightly. It didn't take him long to find her scavenging around the destroyed dressers, cupboards, and shelves inside the captain's quarters. Her eyes widened in astonishment when she pulled out a silver fork.
"Oh my fins! Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your entire life?"
"What is it?" Robder asked as he floated around her hand, examining it.
"I have no idea, but I bet Artle will know."
"Wait, what was that? Did you hear something?" Robder suddenly got very aware of what was around him and shook with fright.
"Ooh, shiney." Megriel ran her fingers along a porcelain box that contained a tiny figure of a woman in a white blouse with a red boarder around the neck and wrists. It also had a blue dress extended as if it were twirling around.
"Megriel?"
"Relax, Robder. Nothing's going to happen. Come on, let's go find Artle."
Stuffing the fork, box, and a few other finds in a bag she had found with a strap attached to it, Megriel and Robder swam out of the ship and headed for a small island where their friend Artle the seagull had her perch.
After vanishing from view, a pair of clawed hands gripped the side of the ship and pulled an attractive dark haired woman over its edge. Unlike Megriel the mermaid, this woman did not have a tail but eight tentacled legs like that of a squid. A yellow and black corset covered her torso and an evil smile crept upon her face.
"Yeeeeeees, hurry away, princess. We wouldn't want to miss old unkie's celebration, now, would we? Huh, I'll give them something to celebrate soon enough. Ridsam! I want you to keep an extra close watch on this pretty little niece of his. She may be the key to King Martian's undoing."
Several miles from the wrecked ship, Megriel emerged from the water with a splash as she flipped her head back to remove the hair from her face. Spotting her destination just to the west of her, she swam along the surface to a small island where her seagull friend lived.
"Artle!" she called, swimming up to the shore.
"Mermaid off the port bow!" a female yellow headed seagull shouted when she saw the mermaid. "How you doin', green girl?"
"Wonderful Artle." Taking the bag off, the fish tailed girl dug out the fork she found earlier. "Look what we found. I was hoping you could tell me what it is."
"Well, let's have a looksee." Taking the fork from her, Artle looked it over and even bit its pronged tip. "Yep, just as I thought. It's a dinglehopper! Humans use these to straighten out their hair. Using one of these, you can achieve an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over. Like the beehive hairstyle or a mullet."
"Hello Megriel," the mermaid said as she lightly thumped the side of her head. "Of course it would be for the hair. That would explain the four points at the end."
"What about that one?" Robder asked when Megriel pulled out the porcelain box.
"Ah, I haven't seen one of these in years. This is wonderful! A bulbous snarfblat."
"Oohhh. What's it for?" the mermaid asked.
"Well, the snarfblat dates back to prehistoric times, when human females used to wish about what they would look like. They would sit around and stare into a box all day and imagine what they would look like if they could make themselves look any way they wished. Especially if it meant they could meet a mate at a party."
"A party? Oh my gosh, my uncle's gonna kill me. Uh, I'm sorry, I've gotta go. Thank you Artle!" The young mermaid, after packing everything back up, swam off back home with Robder trying to keep up.
"Anytime, girlfriend, anytime!" Artle yelled as she waived them goodbye.
Little did they know, a green and black eel was watching them from a distance.
Arriving at her home, the underwater kingdom of Marlantis, Megriel found herself in trouble with her uncle, King Martian who was furious at her after learning of her trip to the surface. In fact, furious was too soft of a word for what he felt. Part of the reason they thrived in the ocean was due to them living in secret, but because of his niece's tendency to venture to the surface, that ambiguity was in danger of being destroyed. She was the only mermaid to defy this rule but it wasn't out of spite to her uncle, it was simply her curiosity getting the best of her. The human world just fascinated her to no end.
Sitting alone in her cove-like room, Megriel tried her best not to cry. Her uncle was harsh but had a point. If she were to be discovered, it could potentially lead to the end of their kind. Hesitantly, Robder swam into her room. He had given her some time to gather herself but thought she could use a friend right about now.
"Megriel? Are, are you okay?" he gently asked.
"I'm fine, Robder. It's just, if only I could make him understand. I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things, could be bad. I just wish I could be part of that world."
Breaking the fragile atmosphere of the small room, a small crab fell from on high dragging with him several of Megriel's treasures.
"Kid Crab?" Megriel said as she got out of the way of the falling knick knacks.
"What is all this?" the orange crab asked. "Are you mad? How could you…if your uncle knew about this this stuff he'd-"
"Are you gonna tell him about Megriel's collection, Crab Cake?" Robder asked as he swam up the crustacean and looked him square in the eye. "Not cool, Crab Cake. Not cool."
"Please, Kid Crab, you can't. He would never understand."
"(Sigh), You know, just once I wish you would not call me Crab Cake," the orange crab said while exhaling. "Just, come on. I'll take you to get some leftovers from the celebration then-"
Just then, a large shadow cascaded over them. The three looked up to see a large ship sailing over. A long wake followed behind it as it continued westward to its destination.
"What do you suppose is…" Swimming off, Megriel shot upward toward the ship, much to the objections of Kid Crab and Robder.
Breaking the surface carefully, Megriel poked the top of her head out of the water and was met with a sight that took her breath away. Bright colored lights seemed to explode in the sky with more joining them. She was in such a trance by the multitude of bright colors that she didn't notice Robder and Kid Crab joining her. The only thing to break her out of her trance was the sound of a loud whistle.
"I know what you're thinking tuna girl," Artle said, startling her mermaid friend. "It's called a 'vweet'. It's a form of communication among the humans."
"What does it mean?" Megriel asked.
"I don't know. But it couldn't help to take a closer look."
"Artle, why did you tell her that?" Kid Crab demanded with urgency.
"What? I was just thinking out loud."
"You were being a moron, blondie."
"Blondie? Good comeback," the seagull squawked. "Is that the best you can do pincer puss?"
"Pincer Puss?! Beak…beak…beak face."
"Oh Crab Cake, just, just stop right there and ease back into your whelmness," Robder said as he fin-palmed.
Swimming up to the ship, but being careful to not be seen, Megriel silently looked around the outer deck as she stayed in the shadow of the vessel. She could hear rambunctious laughter, music, loud talking, and the sound of an animal barking. She continued to look over as much as she could when she saw a young man, about the same age as her, lean on the hand rail.
She had never seen a human this close before nor had seen one that looked like him. His short black hair fluttered in the night breeze as with the collar of his shirt doing the same. Even his voice sounded wonderful to her when she heard him speak to a large white animal he referred to as 'Wolf'. She wanted to get closer but knew that was out of the question. He just looked so lonely.
"Hey there, sweetie. Enjoying the show?" Artle asked while paddling up to the mermaid.
"I've never seen a human this close before. He's very handsome, isn't he?" Megriel asked barely above a whisper.
"I don't know, he's too hairy and slobbery for my taste."
"Not that one, the one with the serious face and black hair." She stared longingly at him for a moment. "I like his…everything."
Looking at the one Megriel was referring to; Artle cocked her head to the side and studied him for a moment. "He needs feathers."
It was then that a powerful wind picked up.
"Ahoy! Prince Conner!" a voice yelled from further on the ship, making Megriel lower a tad bit deeper in the water. "Storm's on its way! Stand fast and secure the rigging!"
The once calm sky began to rumble with thunder as the wind kicked up violently. Artle tried her best to stay in the water but was blown away once the rain began to pour.
Looking up at the ship in hopes of seeing the man referred to as Prince Conner, the mermaid witnessed one of the masts being struck by lightning. It fell in her direction, forcing her to dive under water to avoid being struck by the massive structure. The resulting lightning strike set fire to the vessel, something she could see from under the waves, which caused those on board to leap into the water.
Watching the people swim to shore, she kept out of sight as she hid among the nearby rocks. Waves swept many of the humans away with others climbing smaller versions of the large ship. Then she saw him. Falling further into the ocean, the young man she saw leaning on the rail of the ship wasn't moving as bubbles floated out of his mouth.
Acting without thinking, Megriel came out of her hiding place and scooped him up. There were still too many humans around to bring him to the surface so she did the only thing she could think of. Holding his nose shut, she pressed her mouth over his and breathed for him. Her gills filtered the water through her neck as she breathed the oxygen into his lungs. She couldn't help but smile from the act.
After the storm subsided, she pulled Prince Conner's body out of the water and drug him to shore. By this time, Artle, who had been circling for any sign of her friend, landed nearby and looked over the man her friend rescued.
"Is he dead?" Megriel asked.
"Hmm," Artle said as she opened one of his eyes. "It's hard to say." She paced down his body and stopped at his foot where she placed an ear. "Oh my goodness! He's dead. I, I can't make out a heartbeat. He's dead! Quick, destroy his brain so he doesn't become a zombie. I've heard tales of that happening. Now, if I know my humans like I know I do, we need to flip him over and look in his posterior. That's where their brains are."
"Their posterior?"
"Yeah. From what I've heard, that's where they have their heads most of the time, and when they make you angry, you're supposed to put a boot up there."
"I don't think that's right. Oh, look, he's breathing."
Looking upon the man she saw last night, the mermaid couldn't help but move the short bangs from his face. "He's so, handsome."
She cradled him in her arms and without thinking, began to sing softly to him. She was cut short by the sound of the animal from last night named Wolf barking and the sound of a man shouting, 'Prince Conner! Prince Conner!'
She gently put him down and leapt back in the water.
Keeping an eye on the scene on the beach, she saw a dark skinned young man kneel beside Prince Conner and gently shook him awake. The large animal liked his face as he sat up. She swam a bit closer, careful not to draw attention to herself so she may hear what they were saying to each other when she overheard them speaking about her.
"Kaldur, there was a girl. (Cough) A girl res…rescued me. (Cough, cough) She was singing. She had the most beautiful voice I've ever heard but I never saw her."
She smiled brightly at his words.
"Ah, Conner, my friend, I think you've swallowed a bit too much seawater," Kaldur told him. "I will take you back to your castle and let the nurses tend to your wounds. Come on, Wolf."
"Kaldur," Conner said as he stopped and looked out over the ocean. "I have to find her."
Hiding in the rocks, the green and black eel watched the entire scene take place and scurried away. Everything he saw was relayed to the octopus woman who had commanded him to follow the little mermaid as she looked through his eyes using a large magical pearl within her underwater layer.
"Awwww, so cute. Ugh, I can't stand it. The child is in love with a human. I can see it radiating off her even without my magical pearl. And what's worse, it's not just any human but a prince! Oh how her uncle will love that. King Martian's headstrong, lovesick girl would make a charming addition to my little plan."
The next morning in the Marlantic palace, Megriel was busy picking petals off a flower while Robder played with a strange curved piece of metal and Kid Crab paced back and forth quickly.
"O.K. So far, so good," Kid Crab said, mostly to himself than anyone else. "I don't think the king knows, but it will not be easy keeping something like this a secret for long. I need you to act normal."
"He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not," Megriel said as she plucked the petals off one by one.
"We can do this. We can keep last night a secret from King Martian and no one will ever know what you did despite my adamant protests of why you shouldn't have gone there in the first…oh will you stop that!"
"He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not, He loves me. He, he loves me! I knew it!" Dropping the empty flower stem, she swam in a circle and giggled before heading over to her treasure room. "I've got to see him again tonight. After uncle goes to sleep, I'll swim to Artle's island and have her take me to where he lives and Robder will splash to get his attention and he'll come out to see what the noise is and I'll see him and…oh, I can't wait!"
"Can't wait for what?" boomed her uncle, the king's, voice.
"Um, Your Highest of highnesses," Kid Crab said quickly. "I, I, I, was just telling your niece about, well, see, it's really a funny story you see…I…are you using a new lotion on your skin because it's really a lot more greener and, and, shiny looking and, and your brow sticks out so much, now that it's surely a sign of your superior masculinity and that red 'X' on your chest is the absolute bomb. And your head is just so…so…clean, like you never had the need for hair. And your tail, your tail is just so…tail like, it's-"
"Kid Crab," the king said with a chuckle. "Don't strain yourself. I know all about it. I raised several kids myself you know."
"You know about last night?" Robder asked.
"Uncle I can explain," Megriel quickly interjected. "You see he was-"
"I know, I know." King Martian waived his hand reassuringly. "I went through the same thing at your age. So tell me, who's the lucky merman?"
"Merman?"
"Yes. I heard you from the hallway. It's clear as day you're in love with some lucky merman. So tell me, who is it?"
When she didn't answer, only blushed, the king turned to Kid Crab. "Come on, Kid Crab, who is it?"
"Um, well…" Rubbing his claws together, the crustacean began to stutter.
"Out with it Kid Crab."
"Well?"
"My patience is wearing thin. I want the truth and I want it-"
"I tried to stop her, sir but she wouldn't listen. I told her to stay away from the humans but-"
"WHAT ABOUT HUMANS?!" King Martian yelled.
"Uncle-" his niece pleaded.
"Is it true?" the king asked her.
"I…yes." Her voice grew very meek. "I had to. He was drowning and-"
"Contact between the human and the mer-world is strictly forbidden, Megriel, you know that! Everyone knows that!
"But he would have died if I-"
"Then he would have been one less human to worry about!"
"You don't even know him."
"Know him? I don't have to know him. They're all the same. Spineless, savage, harpooning, fish-eaters, that hoard all of the Oreos and are incapable of any-"
"Uncle, I love him!"
"What?" the king asked as his entire demeanor grew dark. "He's a human, you're a mermaid-"
"I don't care," she said with tears rolling down her face.
"I'll make you care." He reached behind him and drew his golden trident that was slung on his back. "If this is the only way," he charged it up, "then so be it."
"Uncle?" she saw him aim his weapon at the trove of treasures she had collected since she were a child. "No. No, please. Uncle, stop! Stop!"
A large burst of energy shot forth and destroyed the small cove filled with her treasures. Debris scattered around and settled to the floor where she fell and cried her heart out.
"Megriel, you need to learn that the reason we are alive is due to staying hidden. If we are to be discovered we would be hunted down and killed."
She looked up at him before putting her face in her hands once again. It was a look that broke his heart and made him realize what he had done. Not being able to bring himself to say anything, he lowered his head and left. Robder and Kid crab left as well after being told she wanted to be left alone. After a while, a black and green eel slithered around several rocks and floated up behind her.
"Poor child," the eel said. "Poor, sweet child. It seems you have a very serious conundrum."
"Who, who are you?" the crying mermaid asked.
"You may call me, Ridsam. And I have a proposition for you. A proposition that will make all your dreams come true. Including a chance at a life with your prince. If this is something you want, simply follow me."
Looking back at where her uncle and friends went, the mermaid quickly thought of everything that had happened and the way she felt living under the sea. It was a decision easily made.
A short time later, Megriel, led by Ridsam, arrived at a dark seaweed covered cave. After entering, the mermaid beheld a large conch shell emanating a strange purple light that made her think twice about going any further. Those thoughts were erased when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her shoulders.
"We mustn't lurk in doorways," a seductive female voice said, "it's extremely rude."
"Who, who are you?" Megriel asked.
"My name is Queen Beesurla, my little miss, and I hear you have a thing for a…human."
"How did-"
"Oh, I know many things." Swimming over to a large glowing pearl, Queen Beesurla waived her hands over its smooth surface and made Prince Conner appear. "My, my, he is quite a catch, isn't he? Well, my sweet, the solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want…is to become a human yourself."
"Can you do that?"
"I only live to help poor souls like you gain what they truly desire."
Looking into the magical pearl, Megriel could see the prince sitting by himself in a room's corner as a large gathering of people mingled with each other. His attention was focused on the sea, making her feel as if he were looking for her at that moment. She could see him clearly now and fell in love with him all over again.
"Now, here's the deal," Beesurla began, "I will turn you into a human for three, count them, three days, as that's the limit for spells such as this, understand? Now, here's the important part, before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get your dear blue eyed prince to fall in love with you and kiss you. But it cannot be just any kiss, no, no, no; it must be the kiss of true love. If he kisses you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human and you can be with him permanently, but if he doesn't, then you'll turn back into a mermaid, and must serve me, of course, for giving you such a chance at true happiness. Do we have a deal?"
At the entrance of the cave, Kid Crab overheard everything. He tried to stop her from making the deal and to tell Megriel she's dealing with a sea witch but was ambushed from behind by Beesurla's minion, Ridsam. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Megriel pulling out a small porcelain figurine to show the tentacled woman and a bright light surround the mermaid.
"Megriel? Megriel, can you hear me?" Kid Crab asked as he and Robder tried to wake her.
It had been an hour since she swam into the cave of Queen Beesurla and was only by chance Artle had spotted her lying among the rocks of the beach. After finding Robder and Kid Crab, the trio worked on getting her further up on the sand and had draped a torn piece of a sail over her to cover her up.
"Well lookey what happened to green girl, she's lost all coloring and has tan skin now. And she's got a new posterior. Hmm, I guess she now has a place to put her head." Artle said as she paced around the sleeping girl's head.
"STOP WITH THE HEAD UP THE POSTERIOR, YOU IDIOT!" Kid Crab yelled. "She's a human! A no good stupid human! She's-"
"Crab Cake, Bird Brain, quiet. She's waking up," Robder pointed out.
With several coughs, the one-time mermaid opened her eyes and sat up quickly. She was greeted by her oceanic friends but found she could not greet them back as her voice was gone. A worried look came over her before Kid Crab calmed her down and explained about the deal she made and what she had to do. She had traded her mermaid form for a human's but also gave up her voice for three days in return. The crustacean went into a fit at what happened but as he did so, Artle tried teaching Megriel how to use her new legs. Wobbly at first, she got used to them, just in time to hear a familiar bark from around a large group of rocks. What appeared was the large white animal she saw with the prince on the ship but now it was chasing her. Robder fled back in the water while Kid Crab hid in the folds of the sail she wore. Artle took to the air, but not before giving Megriel a luck filled wish.
"Wolf, Wolf, down boy, come here!" Prince Conner, in a pair of dark blue pants and a white shirt with a red insignia, ordered his pet as he came around the rocks. He froze in his tracks when he saw the young auburn haired woman perched on a rock with a torn sail wrapped around her.
"Conner! Conner! Where are you my friend?" A dark skinned young man joined Conner and both stared at the young woman. "Who is that?"
"I don't know Kaldur. She was just…" Taking a few steps, Conner stood at the base of the rock and looked up at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "You…seem…very familiar. Have we met?"
She tried to say something but forgot she couldn't speak.
"My friend, if you're still searching for that mystery girl, I doubt she's her. She's a mute."
"I suppose you're right. But she's out there somewhere." He extended a hand and offered to help Megriel down. When she tried to stand on the sand, she fell forward only to be caught by him. "Easy. You must have really been through something. Don't worry, I'll help you. Come with us, you'll be okay."
It didn't take long for them to reach the sea side castle where Conner lived. She was immediately pampered by servants on his request. They filled a deep basin with warm water and a substance that smelled and felt so good. She had fun playing with the delicate bubbles as a woman supplied her with soaps and took her 'dress' to be cleaned.
Afterward, she was dressed in a green and white dress and led to a large dining hall where Prince Conner and his friend Kaldur waited to sit with her and gave her compliments on how beautiful she looked. She enjoyed the meal given to her and tried not to blush as the two men talked about the mystery girl Conner was looking for and how his other friends teased him about being in love with her. She also liked hearing how she was the only one to actually get him to smile.
"You know, Conner, perhaps our guest might enjoy seeing some of the sights of the kingdom," Kaldur said after wiping his mouth.
Conner looked up at him after he took a bite of his food. "I'm sorry, Kal, what was that?"
"You shouldn't spend all your time moping around here, you need to get out. I'm sure the young lady would like to see the grounds of the kingdom."
Megriel nodded vigorously.
"Ok, then. After dinner, I'll show you around the castle and then the town tomorrow." Again, Conner grinned.
The next day saw the prince and Megriel tour the town. They rode in a carriage, visited a place where animals from around the world were on display, ate at fine restaurants, and ventured through the wildflowers of the countryside. It was all amazing to her, everything she saw, smelled, and heard. Finally, at the closing of the day, she and Conner prepared to go out on a lake. As she waited for him to retrieve a boat, Kid Crab came out of his hiding place within a pocket of her blue dress. She was adorned in the same outfit the little figurine was when she first discovered that porcelain box.
"Good gravy, girl," Kid Crab said as he scuttled on the ground. "This has got to be, without a doubt, the single most stupidest thing you have ever done. Now pay attention. When he takes you for that ride, you gotta do everything you can get him to kiss you. You gotta bat your eyes, like this."
He disturbingly smiled and fluttered his eye lids quickly.
"You gotta pucker up your lips, like this."
He puckered his lips together in a way that made Megriel laugh. He looked absolutely ridiculous. She shook her head and gestured about how she didn't need his help in getting Conner to like her.
"Oh, okay, fine. You are a hopeless child, you know that? (Gasp) I gotta go, he's coming." As he scuttled off, he spoke to himself, "For the love of gills, please let this works."
The two rowed out into the center of the lake while engaged a one sided conversation. Within the water, Robder, Kid Crab and Artle, perched on an overhead branch, watched the two as they stared at the sunset.
"Come on, guy," Robder said as he and the others hid among the reeds. "You see her there sitting across the way."
"Even though she ain't got a lot to say, he's got to see there's something about her," Artle said.
"Oh, just come on and kiss the girl." Kid Crab said a little too loudly.
"Did you hear something?" Conner asked. Megriel just shook her head and tried to avoid looking at her friends who were silently tailing them.
Lightly elbowing Artle as she landed in the water and swim next to them, Robder whispered to her, "You can tell he wants her. Look at him, you know he does."
"Men," Artle said. "The guy's too shy, he ain't gonna kiss her. He's gonna miss the girl."
"Over my mamma's soft shell." Kid Crab said before they swam behind a batch of water grass to conceal them once the boat stopped.
"You know, I feel bad not knowing your name. I wish I could find out," Conner told her as he leaned on his knees.
"Megriel, her name is Megriel," Kid Crab whispered as he backstroked past.
"There it is again," Conner said as he sat up straight. "Are you sure you're not hearing anything?"
Megriel shook her head, her eyes becoming wide at the knowledge of what her friends were up to. She felt embarrassed at their ploys and also that she wasn't doing a good job of getting him to like her herself. Thinking fast, she remembered picking up a napkin from the restaurant they were at for lunch and a piece of charcoal she got from her room before she left and scribbled her name on it.
"Megriel?" Conner said as he read the paper. "Well, that's kinda pretty. Okay. Nice to know you, Megriel."
She flashed a bright smile as he said her name and the two leaned in close. The moonlight shone upon her face as she looked at him from under her long eyelashes.
"Dude," Kid Crab said as he watched the two. "Now's your moment, here in the blue lagoon. Do it now, do it now. She won't say a word until you kiss the girl, you blockhead."
"Eee, he's so close," Artle quietly squealed. "Don't stop now, kiss her."
Both Megriel and Prince Conner leaned in a little further.
"They're gonna do it," Robder said. "He's gonna kiss the-"
With a loud splash, the bat tipped over and the two fell into the water.
"Hang on," Conner said as he swam over to Megriel. "I gotcha'." He took her in his arms and began to swim to the shore, making sure she wasn't in any trouble of drowning.
Silently, a light wake moved out of the lake as a green and black eel left the scene of the crime.
"Nice work, my slave. That was too close. The little tramp is better than I thought. He'll be kissing her by sunset for sure. I guess it's time I took matters into my own tentacles." A bright light surrounded the sea witch as she laughed evilly from the confines of her cave.
The next morning found Megriel in the room Conner had given her for her stay. She had slept longer than normally, dreaming about last night and almost kissing Prince Conner. The night had been full of dreams like that, each one ending with them sharing love's true kiss. She happily brushed her hair, not with a fork but a brush, as she daydreamed about her making that kiss happen.
"Megriel! Megriel!" Artle shouted as she came crashing into the young girl's room. "Megriel, emergency! EMERGENCY!"
Turning to face the panicking seagull, Megriel grabbed her by the sides and shook her gently in the hopes she would regain her composure.
"What's going on?" Kid Crab asked as he scuttled in from the bathroom. "I was in the middle of a perfectly good steam facial and-"
"THE PRINCE IS MARRYING THE SEA WITCH IN DISGUISE!" Artle shouted.
"What are you talking about?" Kid Crab asked. "What do you mean he's getting married?"
"I was flying back home last night after Megriel went to bed and heard the prince tell his friend he was falling for her when I heard Megriel's voice come from the beach. The prince was…I don't know, hypnotized, or discombobulated, or twitterpated into falling in love with her. I didn't know it was her until I saw her reflection in the water. And it was Beesurla!"
Megriel held her hands over her mouth as a tear ran down her face.
"Are you sure?" the little crab asked.
"Of course I'm sure, shell for brains. Have I ever been wrong? I mean when it's important."
Getting up, Megriel ran out of the room to find out if this were true when she came across Prince Conner, a beautiful brunette woman, and Kaldur talking in the foyer of the castle. Sure enough, they were making plans to be married at the end of the day. Heartbroken, she ran the opposite way and out the rear entrance to the beach.
Hours later, Artle and Kid Crab found her sitting on a pier crying as a large royal ship began to take off. Robder tried to console her but couldn't. He was surprised when Kid Crab and Artle came up beside her.
"Megriel," the crab said. "There you are. We need to act fast."
Megriel shook her head. Unknown to them, she was refused to be seen by the prince and kicked off the ship. She was then mocked by the disguised Beesurla as the loading plank was picked up.
"Listen to me, girl," Artle told her. "It's a trick. He doesn't love her. She has him under a spell using your voice."
"Yes," Kid Crab said, taking over. "The sun hasn't set yet. You still have time to make him realize he loves you."
Megriel looked at her friends with a tear stained face.
"Do you love him?"
She nodded.
"Then here is what we do." Making his way over to several wooden barrels, Kid Crab closed his eyes and put his claws together as if her were praying. "KA-RA-TE!" He jumped in the air and kicked one of the barrels off into the water. "Now grab on to that. Robder, get her to that boat as fast as your fins can carry you! Artle, stall that wedding at all costs!"
At the beginning of sunset, a priest in a white robe waited as the bride and groom took their positions before him. "Dearly beloved…"
Reaching the ship, Artle targeted the wedding below and heard Prince Conner say 'I do' hypnotically. "(Sigh) The fun I have for my friends. CANNONBALL!"
Before the priest could finish the ceremony, Artle dive-bombed the dark haired woman's head, knocking her veil off and causing her to stumble forward. Prince Conner stood in silence as if nothing were transpiring.
"Get away from me you molty little, Oh!" As the woman fought the seagull, a seashell amulet, which was glowing, was snatched up by her airborne attacker.
As Artle flew away, she tossed the shell to the edge of the ship where the just arrived Megriel caught it. She threw it on the ground and stomped on it, breaking the spell and freeing her voice as well as Prince Conner.
A yellow light circled Megriel and lit her up, giving her, her voice back. "Conner!"
Holding his head from the spell being broken, Prince Conner looked up at the sound of her voice and recognized it from when he awoken on the beach several days ago. "Megriel?"
"Conner," she said as they ran up to each other.
"It's you. You're the one who rescued me, who sang to me and-"
With a gasp, Megriel stiffened in his arms and let out a scream. Conner panicked but didn't let her go as she sank to the deck. As the sun set on the ocean's horizon, her legs disappeared underneath her dress and were replaced by a large tail fin. Conner's eyes opened wide when he saw the scaly appendage and held her close as her skin turned back to green. "Megriel…"
"I, I wanted to tell you but, I…I"
"You're too late!" Transformed back into her true form, Queen Beesurla slithered her way over to the two and grabbed Megriel before diving overboard. "You're too late, loverboy!"
"Megriel!" Conner shouted as she disappeared beneath the waves.
"Let me go!" Megriel struggled to get out of Beesurla's grip but couldn't. "Let me go! Conner!"
"Stop right there!" Swimming up to them was King Martian. He had his trident drawn and charged up, ready to blast Beesurla at a moment's notice.
"Not a chance, Martian!" Beesurla told him. "She's mine now. We made a deal and it cannot be broken." She pulled out a contract and showed it to the king. "See? It's all legal. I made sure to have it notarized as well."
At the sight of the contract proclaiming the deal, King Martian blasted it but nothing happened.
Looking at her Uncle, Megriel managed to stammer out, "Uncle, I'm sorry! I-"
"Megriel," King Martian said. "Give her back to me or I'll-"
"I'll make you a deal, right here, right now," Beesurla said. "Her for you and everything you own. Upon agreement, I'll destroy this contract and she'll be free, unlike you. How much does your precious niece mean to you?"
King Martian looked at the young mermaid with worry. "Done."
"No!" Megriel shouted.
A yellow light circled the three of them as Beesurla let out an evil filled laugh as she began to grow.
"Oh, snap." Kid Crab said as he and Rodber were covered by a large shadow.
Robder could barely bring himself to say anything. "Switching from whelmed to overwhelmed in three, two…"
Rising up out of the sea, Beesurla laughed maniacally as she grew to enormous size. Waves crashed into the ships that flanked the large one where Prince Conner was supposed to marry the disguised sea witch, sending the sailors and guests jumping overboard.
"Uncle?" Megriel said when she saw King Martian turned into a sea sponge then turned to face the sea witch. "You monster!"
"If you were smart, you little brat, you would take your uncle and bow before the new ruler of Marlantis and the oceans of the - GAAAAHH!"
Stopping her ranting, Prince Conner and Kaldur had fired several cannons at the belly of the large sea witch.
"I'll make you pay for that." Raising the golden trident, Beesurla charged it up to deliver a blast to take out the ship the two men had commandeered. "Say goodbye to your sweetheart, mer-trollop."
"Nooo!" Grabbing a lost harpoon, Megriel charged at the witch and speared her in the side. The pain she caused her made her blast miss. "You insignificant fool!"
Raising the trident over her head, Beesurla summoned a squall forcing Megriel into a nearby exposed rock. As she clutched herself to it, Conner piloted his ship over to where she was while Kaldur ordered the soldiers to keep firing.
"Conner, what are you doing?" Kaldur shouted over the cannon fire.
"I have to save her!" Conner yelled back.
"We have to save ourselves first! Men, fire another round! Conner, I need you to bring us to port side, we need to get behind her as long as she has that trident!"
"Conner!" Megriel yelled when she saw him on the ship. "Just go!"
Looking back at the sea witch, Prince Conner got an idea. "Abandon ship! Off port, now!"
"What?" Kaldur yelled.
"Abandon ship, all is lost!"
As the men jumped overboard, Beesurla gave a loud laugh. "Some hero, little girl. He abandoned you!" She charged up her trident again and aimed it at the mermaid. "So much for true love."
Ready to deliver a death strike to Megriel, Beesurla failed to see the ship that had fired upon her change direction with only Conner on board who had stayed behind. He aimed the tip of the bowspirit of the ship directly at the giant witch and succeeded in spearing her through the gut. The force behind the ram was enough to skewer her all the way through.
With a yell of pain, Beesurla dropped the trident and trashed her tentacles around. Running to get out of the way, Conner was about to jump overboard when one of the tentacles crashed through the ship and triggered the remaining gunpowder to explode. The blast was enough to destroy the sea witch and send what was left of her body to the bottom of the sea where she dissolved into nothing. Her minion was also caught in the blast and was destroyed as well as the spell she had casted, which was now broken.
Looking around, Megriel spotted Conner's body floating in the water and swam over to him. She drug him on shore where she laid his unconscious body carefully on the sand and made sure he was breathing. She whispered his name and wiped the wet bangs from his face. After a moment, he woke to see her looking down upon him.
Back to his normal self, King Martian watched his beloved niece and the human she had fallen for.
"She really does love him, doesn't she, Kid Crab?"
"I suppose she does," Kid Crab said. "Like I always say, Your Majesty, children must be free to lead their own lives."
"Since when?"
"Since about two seconds ago."
Letting out a sigh, King Martian pointed his trident at Megriel. "Do you know the hardest part about this?"
"What's that, Your Majesty?"
"I'm going to miss her, so, so much."
"I have to go," Megriel told Conner as they sat on the beach.
"I don't want you to," he told her.
"I can't stay here. My uncle was right. This is not a world meant for me."
"But I-"
"I'm sorry." She kissed him and forced herself to let him go. Turning away with tears rolling down her face, Megriel went back into the ocean but stopped when she saw her uncle pointing his trident at her. A bright blast struck her and once again, her tail disappeared and was replaced by a set of legs.
"Megriel?" Conner said as he rushed to catch her as she fell to the ground.
Looking at her legs, Megriel smiled brighter than she had ever smiled before. The tattered dress she wore was replaced with a glittering silver one. They didn't say a word, instead, they shared love's true kiss.
It wasn't long until they were married.
Slowly waking up, M'gann stretched and looked up at Conner who was still asleep. A wide smile stretched across her face as she kissed him on the cheek and wrapped him in her arms before placing her head on his chest.
"I love happy endings."
She then drifted back to sleep.