Chapter 18: The Beach

Richard was enjoying his new body as much as his new training regimen.

The former Seahaven lord stood in the middle of a large circular stone room illuminated by a plethora of glowshells, a new rapier in hand. Around him were a dozen men of ragged and brutish appearance. They were pirates he conscripted for the purpose of testing and honing his newfound abilities. It had not been terribly difficult to convince them. Gold and bragging had a way of garnering the interests of pirates, and quickly at that.

He shifted his stance slightly, causing the pirates to shift in kind. He could see how nervous they were. Perhaps due to the ominous ambiance of the room, but mostly due to the confident smirk he wore. Oh, and that all the previous pirates he brought in were either dead or still recuperating around the edges of the room.

"Come," Richard ordered, giving his rapier a twirl.

One of the more nervous pirates immediately rushed in from the side, shouting as he pulled back his cutlass. He was no swordsman, and it showed when he swung at Richard's head. His skills were those of a typical seafaring brawler, his ability as dull and untrained as the blade of his weapon.

Richard moved with finely tuned speed and skill, parrying the pirate's sword aside and stabbing him in the shoulder. The man cried out as he staggered back, Richard whipping his sword free before slashing across the pirate's chest. His shirt blossomed red with blood as he fell.

The circle of pirate's fell upon Richard, finding courage only in the hope their numbers could overwhelm him.

Richard dashed for the next pirate, legs propelling him faster than his target could react to. He stabbed in quick succession, riddling the pirate's body with a dozen holes in the span of a second before kicking his feet out from under him. A third pirate came up behind Richard and swung for his neck. Richard did not see him coming, but he could hear his footsteps and the sound of his blade cutting air. He ducked down and spun, the pirate slashing empty space as Richard's sword cut deep across his stomach. Another lightning-fast swing and he cut the man from hip to shoulder, twisting around and bashing the pommel into the face of a pirate rushing him from behind.

Richard darted around the gutted pirate as he sunk, going on the offensive against a pair of bearded buccaneers. He toyed with them, stabbing and slashing just enough to split skin as they tried furiously to protect themselves against his assault. Two more came at him from behind, forming a group of four around him. Though they swung, stabbed, and slashed as hard and fast as they could, not one of the quartet of blades could find Richard's skin. He actually laughed as he kept their swords away, his rapier singing as he swung it with newfound strength and swiftness.

This was magnificent! His physical prowess was far above what he could have imagined! Never in his wildest dreams had he envisioned reaching this level of strength! These brutes were trapped in molasses compared to him. They appeared to be moving slower he could react so quickly. His mind felt sharper, his instincts for combat keener. His sword flashed in the light of the glowshells, sparks flying off the blades as he held them back single-handedly. And he was barely even trying!

One of the pirates abruptly rushed in, thrusting for Richard's neck. Richard parried the thrust and seized the man by his throat. The pirate dropped his sword as Richard clamped his hand like a vice, panicked at his sudden inability to breathe. With a shout Richard flung the pirate into one of the others, sending both sailing back to strike the wall. The other two quickly fell to his sword, their bodies slashed and bleeding. Richard charged at another pirate, rapier drawn back as he prepared to test how powerfully he could cut.

The pirate blanched, dropping his sword. "Wait!" he pleaded, holding his hands up. "I yield! Don't–!"

CRANG!

Something struck Richard's sword, snapping the blade in half as the pirate's head suddenly whipped back. He went slack as the life was snuffed from him, collapsing in a heap on the floor as Richard skidded to a stop.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Richard turned at Remora's voice, seeing the masked witch walk out of the shadows.

"Not enough blood to be fun for me" she said, making sure to step on one of the downed pirates as she approached. The rest began scrambling for the edges of the room, far more terrified of the witch than the traitor. "They're all still living except for that one."

Richard scowled, tossing his ruined sword aside. "What are you doing here, Remora? My orders are to not be disturbed when–."

"Your orders mean jack-all to me," interrupted Remora. "I'll disturb you whenever and however I feel like it."

She waved her hand at a sword. It flipped into the air as though kicked, landing perfectly in her grasp. "Typical rabble blade," she muttered, running her hands along its edge. "Crap steel, crap forging, crap sharpening…just plain crap!"

Richard had a gut feeling he should cover his face, so he did. And quickly.

Electricity arced off Remora's fingers to the sword. Instantly half the blade shattered, flinging metal shrapnel everywhere. They peppered Richard, slicing into his skin as the shards ricocheted off the walls, sending up flashes of sparks all around with the sharp whistles and reports of metal striking stone. No small number hit the pirates, embedding in their flesh. They howled and yelled at the pain. There was a sound of scraping metal and flashes of light.

"Now this is a sword," said Remora.

Richard lowered his arm. In Remora's hand was a sword, but not like any he had ever seen. It was sharpened on one side and lacked a guard of any sort. Serrated ridges were set near the handle, and there were segments missing from the center of the blade. Already Richard could tell it was not a sword for fighting or duels or any other application of a sharp blade. It was a killer's sword, designed with no other purpose than taking lives. And where did that thing come from? Remora had no sword on her when she walked in.

Remora scraped her sword along the remains of the broken blade. To Richard's shock it cut into the metal like a razor into wood, peeling off a curling strip of steel.

"Why are you here?" Richard asked.

Remora tossed the broken blade aside. "You're coming with me. The Master's got a job for us."

"What sort of job?"

"Hunting." Remora turned and started walking. "Either follow or I drag your carcass out of here by a hook."

Though loath to take orders from anyone, much less a woman, Richard fell in step behind his superior. In the few short days he had been here he learned by word of mouth not to take Remora's threats idly. He had seen the scars and missing bits on those who did. She was not one to show mercy or amusement at being challenged.

"And what exactly are we hunting for?" he asked.

Remora swung her sword to the side, the room's heavy steel door swinging open on its own. "A monster."


Just north of the Seahaven palace was a small cove. Several large gray boulders rose from the pale beach, polished smooth by the unremitting action of the waves and sand. The waves splashed gently against the shore and the many rocks in the surf. The sun now hung high in the morning sky, painting the rolling ocean a rich turquoise blue with sparkles of greens and light purples like a liquid opal. A particular set of stones sat above the waves farther from shore. These were the very rocks a red-haired mermaid princess watched from as a prince she rescued was taken back to his home, vowing that one day she would become part of his world.

Melody swam past the rocks towards the shore, rolling onto her back just above the sea floor. She let herself float freely in the ebb and flow of the swells as she watched the sun overhead dance on the water's surface. Her lungs were nowhere close to needing air even after three minutes, a benefit she inherited from her mother. She slowly sank down until she came to rest on the sandy bottom, kicking up gentle clouds of silt.

She smiled, stretching out her arms and legs. How she missed this! Weeks of separation had felt like years. Never mind that she had to stay close to shore, and that she had to leave her locket off. It felt indescribably good to be back in the water. With just that, one little part of her fractured life had been put back place. The taste of the salt, the feel of the current through her hair and over her skin, and the sight of that shimmering glassy surface above filled her with a joy she had not felt in ages. A part of her was home again.

The familiar urgency built in her lungs, warning her she would need air soon. She righted herself and kicked off the bottom. Moments later she breached the surface, flinging her hair back as she drank in the salt-laced air, hearing the waves rolling onto the beach and the gulls calling to each other.

And the sound of stone sliding over metal.

Melody looked to the shore. Her dress was draped over a rock well away from the surf, the enchanted locket lying atop of it. Behind it were the short cliffs that ran along the shore, although at barely ten feet calling them cliffs was a stretch of the word. Behind them were rolling dunes sparsely coated with salt grasses, transitioning into shrubs and then oak forests further away.

It was on the edge of a large rock that Lara sat, legs dangling over the side as she ran a whetstone over her mirror-polished sword, its red scabbard strapped across her back. Her hand moved the stone with slow precise motions, scraping off unseen layers of metal as she sharpened the edge.

Melody might have been imagining things, but ever since she made her decision to come here Lara seemed tense. Something in the tightness of her shoulders and the stiffness with which she followed Melody down to the beach suggested a masked trepidation. She was practically dragging her feet the entire way, staying well clear of the water after they arrived. Not ten seconds here and Lara had leapt straight to her current perch. And she literally leapt, jumping more than three times her height. Her normally intimidating but relaxed expression was now marred by anxiety, as though she was expecting something bad to happen at any moment.

Lara looked up from her sword. "You were down there a while," she called out. "I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to come get you."

Melody flipped herself onto her back in a deadman float. "Trust me, that'll never happen! I can handle myself in the ocean just fine!"

"We'll see, princess," said Lara skeptically.

Melody sighed and closed her eyes. Things had not improved since Lara's gymnastic display in her room. The mood between them was still tense, the air tangibly fogged with things unsaid. Or rather, things that neither were sure how to best to put into words, and possibly were better off remaining that way.

Melody was especially conflicted. On one hand she had her freedom back. On the other she now had someone watching her every move, and this time it was not a small red crab. She could feel Lara's eyes on her, and it was not an inconspicuous sensation. It made her feel like a chain was around her neck, a sensation that was both confining and a bit degrading.

Yet a part of Melody also wanted Lara gone for her own safety. Lara did not know what Morgana and Ursula were capable of. Melody was at least moderately confident Lara could defeat any human assailants. But what were swords and fists going to do against magic? If they came after Melody themselves and Lara tried to protect her, she would likely...

Melody shook the thought out of her head. She did not want to entertain such morbid ideas. She dealt with those too often as it was. Instead she turned her attention back to the problem with her and Lara coexisting. Seeing as how they were going to be spending a lot of time together, she might as well try to break the tension before it got any heavier. "Instead of sitting up there all day, why don't you put the sword down and come in? The water feels great!"

Lara pulled her legs under her as though the ground had turned to lava. "Uh…no thanks. I'm not a fan of saltwater. Or big water for that matter. Especially that water."

"You don't like the ocean?"

Lara stopped sharpening her sword. "No. I hate it."

Melody forgot how to swim for a moment. She sunk under, quickly popping back up sputtering and coughing. "Hate? How can you hate the ocean? How can anyone hate it?"

"You'd be surprised," Lara replied as she wiped her sword off and sheathed it. She took out one of her knives and set to work on it. "What's so great about bathing in an oversized salt puddle anyway?"

Melody frowned. "It's not an oversized puddle! And there's a lot of great things about it! There's the fish and corals, the waves, swimming with the dolphins, the feel of warm sand between your toes, just lying on your back in the swells…oh, there's too many reasons to count!"

She could not mention one of those reasons was an underwater merfolk kingdom she frequented, or that her mother had once been a resident of said kingdom. Surprisingly, Lara appeared to have no knowledge of what merfolk were, much less that they existed. And Melody intended to keep it that way. It was one of the few things she agreed with her parents on at present. Maybe one day they would tell her, but that day was far off. Impossibly far off in Melody's mind.

"I can't imagine being away from it!" Melody declared. "I just love the sea!"

"Uh-huh." Lara tested the knife's edge with her thumb. "Aren't you overlooking all the other stuff in your so-called 'greatplace?'"

Melody arched a curious eyebrow. "What other stuff?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about…?" Lara started counting off on her fingers. "It's cold. It's dark. It's wet. You can drown in it. You can barely move in it. It makes you crusty when you dry off. It's teeming with sharks, eels, sea serpents, krakens, leviathans, sirens, and all the other monsters that'll turn you into fish food the first chance they get. Did I mention the drowning part? The place is a freakin' deathtrap!"

"It is not!" rebuked Melody harshly. "Have you ever even been in it?"


"Feeding time, boys!"

With a hysterical cackle the captain flung the lever forward, causing the cage to drop straight down into the water as the crew cheered and whooped. Lara's screams were silenced as she plunged beneath the waves. Everything became a blurry dark canvas of biting cold water and bubbles. Her fingers grabbed at the iron lattice of the cage, trying in vain desperation to pull it open.

A gray blur appeared in the murk, accelerating towards the cage with predatory intent. Lara threw herself back as the shark slammed into the cage with terrifying force, banging it against the side of the ship. White jagged teeth bit and gnawed at the metal, savagely trying to get at her.

A second shark hit from the other side, jarring Lara. Bubbles poured from her mouth as she screamed.


Lara blinked and shook her head. "Too many times."

"Then it's hardly a 'deathtrap'since we're both still alive," said Melody, sarcastically quoting the word with her fingers.

The brunette scowled, leaning forward as she wagged the knife at Melody. "Look, you've got your opinion, I've got mine. Leave it at that. You enjoy your shark-infested swimming pool and I'll enjoy staying dry and uneaten out here. I'll come get you when something bites your leg off."

Melody scowled herself in irritation. "I am not going to get eaten by a shark!"

"Famous last words."

Melody gave an exasperated sigh. "You know what? Forget I asked! Sit there and get a sunburn for all I care!" She turned around and dove back in.

"At least I'll have all my limbs!" called Lara. "And don't go far! I'd rather not wade out there to get you!"

Melody ignored her and kept swimming. This was just perfect. Of all the freaky-eyed, bad-mannered, shameless female bodyguards she could have been stuck with, she just had to get the one that hated the ocean. A vicious attack poodle would have been better. At least it would go in the water. The more she was around this woman the more reasons she found not to like her. The idea of being friends with Lara was becoming increasingly difficult to entertain with each passing hour. At this rate they were going to hate each other's guts before the week was out.

Right then Melody wanted to get as far away from Seahaven as she could. She wished she could use her locket and go to Atlantica. Lara definitely could not rub her the wrong way there. She missed the palace and the city life, and all her undersea friends. It had been so long since she saw them. But there were miles of ocean between Seahaven and Atlantica. That was miles of water she would be vulnerable in. Especially to that still unfound monster, not to mention Morgana. Melody used to think those waters were safe. Now they held true danger.

Her underwater wonderland suddenly felt very small.


Lara was having similar thoughts about her relationship with Melody, although she had no musings about running off to an underwater city inhabited by mythical merfolk. She had known the princess for a grand total of two days–not counting her expedition to fetch her sword–and already they were struggling just to tolerate each other.

She had a feeling this princess was going to be a hassle going off her character alone. Melody was sassy, stubborn, headstrong, reckless, reserved in certain respects, and clearly distrusting. She struck Lara as a someone who learned by experience rather than heeding the counsel of others, even if that experience turned out to be a mistake. How had two people like Eric and Ariel, both of whom Lara was slowly coming to respect for their noble and benevolent qualities, produced a brat like Melody?

Oh, and she loved the ocean. The one place Lara wanted to avoid at all costs. Just perfect.

Lara did not hate water itself. She loved hot baths and soaking in the hot springs like she used to back home, or in those few remote places she found in the eastern wilds. But her phobia towards the sea and deep cold water was well founded. It held dark and painful memories for her. Just stepping in the ocean filled her with dread and pushed her towards panic. At this close proximity she was extremely uncomfortable. It felt like things were watching her from the waves, just waiting for her to come down so they could snatch her and drag her to a watery grave.

She saw Melody pop up in the surf. The girl turned and swam with an incoming swell, letting the wave carry her as she bodysurfed back to the shallows. She laughed as the water pushed her into a somersault before she popped back up, flipping her wet black hair behind her. How she could be so morose on land and then carefree in the water was beyond Lara. How she could be carefree in the water at all was another mystery.

A fleeting movement in a swell caught Lara's attention. Her eyes quickly shifted to the spot, looking for it again.

Two shadows were approaching Melody under the water. And they were moving fast.

Lara was on her feet and reaching for her knives. She could not tell what they were from this distance, but they were heading straight for her charge. That was reason enough to take action

"Out of the water!" she shouted as she pulled her goggles down, wanting her eyes protected if things got ugly.

Melody turned to her, cupping her hands as she shouted, "What?"

"Get out of the water!" Lara called back. "Now!"

"Why?"

"Just do it!" Lara yelled as she pulled her knives out.


Melody turned around, trying to see if something was out in the water. She was still fairly close to shore, so it was doubtful that the sea monster was coming. Not with that enormous body in water this shallow. She took a breath and dipped under for a peek, Lara's shouts muffled by the water.

Her eyes widened when she saw the cause for Lara's distress. She breached the surface and turned back. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

Lara had her knives in hand. Melody remembered what her fist alone had done to the boards in the arena. If she sent one of those blades flying, and she was almost certain she could...

"Lara, no!" called Melody fearfully. "Stop! They're not dangerous! They're my–!"

She was interrupted as the heads of a walrus and penguin appeared beside her.

"Hi Melody!" said Tip, only noticing Lara drawing a knife back a moment later. "How're youuuuuuaaaaaaah!"

"Friends!" shouted Melody as loud as she could.

Lara halted mid-throw. Tip's eyes went as big as the moon and Dash went two shades paler. They quickly darted behind Melody as though she were an impenetrable wall, shivering visibly.

"Friends?" asked Lara quizzically, keeping her knives ready.

"Yes, friends! As in don't throw knives at my friends!" Melody snapped, temper flaring at Lara nearly turning her companions into pincushions.

Lara looked at Melody, back at the cowering animals, and then back to Melody. "Your friends are a walrus and a penguin?"

"Yeah. So what?"

Lara hesitantly lowered her knives. "Any more pets I should know about?" she asked as she raised her goggles up.

Tip jumped up on Dash's head, chest puffed with indignation. "Pets!? I'll show you who's a pet you pin-faced–gmph!"

Melody cut him off by grabbing his beak. "Nope, no others!" she said, giving what she hoped was an unsuspicious smile.

Lara narrowed her eyes, very suspicious of Melody as she put her knives away. "When I say get out of the water, don't float there asking questions. It may not be your 'friends' next time."

"Yeah, yeah," said Melody, rolling her eyes dismissively. She turned to Tip and Dash, nodding towards a nearby rock in the opposite direction of the palace. The two got the idea and headed over, Melody following close behind.


"That's your bodyguard!?"

"Shh!" hissed Melody, pressing a finger to her lips. "Keep it down or she'll hear us!"

The trio had secluded themselves behind a large rock, hopefully out of Lara's hearing range. After the heartfelt embraces were over Melody quickly explained how the events of the last week had almost culminated in her friends becoming targets for Lara's knives.

"She's not a mermaid, Mel," said Tip. "It's not like she can understand us."

"Yeah," added Dash. "And look where she is. There's no way she could hear anything from over there."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Dash," said Melody. "I don't think her hearing is normal."

"That's not the only thing that isn't normal," said Tip as he peered around the rock. "I'm not one to knock self-expression, but she's taken it to a whole new level! That is one weird-looking human!"

"Tell me about it," sighed Melody, leaning back against the rock. "Try talking to her. You'd think she was raised by wolves, and I'm not talking about the eyes."

"Well, what's she like?" asked Dash curiously, dipping under and coming up beneath Tip to see the woman in question for himself. She was still sharpening her knife on the rock. Apparently she noticed them because suddenly Dash jerked back, causing Tip to fall off.

"She's a total miscreant!" spouted Melody as she opened a floodgate of grievances. "Aside from the creepy eyes and those freaky black things stuck in her face and ears, she's just plain rude! No decency! No respect for mom and dad, much less anyone! And she's really violent! You should've seen what she did to Richard! I thought he was gonna die! Oh, and she doesn't like the ocean! She says she hates it! I don't know how we're supposed to get along! I'm not sure we can!"

"Can't you just get the guards to watch you instead?" asked Tip as he surfaced in front of her.

Melody shook her head. "Mom and dad wouldn't settle for that. I hate to admit it–and trust me, I really do–but she's better than twenty guards combined. I know they're just worried about me, but why'd they have to pick someone so…so…"

"Bad?" suggested Tip.

Melody caught herself before answering. Certainly Lara fit the descriptors she just gave, and there was more she could add. But bad? This was someone who spent weeks working in a tavern, giving every cent she earned to orphans. She threw herself in harm's way without hesitation to protect that little girl from Richard. The same little girl whom she willingly bowed to despite refusing to do so for a king and queen. And then she gave away a fortune in gold without a second thought. Ariel already seemed to trust her, and her mother was rarely wrong when it came to judging character.

When all was said and done, Melody could not find a single good reason to call Lara a bad person. A difficult person. An odd person. But not a bad person.

"I guess so," she answered uncertainly.


Lara was not sure what Melody was doing with her marine "friends" behind that rock, but clearly they were trying to do it without her noticing. Which they were failing at miserably. She could not make out exact words over the sounds of the beach, but she was certain she heard her name a few times. Given their interaction so far, she could guess what she was saying. All the rest was half words and nonsensical whisperings.

And was she imagining things, or did that penguin call her pin-faced? It was not terribly clear, but that squawking and moderately obnoxious voice could be what a penguin sounded like if she stretched her imagination.

She shook her head, dismissing the idea. She must have been hearing things. Animals did not talk. Not the way people did at least. They certainly had a language of their own, and she did a more than decent job interpreting it. But human speech? No way. Not unless Melody was some sort of ventriloquist master.

She scoffed, testing the edge of her knife against her thumb. "Yeah, right." Satisfied with the edge she sheathed her knife and lobbed the sharpening rock away. "What's next, talking–?"

The rock arced over the sand and plummeted behind a boulder, flushing out a small red crab.

Lara's eyes locked on it immediately. "Hey…lunch!"


"You're joking, right?"

"What? It'll get her out of your room."

"Tip, I'm not putting dead fish in her boots!" said Melody with finality. "If Lara and the smell don't kill me first, then mom definitely will! Or worse, Carlotta!"

She shuddered as she remembered the time she brought home a bag full of red seaweed and forgot about it in her closet. She would have preferred a scolding from Undertow than the one the appalled maid gave her.

"Just a suggestion," said Tip.

Neither Melody nor Tip noticed Dash peer around the rock to see what Lara was doing. He was not put at ease when he saw Lara crouched on her rock like a cat, watching a recognizable red dot scurrying over the beach.

"Uh, guys?" he said anxiously.

"You could put squid in her boots?" offered Tip.

"That's not any better!"

"Guys!" repeated the walrus.

"Or you could–."

"If it involves anything penguins eat then–!"

"Guys!"

"What?" exclaimed Melody and Tip, finally taking notice of him.

Dash pointed one of his large pinkish flippers up. "Lara's flying."

Melody and Tip stared blankly at him. Just for a moment that is.

"She's what!?" The two scrambled over to see.

Lara was in midair at the zenith of a spectacularly high leap. Her hair flapped behind her as she hung an easy fifty feet above the sand. She wore an excited grin like none Melody had seen, her eyes fixed on something in the sand. She actually looked like she could be flying.

"She can fly!?" exclaimed Tip, perhaps jealous since he could not. "How can she–!?"

Gravity started winning against Lara's leg strength, pulling her back down.

"Never mind."

Lara landed with a heavy whump, knees bending low as sand flew out from under her. Her hands clamped onto something on the beach. Melody had been too focused on her guard's latest superhuman feat to notice what it was.

"Lara, what are you doing?" asked Melody as she left the cover of the rock.

Lara stood and faced her, keeping her hands behind her back. She still had that grin on her face, genuinely pleased about something. Melody guessed that something was behind her.

"Guess what I caught?" Lara called to her.

"A bad case of the jitters?" she suggested mockingly.

Lara shook her head. "Nope. It's lunch!"

To Melody's surprise and horror Lara revealed a very familiar, beloved, and alarmed red crab dangling from her hand. She had a firm hold of him, both his claws contained in her grasp as he tried to get free.

"Sebastian!" cried Melody.

"Gesundheit," said Lara.

Sebastian wriggled and squirmed, working one of his claws free. "Unhand me dis instant, mon!"

Lara's eyes flew wide open, involuntarily flinching as though she had been shocked. "What the…he talks!?"

Now it was Melody's turn to be wide-eyed with surprise. "You can hear him!?"

"She can hear him!?" exclaimed Tip and Dash.

Now Lara looked to Tip and Dash. "They can talk too!?"

The penguin and walrus looked at each other. "She can hear us!"

Any further exclamations regarding the surprising revelation of Lara's zoological linguistic talents were prevented when Sebastian got a claw free and immediately clamped it onto Lara's thumb as hard as he could.

"Yeeeeoooow!" Lara flung her hand about wildly as Sebastian maintained his painful hold. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Get it off! Get if off!"

Melody swam for shore as fast as she could. "Stop!"

"Get this bastard off me!" shouted Lara, giving one last fling and sending Sebastian high into the air, screaming for all he was worth. Lara clutched her throbbing thumb while dancing around like she was on hot coals.

Fump! Sebastian came down and buried in the sand, sticking his head up with a small cone of the stuff on top. "Dat'll teach you not to go jumping out of de blue on people!"

Lara snapped around, glaring daggers at him. "You little…that freakin' hurt!"

Sebastian gave a frightened yelp as Lara lunged for him, scampering out of the way. Lara went skidding over the sand as Sebastian ran for the surf. Lara drew one of her knives and threw it, burying the blade between Sebastian and the water close enough for Sebastian to feel the breeze.

Melody was now wading frantically out of the water. "Lara, stop! Don't hurt him!"

Lara ignored her and sprang again, leaving Sebastian barely enough time to scurry away. She grabbed her knife and pawed after him like a cat swatting a mouse, hands thrusting deep into the sand with each grab.

"Come here you pint-size–!" she grabbed him again, only to drop him at another hard pinch. "Ow!"

Sebastian took the chance to run for the palace as fast as his six-legs would take him.

"Get back here!" shouted Lara, kicking up sand as she gave chase.

Melody scrambled onto shore, tripping in the sand. Dash lumbered out of the waves after her, Tip mounted atop his head as usual. "Lara! Let him go!" she shouted after her. "He's my friend! You can't eathim!"

Whether Lara was ignoring or not hearing Melody was unclear. What was clear was her and Sebastian racing to the palace, leaving a trail of two very different but clearly distinguishable prints in the damp sand.

Melody groaned, clutching at her wet hair. "No, no, no! This is not happening!"

"Holy sea cows, look at her go!" exclaimed Tip, shading his eyes to watch Sebastian try to lose Lara by slipping through a gap in two tall rocks. Lara simply jumped over them, earning a very surprised shout from Sebastian on the other side. Lara lunged again and missed, but she quickly recovered and began chasing him up the steps to the pavilion.

Melody gulped worriedly. That was too close. This was not another of Sebastian's misadventures with Louis. Lara was far faster and nimbler than the chef ever had been. The tournament more that proved that. As evasive as Sebastian could be, Melody did not think he could outrun Lara for very long. If she got her hands on him...

She grabbed her dress and locket before tearing down the beach towards home as fast as she could, already fearing the worst.

"Mel! Where are you going?" asked Dash as she tore past them.

"The palace!" she called back as she pulled her dress over her head. "I've got to stop them before someone gets hurt!"


A/N: As always, your thoughts/comments/constructive criticism are welcome!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "The Little Mermaid," Disney, or any of its associated characters and intellectual property. Everything else, however, is mine =)