The Mermaid and The Beast

Chapter 12- Truce

Artemisia sighed in dismay, a while after Spark was taken to the Royal Medical room.

Jake was angry with the Albino, but he could do nothing about it. Not even after seeing that the white shark was taking Spark back to Atlantica on his own account did he calm down. Fishes, even her father's famous spiky temper was just a tantrum compared to Jake's ire that day.

Speaking of her father, he was not very happy either. Not because of Spark riding his shark (since he had given her 'indirect' permission), but because of his shark nearly killing yet another of his caretakers. This made Artemisia and the others fell some degree of confusion. He had never showed such concern for any of the Albino's previous caretakers. Emperor Shaga would never admit it, but he had grown… attached to Spark to some degree. Ariel herself was quite surprised herself; she never thought one of her 'former' enemies would care for a mermaid at all.

But the most shocking thing of the whole ordeal was that even The Albino appeared to feel… guilty. He no longer tried to get free of his pole, but instead swam around in circles, waiting to hear of Spark. Of all his caretakers, Spark was the one he had… liked the most, as much as he hated to admit it.

When Spark was left alone in the Medical Room, she was still sleeping. Narcissus took advantage of this, and made sure there was no one around. He swam into the Medical Room, and approached the bed in which Spark was resting. On the night desk, there was a glass with algae juice that Princess Artemisia had been drinking. Taking the vial of Shark's Tears from his chest plate, Narcissus poured six drops into the glass, and watched as the drops darkened and mixed with the juice. Once Artemisia drank it, the next step of his revenge would begin.

Before the mermaid woke up, Narcissus swam out of the medical room. A few minutes after he left, Bluetail, Artemisia and Flounder swam into the room to check on her. Bluetail immediately rushed to her side once Spark started to stir under her covers.

"Sparky! Are you alright?" He put a fin on her forehead in worry, still panicky. "If you got a head trauma I'll have that shark execute! I know I can't do that, but you know what I mean!"

Spark rolled her eyes. "Don't exaggerate, it was just a knock in the head."

"Well, that knock in the head left you unconscious for almost a day."

"What?! What about the race-?"

"Spark!" Flounder exclaimed in complete surprise at her stubbornness. "How can you be thinking on that when you were nearly killed?"

"Sorry, but I'm not going to spend an entire month as Mandy's slave!"

Artemisia crossed her arms. "You shouldn't have even accepted that challenge in the first place! Are you still thinking on trying to ride the Albino? Even after he almost killed you?"

"But he did bring her back on his own account, didn't he?" Flounder replied, but Bluetail panicked and put his fin over the guppy's mouth.

"He… what?" Spark couldn't believe it. The aggressive, short-tempered, not to mention picky shark she found herself looking after, who enjoyed spending every second of his time tormenting her, had taken her back? By himself?

"Sincerely, I never thought he would do that with someone other than my father." Artemisia sighed. "Father was rather surprised himself as well, that's what made him change his mind about punishing the Albino."

"And the time Spark's been unconscious, he's been rather calm. No snapping, biting or even trying to get free, he just swims around-" Bluetail panicked and quickly covered Flounder's mouth with his fin once more.

"Are we talking about the same shark here?" Spark asked, with a little hint of humor, but the look Bluetail was giving her made her feel a little guilty.

"This is not funny, Spark! What if that was grave? Jake was very worried about you! Everyone, actually!"

"Okay, Blue, you don't have to take it badly…" Spark felt her throat dry –ironical, since they lived underwater- and noticed the glass of juice on the night table. Before reaching out to grab it, she glanced at Artemisia for permission.

"Don't worry, you can drink it. I'm not thirsty, anyway."

Spark took the glass of algae juice and drank it all in a single gulp. When she was done, she put the glass back on the table, and gently floated up from the bed.

"Guys could you take me back with the Albino?"

She covered her ears for what was coming.

"WHAT?!"

"Well, Albino, you crossed the line this time. I know you like scaring the heck out of her, but I think you went a little too far this time." Shaga set his eyes on his shark coldly, watching as the white-colored shark ignored the comment and kept swimming around, like pacing. He was worried about her, that was for sure. "Seems like I'm not the one who got a liking to her, did I?"

The Albino let out a snort through his nostrils and gills, giving his master an annoyed glare, like saying 'I do NOT like her!"

"The more you do that, the more I know you're lying."

The shark turned away, and started swimming around. He heard his master's thick tailfin gently beating against the water as he swam away, back to the palace, probably. He was so angry! A mere mermaid not only dared to ride him, but also made him look like he was going soft or something. How he hated her!

But then again, why was he so worried about her?

After a while of senselessly swimming around, the sound of more tailfins beating against the water caught his attention. He knew it was not his master, judging by the weight. He was not prepared for what he saw when he turned around. Spark, being helped by the swordfish, the guppy, his master's daughter and the redhead mermaid, was swimming in his direction. One half of his brain was shocked; he had expected that after what happened his caretaker would not want to be near him ever again. Another half was relieved that she was all right, and the great shark hated himself for it.

"I still think this is a bad idea." Ariel almost trembled at the sight of the white shark. "What if he tries to escape again?"

"Not to mention Jake will be mad at us for even letting you do this." Artemisia muttered under her breath.

"If he dares putting one of his teeth on you I'll run through him with my nose, I don't care if Emperor Shaga beheads me." Bluetail added, making Spark roll her eyes.

"I'm just going to try my… diplomatic approach." She retorted, floating off from Bluetail's back.

"I doubt he has one…"

With another roll of her eyes and a small grin, Spark slowly swum towards the shark she had come to loathe in the past days. Surprisingly, The Albino just floated, staring at her with a mixture of relief, surprise and annoyance in his eyes. It seemed he did not want another 'bad moment' with Shaga.

"Hey there, Albino." Spark said, still a bit weak, but determined like always. "I see your owner did not punish you."

The Albino snorted simply.

"Look, I just want to talk to you. Not argue, not exchange insults-and-growls, just talk."

Bluetail stiffened when the Albino swam a little closer to her, preparing to go in his friend's defense should the shark attack. Ariel and Artemisia had their hearts in their throats, while Flounder…. Well, you know.

"First of all, sorry for trying to ride you without your consent. I was getting desperate because as you know, I made a rather foolish bet with Mandy just to shut her up. Your master indirectly told me he had no problem with it, but he refused to lend me any assistance in the task."

The Albino gave her a look of disbelief.

"I don't care if you don't believe me, because I know I'm telling you the truth. Whatever you wish to think is your problem…" Spark gulped when the Albino's expression changed to boredom and irritation. "Straight to the point?"

Another snort.

"I want to make a truce." She expected the Albino to snort or growl a 'forget about it', but he remained silent, staring at her intently. "The both of us dislike Mandy, our reasons are different, but we both don't like her. I hate her because she bullied me as kids, you hate her because she practically called you a pea brain. The point is the two of us want to put her in her place."

Still staring at her with no growls nor snaps.

"Just once, Albino! So that we'll teach Mandy not to mess with others just because she has nothing else to do, after that you can tear me to pieces if you want. You don't want to give Mandy the satisfaction to know she was right, do you?"

He was expressionless, but it seemed he was giving it some thought. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, the Albino swam closer to Spark with a serious expression, she wanted to swim back but something was preventing her from doing so. When the white shark was a few inches away from Spark, he slowly turned sideward so she was facing his side. Did this mean…?

Bluetail couldn't help it and embraced Flounder when Spark climbed unto the white shark's back, Artemisia and Ariel were squeezing each other's hands anxiously. Spark was half-expecting the Albino to throw her off, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes, and realized she was still on his back.

She had done the unthinkable.

She had gotten into The Albino's back harmless.

"I can't believe it…" Artemisia approached the duo in awe, before directing her words to her father's shark. "Albie, I never thought I'd see the day you'd let anyone other than daddy on your back."

The Albino rolled his eyes, before growling softly.

"That means 'only this time just to put that snobbish mermaid in her place'." Artemisia translated.

"Wait, you can actually understand what he says?" Bluetail raised an eyebrow

"Well, when you spend enough time with a shark you can learn to guess what he wants to say."

"You still have to learn how to handle him, remember?" Flounder pointed out. "You couldn't even control Jake's shark."

"I know, I know…" Spark sighed. "I hope he won't be such a headache as much as Jessop was…"