I own nothing.
I present: Den lille Havfrue featuring Fruk
Since no one said that they wanted a happy ending or the death ending, I decided to go with the happy ending.
The oceans hold many secrets, desires, mystery, and is a paradox.
It is safe but not.
It is known but also is a stranger.
To one, the seas are a home and an escape. To others, it represents dangers of the unknown.
However the greatest mysteries that the deep blue seas hold are that of mermaids and of one in particular.
What happened to the daughter of the Sea King and more importantly, is she still alive?
Alas, I am getting ahead of myself. I am Mathias Køhler and I am going to tell you the mystery of the little mermaid.
Under the oceans waves, there lived a young mermaid princess named Alice. While her mother had died when she was young, she was never short of family.
Her father the King loved his only daughter.
Her grandmother loved her just as much as her daughter.
Her five brothers picked on her sure, but help the poor merfolk that dared to pick on the little princess or they fell to the wrath of her older brothers.
Alice usually stayed on her own and didn't converse much with others outside of her family. The only exception was that when the older merfolk went to the surface. Then she would listen to the tales of the open sky and the ships as if her life depended on it.
But of all the tales the adored, it was the humans that fascinated her the most.
"Grandmother, what happens when humans die?" she asked after a particular horrible shipwreck.
"Well, humans are more fragile than merfolk and they die much sooner."
"When they are three hundred years old?" she asked.
Her grandmother chuckled. "No my dear, they have very short lives. Some die when they are in their thirtieth year and some die when they reach eighty."
"Why so soon?" she could not imagine living such a short life.
"Well, humans have one thing that a mermaid does not posses." She had Alice's undivided attention. "A soul. Humans have a soul and when they die, there are sayings that there is a kingdom in the sky where their souls go."
"Can I go there when I die?" Alice wanted to see the castle in the sky.
"No. We don't have a soul. When we die, we turn into sea foam and that is the end of it. Now, don't you have to go to bed my little fish?"
Alice made up her mind then that she was going to the castle in the sky.
...
Once the Little Mermaid was old enough to go to the surface, as fate would have it, a prince was old enough to pick a bride. His father had thought it wise to search for a bride across the sea but just like the suitable ladies back home, none had struck his fancy.
Alice did not see the prince on the ship as she summoned a hurricane to drag that ship to the deep fathoms below but if she did, she would have personally made sure that he had made it back to the shore safely.
She was horrified to see the handsome prince drowning in the waters so she held him tight as one would hold a lover and she swam to the nearest beach.
Alice watched over him as she waited for someone to help her Prince.
When did he become mine?
She did not have to wait long as a dark haired woman with emerald eyes found the washed up prince and immediately called for help.
Since Alice followed her brothers rule about never letting a human see you, she felt a pain him her heart when she realized that he would think that it was the brunette that saved him.
...
"Allister, how would one get a soul?"
"To have a soul, one would need to be human."
"And how would a mermaid get to be human?"
"Well, trade you tail for legs for starters. But that is dark magic and magic always comes with a price. You have a gift as a mermaid. Don't throw it away to be a human little sister.
There was a crash and a shrimp swam past screaming 'Swim away!"
"Excuse me. I need to find out what our brothers are doing."
There was one person that Alice knew that had enough power to turn her into a human. She was willing of course, but was it worth the price?
...
She felt as soon as she signed the contract that she had made a big mistake. But having her prince was worth it and his kindness was unmatched. He found her on the shore and he took her to his castle to stay.
Dispite his terrible accent, he was a wonderful man her Francis. And she loved him.
He must have loved her too because he said that he was going to marry her!
Oh Alice would have singed from the rooftops if she had her voice. Then again, as soon as they married she will have her voice back.
Alice could not have been more happy! She missed her family but her prince was her family now and that was all that mattered.
She was so happy, Alice forgot about the price.
...
It happened so quickly that Alice felt herself drowning in her own sorrow.
Francis! Who promised her that they would marry and that he would love her for all eternity, was marrying her. She wanted to scream in anger and in sorrow but she could not. To rub salt into the wound, he avoided her. He didn't even stop by to see how she was doing.
She couldn't even whisper.
Alice wanted to scream 'It's me! I'm the one who saved you!' But she knew that she caused the storm that caused him to need saving in the first place.
She could only stay silent throughout the wedding.
As she stood on the cliff, ready to jump, she saw her brother Allister in the waters below.
"Whatever you think you're doing lassie, you about to make a grave mistake." He called up to her.
"We need to talk. Can you come down some way safer?"
Didn't he know that she wanted to kill herself? After all, that was the point of jumping off the cliffs and into the water below.
She slowly walked to the beach to where her brother was laying.
"So it's true, you can't speak."
Alice didn't know was was worse: her love marrying another, or her brother being kind.
"I went to the thing that you made a deal with and threatened them until they told me how to bring you home." He brought out a small dagger and put it in her hands.
Alice looked at the dagger with confusion.
"If you want your voice and your tail back, you need to stab the prince and his bride before daybreak. If you don't, you will die yourself. I will be back home waiting for you. The decision is yours."
Not wanting to watch his sister have to make the choice between her life and the Prince, Allister slipped under the waves back to their home.
Alice stared at the dagger and thought about how Francis promised to marry her and only her. His betrayal broke her heart but she didn't know if she could kill him. Sure it was understandable why he would marry the other woman. She could actually speak to him which was what Alice currently lacked. Her, Alice wanted to hurt but kill?
The minutes ticked away and the sun started to creep up above the waves and Alice knew that she did not have a lot of time.
Even if she did...NO!
Alice threw the dagger as far as she could and where it met the ocean, blood appeared.
Alice then let out a heartbroken cry and dove into the waves where she was met with darkness.
...
She woke up to blue eyed blond woman standing over her wearing a toga.
"Oh good you're awake!" She had a smile as bright as the sun and her hair.
"Where am I?" Alice was shocked. She had her voice!
"You are with the Daughter's of Air. We are spirits or fairy godmothers if you will. We watch over and guide people to where they need to be. After a while and all of our charges have gotten their happy ending, we will go home."
"Home." Alice repeated. It didn't sound like the way that she said it. The way the woman said it, it was like some far away place that she yearned to return to.
"What is home to you?" Alice asked.
"Home is with my Father."
"I haven't introduced myself. My name is Abigail and your first charge has not been born yet but I will tell you her name. Princess Isabel Fernandez-Carriedo Bonnefoy.
I lied. I made it the death ending because I am a writer and schadenfreude.
Next: Robin Hood with Swissbel.
I also take request for stories and ships.