Chapter 4

The shore of the Ixaan River that was closest to where I lived was deserted at dawn, free of schoolchildren newly on break who might have wanted to go for a swim. It was amazingly clear water; some say it's the clearest water outside of Oz. But Ursula was not wasting any time admiring the river's cleanliness, so neither was I. "Looks like no one's around," she remarked. "That's a good thing. Alright, give your dress to me. I'll put it somewhere safe."

So, all the while looking around to see if anyone was watching, I got out of my dress and handed it to her. "Where will you put it?" I asked.

My question was answered when Ursula created a six inch deep hole in the ground. "I'll charm it so anyone who comes near this patch of ground will have an instinct to get away from it." She held a hand out to me. "Your undergarment, please."

"No," I said firmly. "I'm not wearing those shells. I'm willing to transform myself and go on this quest with you, but the shells are where I'm drawing the line. Deal with it."

"But you'll look so human!" Ursula protested weakly. "Alright, if you're not going to wear the shells, at least let me do this." And then she proceeded to undo my hair, pulling out about ten strands of it in the process. "Now, get in the water and drink this. It won't hurt a bit, I promise you that."

Ignoring the sinking feeling in my gut that this was all wrong, I took the bottle Ursula held out to me and stepped into the river. Because it was so early in the morning, the water lapped coolly against my legs, and then my stomach. But I barely noticed it. I still had a chance to say no, to run out of the water and back to my husband and daughter. But instead, I sighed, opened the bottle, and drained its contents. Immediately, I threw the empty bottle back onto the shore where Ursula could do what she wanted with it.

Not even a clock tick after that, I lost all feeling in my legs. I assumed they were joining together, but I had no desire to look down for confirmation. Because I now had no footing on the riverbed, I desperately swam to the shore and held onto it for dear life. Ursula, who was finishing up covering her hole in the ground, merely smiled at my discomfort. But it wasn't a cruel smile; it was just a knowing smile that seemed to say, You'll get used to it.

Then, slowly but surely I could feel the lower half of my body again. But now, there was just one extremity below me instead of two. I turned away from the shore and forced myself to look down. There it was, completely visible under the clear water: a tail, as green as the rest of me, its scales shimmering in the dawn's light. It was like something out of a very strange dream … or a hallucination from Quadling grass. Take your pick.

"Well, don't just sit there like a lump!" a voice called from my right. "We've gotta get going!" I turned to Ursula about two feet upstream from me. I realized it was the first time I had seen Ursula in her true form, her six tentacles moving with the rhythm of the river. "You, of all people, gawking?! Yes, I've always had tentacles. No, I am not a mutant. No, I did not have a freakish surgery as a child." She gave me a knowing smirk. "Sound familiar? I, much like you, had to make that speech all the time in my youth. Now, come on! Flick your tail from side to side like a fish! It'll be really strange at first, but you'll get used to it, I promise."

"I hate this," I groaned as I pushed myself away from the shore. But, I did as she instructed, moving my tail (that I still was in disbelief about) and my arms simultaneously as I swam towards Ursula. "Your sister better be a saint for this," I told her ruefully once I reached her.

Ursula laughed heartily. "She is! At least when she's not mad with grief. But that's what we're going to take care of, isn't it? Now, that was good for your first swim, but you're still swimming a little bit like a human. Don't move your arms as much. Your tail is strong enough to propel you on its own. You don't use your arms to walk, do you? Try it. The portal is only about a mile upstream, so you have a little time to practice before we're in the open ocean."

"How do you know how to swim like a normal mermaid if you've never been one?" I asked, trying to challenge myself by swimming and talking at the same time.

"Well, as you know, transformation is my specialty," she answered. "When I was about sixteen, I figured out a way to change my tentacles into a tail. I was so excited that I decided to wait until the next royal ball to debut my new look. I taught myself how to swim with a tail, I had some new shells made just for the occasion … I was ready! I made a grand entrance that night, feeling the prettiest I had felt in my whole life. But as soon as I swam in, it was all, 'Ursula thinks she's so pretty!' 'Ursula's trying too hard!' And of course, my idiot of a little brother led the taunts. I rushed out of the room in tears. Then, that night, my father, or the father that raised me, gave me the whole spiel about 'concealing my powers' that I had heard a million times before. So, long story short, that's why I know how to swim like a mermaid, and that's why I never tried to do it again."

By the time we reached Ursula's portal, swimming with a tail felt almost (emphasis on almost) normal. From my studies at Shiz, I knew that portals came in all kinds of varieties: some couldn't be seen with the untrained eye, some required an incantation to go through, and so on. I could see the edges of Ursula's portal, the inside a dark blue. "Do we just go through?" I asked her. "Or is there …?"

"No spells needed," Ursula confirmed. "Just follow my lead. We're going to have to go underwater, and the most important thing for you to remember is not to hold your breath. I know that's a simple human instinct, but you gonna have to let that go if you want your lungs to start treating water like air. Got that?"

"I think so." I understood what she was saying, but damned if it didn't frighten me to death. Actually going underwater without holding my breath … but Ursula was already under the water, so I barely had time to think before I quickly followed her.

I didn't have any time to notice my underwater breathing before we were sucked up by the portal. For anyone who has not experienced the delights of going through portals, it's essentially having every atom in your body vibrate violently for about five seconds before you are thrust out to your destination. And believe me, those five seconds can seem like five hours sometimes.

But soon enough, we were out of the portal, and in the biggest body of water I had ever seen in my life. The mythical ocean of Mama's stories, not so mythical after all. And it was absolutely teeming with life. Fish of all shapes and sizes darted about, some in schools, and some on their own. It was only after a while of watching these fish that I fully registered that I was breathing underwater. It was the strangest phenomenon I had ever experienced. Though I could feel water surrounding my whole body, it still felt like air was going through my lungs! The mystical science behind all this was beyond me.

I was a little embarrassed when I noticed Ursula grinning amusedly at my wonder. "So, being a mermaid isn't so 'ridiculous' after all, is it, little witch?" she said with a smirk. "I love ocean life too, but we have to get to Copenhagen. Right now, we off the shores of France. I know those places mean nothing to you, but we basically have to go north and then east."

"Is Copenhagen where Atlantica is?" I asked, barely registering how stupid that question must have sounded due to my amazement that I was talking underwater.

"Atlantica is about fifty miles offshore from Copenhagen," Ursula answered. "Copenhagen is where Ariel lives with her husband and daughter, and of course Atlantica is the capital of the mer-kingdom. Morgana is probably lurking near Copenhagen, waiting for another opportunity to make more threats. We just have to stop her before she acts."

We swam north for the rest of the day. For lunch and dinner, we ate fish. That was my first time eating meat in years, but Ursula convinced me that the fish were not sentient, and they were our only food source anyway. Swimming in this vast expanse of water, I couldn't help but compare it to flying on a broom. The ocean seemed endless, just like the sky, and once again, gravity was not a factor in my life.