08/27/23
7 Reviews, 6 Favs, 10 Follows
Adrien followed the electric eels to wherever the lair is of that strange mermaid. Plagg did not like this and he sure could be a trap or just simply a bad idea.
"This is a really bad idea, kid" Plagg whispered.
"Bad idea or not, I can't go back. I cannot face my father again. He destroyed my collection I worked so hard on" Adrien stifled from what his father did.
"But still, I don't trust this stranger," Plagg said.
Adrien came across dead merpeople skeletons and gulped very hard, "Either be stuck as fish food or know what she can do to help"
"Then let's go home," Plagg said.
"Not a chance, Plagg," Adrien said and swam past them.
From there was a giant dead extinct skeleton creature and Adrien swims inside the mouth. Some strange anemones with eyes grabbed Adrien as he swam. But he broke free and came inside where Cerise resides.
"Come in, come in, Adrien" Cerise said calmly.
Adrien did not like this creepy lair but he saw the mermaid resting on a giant dead clam shell.
"Forgive me, my garden can be a little rude at times. We never had guests that often" Cerise said.
"You don't seem what my father described you as. You're just a mermaid" Adrien said.
"That's right. Your father and I never got along, squiggling rivalry. He always got what he wanted and I got nothing" Cerise swims around in her lair, "I know what you're going through, and believe me, I know why you're here"
"I'm not sure I do," Adrien said.
"Oh PLEASE!" She appeared upside down in front of him, startling him.
"I've been watching you for a long time. What you really want is to be up there in the above world" She got back into the right position, "That always got your curiosity. No, it's got your heart" Cerise continued.
"What do you mean?" Adrien asked.
She chuckled and caressed his cheek, "You're so young, don't you see? You're made for each other" Cerise said.
"But you have seen what humans have that merpeople do not. Have you ever walked on land like them?" Cerise swims to her mirror.
"No," Adrien said.
"I did say I can help you" Cerise applies sea cucumber lotion on her face.
"How?" Adrien asked.
"The problem is simple, handsome. You can't live in that world unless you become a human yourself?" Cerise said.
"Become human? That's not even possible" Adrien asked.
"Handsome boy, it is possible. That's what I do. "It's what I live for" She chuckled maliciously, "Even I can sing just like you" She twirls around him and sings a song about her past and herself.
I admit that in the past I've been a nasty
They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch
But you'll find that nowadays
I've mended all my ways
Repented, saw the light, and made a switch
True? Yes
x
And I fortunately know a little magic
It's a talent that I always have possessed
And here lately, please don't laugh
I use it on behalf
Of the miserable, lonely, and depressed, pathetic
x
Poor unfortunate souls
In pain, in need
This one longing to be thinner
That one wants to get the girl
And do I help them?
Yes, indeed
x
Those poor unfortunate souls
So sad, so true
They come flocking to my cauldron
Crying, "Spells, Ursula, please!"
And I help them
Yes, I do
x
Now, it's happened once or twice
Someone couldn't pay the price
And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals
Yes, I've had the odd complaint
But on the whole, I've been a saint
To those poor unfortunate souls
It frightened Adrien a little about her story and was suddenly yanked by her grip, "Now, here's the deal. I'll whip up a little potion to make you human for three days. Got that? Three days" Cerise held three fingers and showed him the image from her sea cauldron about the spell, showing three glowing yell orbs that represent the sunset, "Before the sun sets on the third day, you and your human princess must share a kiss. And not just any kiss. The kiss of true love" The image shows a silhouette of him and Marinette kissing, "If you do, you will remain human permanently" The image shows a silhouette of Adrien walking on human legs, "But if you don't, you'll turn back into a merman" Then it shows him turning back to a merman before finishing the instruction, "And you belong to me. We got a deal?"
"I don't know" Adrien hesitated that this could be selfish.
"Life's full of tough choices, isn't it?" Cerise chuckled maliciously.
"No, this is wrong. I can't do this" Adrien stifled.
"Fine, then! Forget about the world above! Go back home to Daddy, and never leave again!" Cerise manipulated him.
Adrien was startled but he couldn't lose this chance to see the girl he loves, "Deal. But….what do you want in return?"
"I'm not asking much. What I want in exchange is your voice?" Cerise held his chin.
"My voice?" Adrien was confused.
"Of course. No more singing and talking, just a mute boy" Cerise chuckled.
"But without it, how can I…" Adrien asked but was cut off.
"You have your looks, your handsome face, and a good-looking body! Your voice is what I want! When you become a human, you won't be able to breathe underwater anymore. Air is what you'll have to breathe in and I'm sure you did before" Cerise cackled and made him sit down so she could work on her potion for him.
Come on, you poor unfortunate soul
Go ahead
Make your choice
I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day
It won't cost much
Just your voice
x
You poor unfortunate soul
It's sad but true
If you want to cross the bridge, my sweet
You've got the pay the toll
Pluck a scale from off your tail
A drop of blood inside the bowl
Flotsam, Jetsam, now I've got him, boys
The boss is on a roll
This poor unfortunate soul!
Adrien reluctantly picked a scale from his tail and handed it over to her to let Cerise complete the potion. Once added, the cauldron glowed green as a purple whirlwind surrounded them.
"Beluga sevruga! Come winds of the Caspian Sea! Amnesia glossitis! Et max laryngitis! La voce to me! Now, sing!" Cerise urged him to sing.
Adrien vocalized beautifully like a siren, a little nervous about what he was doing.
"Keep singing!" Cerise urged him again.
Adrien did as he was told and smokey tendrils reached into his throat and took out his glowing voice orb that echoed and taken to Cerise's seashell necklace.
"YES! HAHAHAHAHA!" She cackled as the area around them erupted. Adrien felt his fishtail split into two legs but then realized he could no longer breathe underwater.
"Oh no! Adrien!" Plagg swam to help him.
With human legs, he has no idea how to swim with them and Plagg for a small creature was able to pull Adrien's arm up to get to the surface before he drowns. It was a thousand feet underwater but Plagg dragged him at a great speed, splashing through the surface. Adrien breathed heavily and almost passed out as Plagg helped him.
"Kid!" Plagg exclaimed, "Kid, breathe! Just breathe!"
He can't even stay afloat without his merman tail, now he understands why humans are not very adaptable to swimming in the open ocean because they have no fins.
"We gotta find land. I can see that you have no idea how to swim like a human" Plagg said, helping him move.
Adrien spots the locket he was carrying the whole time and grabs it, hoping he can return it to his princess somehow.
"Transform, kid," Plagg said.
Adrien tried to speak but no words came out of his mouth since he traded his voice to the sea witch.
"Oh, boy" Plagg was shocked.
x
On land, Marinette still could not find the boy and it's becoming hopeless to believe he doesn't exist. Even her panther Ming-Yue tried and tried to find him but he never showed up anywhere on shore.
"I know I wasn't imagining things. He has to be real" Marinette pets her panther.
"We tried, girl. Oceans can't possibly save a person" Alya designed a necklace with seashells.
"I know what I barely saw and he looks like a man, Alya. I heard him singing to me before I got the chance to see" Marinette said.
"Girl, I believe your words but we did not see how you end up on shore. Whatever saved you, it could be an angel" Alya said.
"One handsome angel" Marinette swooned.
x
With Adrien, he nearly got the hang of trying to swim with his legs but he was too slow like he was about to become exhausted. No land to find, not even rocks.
"Hopefully when we get to shore, I find delicious cheese," Plagg said.
Suddenly a fisherman caught them both in a net, hoisting them up to the boat, "What the heck? A boy?" The fisherman discovered Adrien in the net. He removed the fish net and seaweed off of him to realize that the boy was completely naked, "You must be in shock, I'll get you something to cover you up" The fisherman said.
Adrien looks down and realized he was naked without the fishtail. He had bare human legs and feet, it excited him. The fisherman wasn't alone when the two teens Adrien recognized that night from the storm rushed to his aid. Plagg went into hiding.
"Ahh!" The teen girl with long black hair and purple highlights on each end, looked away that there was a naked boy on the boat.
"Jeez, sis. Forgive me, my little sister is not used to naked people" Luka said but the boy didn't seem to talk at all.
There were seagulls everywhere on the boat and it made Adrien sneeze from their feathers. The fisherman who goes by Mr. Ramier comes back with something to cover Adrien and he wraps it around his waist.
"He can't even speak at all?" Juleka asked.
"Can you speak?" Luka asked and Adrien shook his head no, "Oh, perhaps you can write down your name?" Luka wondered.
Adrien raised a brow in confusion by what he meant. So Luka then came back with a quill and paper sheet. Adrien did see a few humans use a bird feather in their hand to write on a paper. He never wrote anything.
So he drew on the paper sloppily and when Juleka saw it, she exclaimed, "Wow! You really have bad handwriting!"
"It's like you never held a quill before. Oh, here we are. Land ho" Luka said.
The seagulls were too close to Adrien and he sneezed like he was allergic to them.
"Good heavens. Forgive me, I did not know you're allergic to them" Mr. Ramier apologized.
"Shoo! Shoo!" Luka scared them off so Adrien could breathe, "Come, let's get you cleaned up"
Adrien stands up but never walks with two legs, he stumbles and falls to the side.
"Whoa, you definitely were washed up by a shipwreck" Juleka helps him up, "Bro, help him get in the carriage"
Unaware when Marinette was walking on shore to find her savior, Ming Yue smelled something familiar and it excited her that he was here.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Marinette followed her.
Adrien was hiding inside a carriage on the way to the palace, peeking underneath the cloth and seeing the bystanders at the beach, picking up supplies and their catch. Then he fully sticks his head out of the cover to see more. He reached his hand on the moving carriage wheel but flinched that it was harmful by touch. He soon stood up seeing the castle at the top. He tries to get his balance straight but stumbles down since the carriage is moving.
'This place is beautiful,' Adrien thought since he couldn't speak.
"Open the gates," Luka said.
The gates opened for them to enter, and Adrien got ready to get off the carriage. When he did, he still fell down again but Luka and Juleka helped him up.
"We'll help you," Luka said.
"You really did went through a lot," Juleka said and helped him, "Go find Princess Marinette, bro"
"On it," Luka said before leaving.
The Victorian Goth-dressed girl helps Adrien inside, making him sit near the fire to warm up since he's been too cold from the water for who knows how long, "Wait here. I'll get the maids to get you cleaned up" She said and went upstairs to get the maids.
Adrien looked at the fire and held a hand out, nearly touching the flames. Flinching at how it bites, now he gets why humans never touch fire because it burns their bare skin. But other than that, it was warming his body up from the cold. He just sat down to warm himself. Plagg on the other hand snuck out to find food.
Adrien sees the men coming in with crates of food for the kingdom to sell them. He sure was hungry but didn't know much about their food on land.
"A boy that can't speak? Is he here?" A short blond-haired maid with blue eyes asked that came downstairs with Juleka along with the rest of the girls.
"Yes. My brother and I guessed he was washed up from a shipwreck" Juleka said and they heard a body thud as they quickly glanced, "Oh! And unfortunately, the shock made him unable to walk, Rose"
"Good heavens!" Rose exclaimed.
"Let's get him cleaned" Alix helps him up.
They brought him to a room and cleaned him up from all dirt. They help him in the warm bathtub filled with soap bubbles. Despite his good-looking body, the maids swoon at him. Some have even fainted, making Adrien feel embarrassed at why girls are staring at him like that.
"I swear, the Princess would like to see him," Juleka said.
"She would definitely see you very charming" Alix said.
"He can't speak at all?" Alya asked.
"Can you blame him? After all he's been through?" Rose said and poured warm water on him to clean off the foam, "Poor dear. We'll help you feel better in no time"
While they all talked about him, Adrien sinks in the tub for 15 seconds, realizing he forgot that he can't breathe underwater. He quickly sits up, gasping for air.
"Whoa, are you okay?" Alix asked Adrien, who just nodded.
"Of course, you needed fresh water than salt water. Smells nice, doesn't it?" Alya hands him a bar of soap but he simply took a bite of it, "Oh no, you poor man" She took it away from him, "You must be starving. Mylene, tell Marinette's grandfather to get him food"
"Got it" Mylene nodded.
"Now let's get this handsome boy clean. He smells like fish" Alya said and scrubs Adrien's back.
"And get him some men's clothes too," Juleka said.
"Our princess has marvelous Chinese silk clothes she designed. She even designed one about a mysterious cat man the other day" Rose said, scrubbing his legs.
Adrien gasped quietly about his princess.
Much later, Adrien got dressed in a Chinese silk black shirt, and blue pants and was even given a pair of shoes. He stumbles a little to walk with shoes for the first time, looking at the mirror.
"So this is how it feels like being a human?" He thought.
x
In the kitchen, Plagg was full from eating a lot of cheese but does not realize that the chef in his 50s spots him, thinking that it's a rat.
"Sacre blu!" The chef screamed as he tried to kill it but Plagg bit him in the nose.
Plagg landed on a pan and the chef tried to grab him but burnt his hand instead and got the pan on his foot.
"OW! Damn rat!" He growled and threw knives at Plagg, only for the kwami to dodge and hide under a cupboard. While the chef was looking for him, Plagg threw a bowl on his head to blind him. In a fit of rage, the chef chops the cupboard, thinking he got him. But then he realized he missed again and saw Plagg getting away.
Mylene heard crashing in the kitchen and she rushed inside, "Rolland?!"
It got Rolland's attention before he realized what he was doing.
"What's going on here?" She asked.
"Just some annoying rat ruined it all. This is not how it's done," Rolland said.
"Again?" Mylene sighed in disappointment before grabbing all the food trays for the royalties and the guest.
x
Marinette was at the dining table while hearing Luka's story about a boy who can't speak.
"He was caught in Mr. Ramier's net naked, my sister and I believed he was washed up by a shipwreck" Luka explained.
"Is he okay?" Marinette asked.
"He's alright. And look over there" He showed Marinette.
There stood Adrien in formal with another servant near him, "Don't be shy" The servant said as Adrien revealed himself.
Adrien gasped lightly to finally see her again. Marinette gets a closer look at him, feeling like he looked familiar but cannot shake that feeling.
"Wow, you look wonderful" Marinette was awestruck by Adrien's handsome look. Adrien just smiled at her comment.
Ming-Yue sniffed him and recognized his face but not his legs. He bends down and scratched her chin, causing her to purr in delight.
"Oh, this is Ming Yue. She likes you" Marinette chuckled that her panther never goes near strangers but she really likes this handsome stranger.
"I guess you really are a natural with animals," Marinette said.
Adrien nodded but technically he was a natural with sea animals. This is the second time he was a natural with this feline beast.
"Okay, Ming Yue, off you go," Marinette said and the panther headed out to enjoy her meal bones, "You must be starving right now. Oh, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Princess Marinette and these are my parents over there" Marinette introduced.
Adrien looks over to see Marinette's parents, the King and the Queen. He goes up to them and bows in respect, even if he can't speak.
"Such a handsome young man. I'm Queen Sabine and this is my husband King Tom. What is your name?" Queen Sabine asked.
Adrien wished he had his voice back but he can't. He felt very hopeless without his voice.
Luka took out some paper and a quill, "I have an idea" Luka held out a rolled parchment of the alphabets, "Point the alphabets and I'll spell them"
Adrien pointed at A, D, R, I, E, and finally N.
"A-d-r-i-e-n. Ah, Adrien" Luka wrote it down"
Adrien nodded and smiled, giving everyone in the dining room to know his name.
"It's a lovely name. Named after the Adriatic Sea" Marinette said.
Adrien smiled and took a seat with the help from the servant.
"So, Adrien. Luka told me that they found you caught in a fishnet. Were you washed up by a shipwreck?" Queen Sabine asked and Mylene arrived with the food.
Adrien knew he couldn't explain without his voice but decided to simply nod to that question.
"Were there any other survivors?" She then asked, but Adrien shook his head no.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Adrien," Marinette said.
Adrien sees a fork and he gives it a brush on his hair. They all looked at him weirdly, Adrien realized this and puts it down in embarrassment. The servant was lighting a pipe and Adrien thought that it could be a human conch, it fascinated him, "Oh, do you like it?"
Adrien picked it and blew hard into it, covering the servant's face with ash. Adrien gasped quietly but chuckled a little and so did Marinette.
"Not to worry" The servant used a cloth rag to clean his face.
They all moved the tray aside and one of them had Plagg who took the shape of an actual black cat and just ate the whole cheese.
"Meow" He meowed innocently.
Adrien recognizes it's him all right and gently picks him off the King's food tray and puts him down.
"Good heavens. How did he get in there?" Tom asked.
Adrien shrugged that he had no idea, glaring back at Plagg for being irresponsible with cheese addiction. It hissed and simply ran out of the dining room.
"Must be a stray, father. Uhhh….Mylene, can you go grab another for my father please?" Marinette asked kindly.
"Of course, princess" Mylene bowed and headed back to the kitchen.
"We have a guest here, Father" Marinette whispered to her father to not cause drama in front of Adrien.
"Of course. He'll stay as long as he wants" Tom said.
They see he was very famished for garden salad, the way he ate it like that could be that he hasn't had food for who knows how long.
"He must be starving," Marinette said.
"Strange but he is very handsome" Luka whispered.
"Yeah," Marinette said with a dreamy look.
"Since you're new here, Adrien. Would you like to have my daughter show you the tour of our kingdom tomorrow morning?" Queen Sabine said.
Adrien nodded and smiled at Marinette who seemed to blush a little.
"Excellent" Queen Sabine said.