The Little Mermaid
Once upon a time, in a mysterious kingdom underneath the deep blue sea, there lived a beautiful young mermaid named Lacus Clyne. She was the daughter of the King of the Sea, as well as a curious soul who loved to explore the ocean she called home, but the place she longed to explore was the world and the humans and other creatures above the water. She always wanted to know what it was like to live on land, but she was usually too afraid to go against her father's wishes, until one fateful night, all of that changed.
One night, while everyone was asleep, Lacus thought that this was the perfect opportunity to go to the surface without getting caught. She slipped out of her room undetected and swam up until she finally reached the surface world. When her head broke through the waves, she couldn't believe her eyes. She was immediately met with the most beautiful night sky she had ever seen in her life. The sky was a clear black with little tiny stars scattered across it for as far as the eye can see and a full moon was its grand centerpiece.
Lacus was so entranced by the scene that she began to sing to herself in the most beautiful voice anybody would ever hear. Unbeknownst to her, a small ship was sailing her way and one of the humans that were on the ship heard her singing. It was a young man with tan skin, brown hair, and purple eyes. He gazed off the side of the ship to see if he could find the source, but he could see no sign of anybody.
Just as Lacus was about to begin her second verse, she saw the ship and she dove back into the water in terror. The young man on the ship was disappointed that the singing stopped, but then he saw something in the water. It was a silhouette of Lacus. He looked at her with wide eyes before Lacus finally took notice. When she met the young man's eyes, she couldn't turn her gaze away from him, her eyes transfixed on his calm face. The young man felt something pulling at his heartstrings as he looked at the mermaid. She felt the same way toward him.
"Who is that?" Lacus wondered aloud, her eyes wide with wonder.
But soon, their mysterious and romantic moment was abruptly interrupted by a loud rumble of thunder and an enormous crash of lightning. There was a huge thunderstorm coming and fast. Lacus was terrified. She didn't know what to do in a storm. But then, she saw that the ship was being tossed around by the roaring waves, and soon enough, it was hit by an enormous rock and she saw that it was beginning to sink. She turned tail in fear and resolved to swim home when she heard a mighty crack of thunder followed by a loud splash. Lacus looked in horror to see the same young man from before sinking in the ocean.
"Oh no!" she cried, swimming after him.
She didn't hesitate, scooping her Prince in her arms and attempting to keep his head above the water. Shouldering his weight, she swam towards the nearest beach she could find. By the time she reached it, she slumped the Prince's body on the sand and tried to catch her breath.
"Hello? Hello, stranger?! Can you hear me?! Wake up! Please, wake up!" Lacus whispered, unsure how to help him breathe. She shook him gently once, then again, pleading for him to open his eyes.
Then she had an idea. She decided to sing to him to see if he could hear her. She sang a slow calming tune to the stranger and just as the sky was beginning to clear up from the storm, the stranger coughed and sputtered the water that had been in his lungs. Lacus kept on singing, this time in a happy tone and the young man finally noticed.
"Wha-what? Who...who are you...so...pretty..." the young man mumbled in a voice barely over a whisper.
"Prince Kira! Where are you? Kira, answer me!" an unfamiliar voice called from somewhere unknown. Lacus gasped and dove under the waves, not wanting to be caught.
"Oh, Kira! Hang on, I'm coming!" A young man cried with a mixture of relief and panic in his tone. He ran down to the beach near the Prince and pulled him further away from the water.
"Who...who was that...that girl...she saved me..." the young man now dubbed Prince Kira Yamato said muttered.
"Hang on, Kira! You'll be alright," the young man said, pulling the Prince onto his back. With some struggles, he lifted him towards the palace.
Lacus watched the exchange just below the water a feet away. Her mind was buzzing with the words he had said.
"He said I was pretty, he looked so...happy. Even though he almost died he...he looked at me like...he loved me," Lacus said with a mixture of happiness and sadness in her tone as a blush crept its way into her cheeks.
With a small frown, she swam back home and back into bed without being seen. While unbeknownst to the young mermaid, the local Sea Witch, Morgana, took notice of the mermaid princess's romantic interest. Unlike regular mermaids, this mysterious creature harnessed a strange magic that allowed her to do anything. She lived in a part of the sea where nobody dared to enter, nicknamed the Graveyard of Ships.
The Sea Witch usually kept to herself and did not converse with many sea creatures. Only those who dared to enter her domain. Her magic allowed her to keep an eye on both humans and merworlds. Until now, her efforts to achieve her goals had been futile. However, Lacus's newfound feelings for Prince Kira gave the Sea Witch an opportunity too perfect to resist.
"A mermaid in love with a human prince? What are the odds?" she chuckled, gazing into an enchanted bubble that reflected an image of Lacus daydreaming about the Prince while at home. "This is perfect, and I believe I just know how to help this little poor unfortunate soul get what she wants."
Morgana then went to her desk, wrote something down on a piece of kelp, gave it to a manta ray, and said, "I want you to take this to Princess Lacus Clyne, post haste."
At the palace, Lacus was slowly swimming through the gardens when she met the manta ray. She saw the parchment in his mouth and cocked an eyebrow.
"Hello there, little friend. What have you got there?" she asked, taking the parchment in her hands and reading it to herself.
After she finished reading the message, Lacus felt her stomach drop and her eyes widen in terror. She couldn't believe it. When she saw the manta ray indicating her to follow him, she realized that this was no joke. Burning with her natural curiosity, Lacus reluctantly followed the manta ray until she was finally out of sight.
Then Lacus finally made her way to the Graveyard of Ships, her eyes cautiously looking around the area for any dangers. She soon found herself in one of the enormous sunken ships when she heard an unfamiliar voice call out, "Come in, Princess."
Lacus looked and saw the Sea Witch Morgana herself sitting at an old desk in what used to be the captain's quarters of the ship.
"Morgana?" she asked nervously as she swam closer to the desk.
"That's right, child. It's me," Morgana said calmly. "I hear you have a bit of a problem."
"Yes, I do. How...how did you know?" Lacus asked.
"I have my ways, but that's not important. Tell me, what brings you to my humble abode?" the Sea Witch asked with a friendly yet still sinister smile.
"Uh...I hear you have magical powers. And I was hoping you would be willing to help me, I mean if you don't mind," Lacus said shyly.
"Of course, I don't mind. I love helping other creatures with my magic. What is it you need help with?" Morgana asked.
"Well, I saved a human prince last night and now I think I'm in love with him. And I really want to be with him, but I know we can't be together. That's why I came here. I was hoping you might have a spell that might turn me into a real human," Lacus blurted out.
"Oh, is that all? Don't worry, dear. I know just the spell," the Sea Witch began, flipping through the pages of a nearby spell book. Soon, she stopped at the right page.
"Aha! Here it is: a spell that will turn a mermaid into a real human for three days," she explained. "Listen closely, dear, this part is very important. Before the sun sets on the final day, you have to get this young man to kiss you. Not just any kiss, mind you: The Kiss of True Love. If he does, you'll be a real human permanently. If not, you...oh, how do I put this? Um...you turn back into a mermaid and you will work for me as my slave for all of eternity. Do we have a deal?"
The Sea Witch offered her hand to the frightened mermaid. Lacus was about to shake her hand until she thought of something else.
"Wait. Do I have to pay you anything?" Lacus reluctantly asked.
"Oh yes! You're right, I almost forgot! My fee," Morgana exclaimed.
"I don't really have any money with me..."
"Oh! I don't want money."
"Then what do you want?"
"I'm not asking for much, just one little thing. You'll barely even miss it. What I want from you is...your voice."
Lacus's eyes widened in fright at what she had just heard.
"My...my what?" she asked, touching her throat with her hand.
"You heard me, fish cake. I said I want your voice in exchange for my magical services. But if you succeed in getting that young man to kiss you before the third sunset, then, and only then, you can get it back."
"But, if I don't have my voice, how can I tell the Prince who I..."
"Let's not go into details here. You'll think of something. So, do we have a deal now?" Morgana muttered.
"Oh...well...I don't know."
"The clock is ticking, Lacus Clyne. This offer won't last forever," the Sea Witch said, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes.
Lacus bit her lip and mentally weighed her choices. She heaved a sigh and nodded softly. The two creatures shook hands slowly and Morgana soon activated her magic. Then, a magical aura surrounded Lacus as she was lifted off of the floor. Her hands glowed and a beam of light hit the Princess directly in the chest and traveled up to her throat.
"Wait! I don't know if I..." she started, but the magic has already pried the voice from her body before she could finish.
Morgana smiled, engulfing the magic with her own and directing a second beam of light toward the mermaid's chest. In a blue flash of light, Lacus's body began to change. The magic from the Sea Witch's hands let out a final burst of light and Lacus reappeared. Somehow in the transformation, her hair and eyes had changed along with her body. Her once fair-skinned was now pale with pink hair and blue eyes. She didn't have long to admire her new look, however, before she began to choke due to the lack of oxygen.
"If I were you, I'd high-tail it up to the nearest piece of land you can find before you drown," Morgana cackled as she placed Lacus's voice into a seashell. "And remember, I'll be watching you..."
Morgana glanced over at the glowing magic bubble and smiled wickedly after Lacus swam out.
With all her strength, Lacus swam up to the surface as fast as she could and she was washed up on a small beach before passing out from exhaustion. When she woke up, she saw her new pair of legs. She gasped with delight as she smiled, but then she realized she had no idea on how to stand on two legs. She struggled to make her way to the beach but failed miserably.
Meanwhile, Prince Kira and the navy blue-haired, green-eyed young man from before were wandering the beaches near his castle in search of the mysterious girl who had saved the Prince's life. The young man was unconvinced that such a girl existed, claiming that she was a figment of Kira's imagination.
"I'm telling you, Athrun, I KNOW that girl is out here somewhere. There's no other way I could've survived that storm without her," Kira said.
"Wait, is that her? Over there?" the young man, now dubbed as Duke Athrun Zala asked in shock, pointing a finger at a clumsy-looking human girl who couldn't seem to walk straight.
"Don't know, but it looks like she needs help," Prince Kira noted, walking to help the poor girl.
Lacus didn't give up trying, keeping her sights on the castle ahead. She didn't realize Kira was coming to her aid, and before the Prince could say a word, Lacus collided into him. The two of them tumbled to the ground.
"You okay, Miss?" the Prince asked, getting back onto his feet.
Lacus looked up and she smiled. She had found her Prince at last. She nodded her head vigorously while still smiling. Kira smiled back at her. She tried to stand up again, but she stumbled once again and fell, only to be caught by the Prince himself.
"Nice to meet you," he said. "What's your name?"
Lacus moved her lips to respond, forgetting that she was without a voice. The Prince looked at both her confused and slightly worried.
"What's wrong? You can't speak?" Kira asked before Lacus shook her head sadly.
Even so, Lacus's shy nature struck a chord with the Prince. He gave her a sympathetic smile before noting the calm dark gray color of her eyes. This girl was so close to the one he was seeking that he felt drawn to her.
"You're new around town, hmm?" Kira asked.
Lacus nodded.
"Do you need any help? My friend, Duke Athrun, and I saw you struggling to walk. Here, take my hand, we'll get you back to the castle so you can get cleaned up."
Lacus's heart leaped and she reached out her own hand to his. However, she failed to remember how to keep her balance on two legs and toppled over again. Prince Kira laughed as he helped her back onto her wobbly legs.
"You certainly know how to surprise a prince. You're almost beautiful like a mirror," Kira said before getting an idea. "Since I don't know your name, can I call you that? Meer?"
Lacus smiled and nodded, happy just to be in her Prince's presence again. For the next two days, things went rather smoothly for Lacus and Prince Kira. They talked, laughed, and played together, with their feelings for each other seeming to grow stronger. Lacus was becoming more and more excited. If she and Kira kissed before the third sunset, then she would get her voice back and she would be a human forever.
The night before the third day, Lacus was excited that she had almost forgotten about the deadline. The two of them were snuggled on a blanket atop the sand of the beach. Prince Kira had wanted to watch the sunset with her and reminisce about the fun and frivolity of the time they had spent together. Lacus had had the time of her life with Kira and each day, her love grew stronger, much to Morgana's disdain.
"You know, a couple of days ago, I would have done anything to find the girl who saved me. But...but I don't think I've ever met anybody like you, Meer. You're the kindest, sweetest girl I've ever known."
Lacus smiled and blushed at her words. Kira reached out his hand and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.
"Ugh, this is so sweetly sickening," Morgana gagged at her magic bubble. "I can't stand this any longer. If I'm going to carry out my plan, I need to do this right."
Morgana then looked at the seashell necklace containing Lacus's voice and sneered. She began to formulate another sinister scheme.
Finally, it was the third day. Lacus was walking through the castle gardens when she heard a small number of servants talking amongst themselves. One of them mentioned the Prince and she couldn't help but overhear.
"Did you guys hear about the Prince?" One maid said.
"About his new lover? Of course, I've heard! Who hasn't?" Another maid cried.
'New lover?' Lacus thought.
"I heard that the girl the Prince is planning on marrying is somebody he just met!" A third servant added.
"Who?" The first maid inquired.
"Is it that Meer girl?" A butler asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was her," the second maid said.
Lacus's eyes brightened at the mention of her alias. She smiled to herself and felt like jumping up and down right there when she heard Duke Athrun's voice say, "Hey, what are all of you doing here? Get back to work. And NO more gossiping."
"Yes, Duke Athrun," the servants said before running off in different directions.
"Now, as I was saying, I'm so happy for you, Your Highness," Duke Athrun said.
Lacus peaked out from behind her hiding place and saw Duke Athrun talking to Prince Kira...who was standing with a redheaded young woman with pale blue eyes.
'Who is that?' she thought, raising a curious eyebrow.
"I must say, I was wrong, Your Highness. This mysterious girl you spoke of does, in fact, exist," Duke Athrun continued. "Congratulations, Miss Flay Allster."
"Thank you so very much, Duke Athrun," the redheaded woman said in an overly sweet voice.
"Yes, we wish to be married as soon as possible," Prince Kira said in a monotone voice.
"Yes, of course," Duke Athrun said to the Prince. "But these things do take time, Your Highness."
"This afternoon, Zala," The Prince said. "Right before sunset."
"Sunset? Um, well..."
"Do as I say!"
Lacus's eyes widened in horror at the mention of the word "sunset" and her entire demeanor changed. She took another look at the young woman dubbed Flay Allster and squinted her eyes. She saw there was something off about that girl, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then she noticed Kira's eyes. Something about them didn't look right. They seemed almost glazed over, and like he was in a trance. Then Lacus saw the necklace Flay was wearing. To her, it looked more like a seashell on a string and was it...glowing? Before the girl could do anything, Flay darkly glared at Lacus and gave her a sinister smile.
'Oh no! Morgana!' Lacus screamed in her head before running away.
"That took care of her," Flay muttered to herself.
"What was that?" The Duke asked.
"Oh, nothing. You'd better do as my fiance says or else," Flay said in the sickeningly sweet tone from before.
"Um...as you wish," Duke Athrun said, bowing his head.
Hours had passed and it was time for the wedding. Flay was in her dressing room getting herself ready for the ceremony.
"Oh, this is PERFECT!" she squealed. "That brainless prince is under my total control. And soon enough, I'll have that pathetic little mermaid and the ocean will be mine!!"
She laughed wickedly as she looked into the mirror, revealing Morgana's reflection. Unbeknownst to Flay, a seagull was perched in the porthole of the room, watching and listening to everything.
Then the ceremony began. Flay walked down the aisle in a beautiful white gown with Prince Kira standing at the altar with Duke Athrun presiding over the ceremony.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony," he declared.
As the Duke spoke, Flay kept looking at the sun as it was slowly setting.
"Do you, Prince Kira Yamato, take Flay Allster to be your lawfully wedded wife for as long as you both shall live?" Duke Athrun asked.
"I do," Prince Kira replied dully.
"And do you, Flay Allster, take Prince Kira Yamato to be..."
Before Duke Athrun could say anything, everyone else heard a strange sound. They looked up and saw that it was a large group of seagulls...and they were flying towards the ship. Flay screamed as the seagulls swarmed around her. Then suddenly, a bunch of sea mammals made their way onto the ship and started attacking Flay as the guests tried to get away.
It was then that a figure descended from a group of dolphins. It was Lacus Clyne. Flay looked from her attackers and glared at the girl.
"YOU!!" she screamed as she ran over to Lacus. "You did this?! You're smarter than I first thought, but that doesn't matter. You are NEVER going to be with this spineless fool."
"Spineless fool?" A voice said.
Lacus and Flay looked and saw Prince Kira approaching the two girls.
Lacus smiled. She quickly pulled away from Flay and went to hug the Prince.
"Meer? Are you okay? What is going on?" Kira asked before noticing the chaos happening around him.
"Kira! Get away from her!" Flay shrieked. "She's almost out of time anyway!"
"Out of time?" Kira repeated.
Lacus looked and saw that the sun was about to go all the way down. She put a hand on her chest, then pointed to Kira. She did the same thing to him, trying to get him to understand what she was trying to say.
"Meer? What are you doing? What's wrong?" Kira asked alarmed and dumbfounded.
"How pathetic..." Flay chuckled, putting her hand over her face.
Lacus continued the cycle, touching her chest, then the Prince, touching his chest then herself. Unfortunately, the Prince wasn't catching on. After several failed attempts, Lacus's eyes began to fill up with tears before she vanished into thin air along with Flay, leaving a confused Prince behind.
"Meer! What happened?" Prince Kira asked.
"Looking for someone?" a new voice said as Morgana emerged from the sea. Her hands were glowing and a trapped light pink-haired mermaid hovered above the water beside her.
"Let her go!!" Prince Kira demanded, attempting to run to Lacus's aid but was instead repelled by the Sea Witch's magic.
"Not on your life, Yamato," Morgana said, holding the seashell containing the mermaid's voice in her hand. "As of now, Lacus Clyne here is going to fulfill her end of our little bargain."
"Bargain?"
"That's right. This spineless little wretch traded her voice to me so she could become a human for you. I was wondering how long it would take for you to finally figure it out. Ready, Lacus?"
"Lacus? That's your real name? Then it was you who saved me!" Prince Kira exclaimed happily as Lacus nodded her head.
His excitement was short-lived, however, realizing the danger Lacus had gotten herself into on his behalf. He turned to face the Sea Witch with a dark glare.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"All I want is total control of both land and sea. I thought that would've been pretty obvious," the Sea Witch said.
"Like I'm gonna give into those demands," Kira said, scrunching his nose.
"So that's how you wanna play it, hmm? Fine. Have it your way," Morgana said before the Prince reared up and kicked his leg at the Sea Witch.
Morgana cried out in surprise before she landed in the water in a daze, with Kira running over to Lacus's aid.
"Don't worry, I'll get you outta there, I promise!!" Kira said, putting his hand against the bubble, with Lacus doing the same.
Unable to pop the magical bubble on his own, Kira refocused his attention on the Sea Witch who quickly recovered from Kira's first attack.
"It is on," she growled in anger.
The two charged at each other before Prince Kira smashed his fist at the seashell that was encased in Morgana's magic. The seashell fell out and it landed with a shattering crash on a nearby rock. He saw as a pale blue light escaped the shards of shell and fly towards Lacus. It flew directly at her, bursting her bubble prison. Lacus splashed back into the sea, and when she emerged, her voice had been fully restored.
"Lacus! You're okay!" Kira cried, running into her with open arms.
"I'm fine, Kira, but I think we have a big problem," Lacus stuttered in fear, shakily pointing her finger at Morgana who was approaching behind them.
"You're mine!!!" the Sea Witch screamed, with her eyes like burning embers.
"I don't think so!" Duke Athrun called out, running into the water and blasting Morgana with a beam of magic.
Duke Athrun's staff glowed and he bound the Sea Witch in his magical embrace. And with a flash of light, he teleported Morgana to the farthest corner of the ocean, where nobody would ever find her ever again. Lacus and Kira hugged each other before realizing something. There was now no possible way for them to be together.
"Now what?" Kira asked, looking at the mermaid before him.
"Maybe I could help?" Duke Athrun asked before his staff glowed again. "I know a thing or two about magic. And don't worry, Miss Lacus. This won't hurt a bit, I promise."
Lacus was confused and frightened as she was lifted out of the water and up into the air. Prince Kira was confused too, but he watched in awe as his new lover's form began to change once again. In a burst of light, Lacus reappeared as she safely landed in the arms of her Prince.
"Duke Athrun?" Lacus began. "Thank you so much."
"Yeah," Prince Kira added with a nod.
"No problem, you two," Duke Athrun said before giving the couple a wink. "I may not know a lot about love, but I do know one thing: you kooky lovebirds truly deserve each other."
Prince Kira looked into Lacus's eyes longingly and smiled before he asked, "Lacus, I know it might be a bit sudden but...will you...will you marry me, darling?"
"Yes! Yes, of course, I will!!" Lacus cried with tears of joy in her eyes before pressing her lips against his.
And so, Lacus was wed to Prince Kira that very day. The wedding celebration was both grand and small with the members of both families attending, both from land and sea. Lacus had learned that if you want something enough, it's worth doing it for yourself and in time, it will come to you. And in the end, Princess Lacus Clyne and Prince Kira Yamato all lived happily ever after.
