Chapter 34: Breaking Point
It was warm and sunny as Lara lay back in the grass. The mountain forest around her was filled with the songs of birds and insects. The azure sky spread across the heavens, snowcapped mountains reaching towards it. She stretched her arms high overhead, relishing the sun as it warmed her bare stomach and arms. A breeze blew across, creating pleasant tingles on her skin. She breathed deep and sighed, a content smile on her face. If only all days could be like this one.
Slowly she sat up. A small creek ran in front of her, emptying into a large pond lined with cattails and reeds. Herons and egrets waded along the shore, and mallard ducks swam lazily about. Small songbirds whistled their twittering tunes from the trees, and frogs and dragonflies sat on lily pads. It was like something out of a fairy tale it was so picturesque.
Lara got up and walked to a clearing in the reeds, a small embankment hanging over the water. Laying down she slowly lowered her face towards the water. Just as her lips were about to touch the water she slipped, instead plunging her whole face in. It was so cold she nearly gasped from shock, but she held her face under and drank. It was deliciously cold and sweet, and she took her fill.
She did not know how long she stayed like that. Minutes, maybe hours. Eventually she had to come back up for air. She flung her head back, her hair throwing out a fan of water before slapping against her back. She shivered as the cold water trickled down her spine.
M…s…er…
Lara opened her eyes. It was very faint, but she definitely heard someone talking.
"Hello?" she called out, getting to her feet as she wrung her hair. She turned to the forest, wondering if there was a nearby road she had missed.
Sh...nster...ll her...wi…s she...ave to…
"Who's there?" she asked, a bit louder this time.
Instead of answering the voices went silent. Lara strained her ears to try and hear them again, but only the sounds of nature came to her. She shrugged. Must have been some people passing by. She turned back to the pond, wanting another taste of that water.
Then she saw her reflection.
She was covered in blood. It coated her arms and chest, trickling down her stomach and sides. It was splattered all over her pants and top. Thick rivulets ran down her face, leaving streaks of red in their wake. Her hair was matted thick with it, the brown color tinged with a gruesome crimson. And those eyes. Those cold, callous golden eyes leaked tears of red from them. She had her sword in one hand and a knife in the other. They were as drenched in blood as she was, sticky red droplets falling off the tips.
Lara screamed, startling a flock of ducks from the pond and several frogs off their pads. She jumped away from the water, terrified that her reflection might reach up and drag her in. She landed far back and looked herself over. She had become her reflection. Her arms and hands were splattered with red, and so were her knife and sword. Thick dark drops were on her boots and falling off her chin. She could feel it soaking into her pants and top, making them stick to her skin. The smell was overwhelming.
Mon...er...
Kil...the…here…ic
The wit…ust be…illed…
Lara threw her sword and knife away into the pond. She spun around wildly as she tried to pinpoint the voices. They came from everywhere and nowhere. They grew in volume and number, the words clear now as they screamed and shouted in fear and loathing.
It's a monster!
Don't be fooled! It's no human!
Stay back! It'll kill you!
What is it!?
Abomination! Heathen creature!
Freak! Get away from me!
Lara froze in cold dread. She recognized those voices. They were forever branded into her memories. Memories accumulated over five years of incessant violence and bloodshed. Suddenly she understood why they had no source. No one was actually speaking. They were in her head.
Run!
Kill it! Hunt it down!
Get out! I'm warning you!
Take its head!
Lara blinked. The lush mountain forest disappeared, replaced with the remains of a charred battlefield. Smoking skeletons of trees stood on black barren earth. Chariots, catapults, ballistae, and trebuchets were strewn about, their timbers ripped to ruin as the fires consumed them. The burning wreckage of tanks and crawling fortresses, those colossal mobile war machines, lay crumpled about in piles of ripped and shorn metal. Distant explosions sounded as fires found gunpowder kegs and discarded rounds. The sky was dark with smoke, the sun tinged red as blood through the haze.
The bodies were everywhere. Men, women, and children mowed down in numbers too great for Lara to count. Strewn over the ground, dead from arrows, swords, spears, guns, cannons, shrapnel, or even fists. The soldiers were piled high, forming monuments to the crows and vultures circling above in anticipation. The earth was wet with blood. The smell was so much stronger, making Lara gag.
Don't let the heretic escape!
Burn it!
Hang it!
Capture the monster!
Kill the monster!
Die, monster!
Die, monster!
Lara clutched her ears, face screwed up tight as she tried to block them out. "No! I'm not! Stop it!"
Now the voices spoke in turn, each one pounding on her mind like a sledgehammer. She could not hear herself think they were so loud.
You murdered us!
Slaughtered us!
Massacred us!
Ripped us!
Stabbed us!
Burned us!
Hunted us!
Cut us down!
Killed us!
Let us all die!
"I'm sorry!" cried Lara desperately. "I'm sorry! Please stop!"
Liar!
Heathen!
Heretic!
Freak!
Beast!
Witch!
Murderer!
Monster!
"Stop! Please stop!" Lara collapsed to her knees, body curled tight and trembling. She thought she would go deaf with how loud the voices were. Her hair began to wave about as a wind sprung to life around her.
Savage!
Butcher!
Thief!
Animal!
Monster!
The wind blew more violently about her, scattering ash and cinders. The fires began creeping towards Lara, as though drawn to her distress. An orange aura appeared around her body. The birds flew off, sensing a coming danger.
"Stop it!" Lara screamed. "Stop it now!"
Die, monster!
Die, monster!
Die, monster!
The wind became a gale, blowing outwards from Lara with hurricane force. Yet the fires kept coming towards her, even faster now. Her hair whipped about wildly. The blood evaporated off her body, making it appear she was smoking. Around her neck the fire pendant began to glow. She screamed again and again, trying to block out the voices.
Die, monster!
Die, monster!
Die, monster!
DIE, MONSTER!
Lara could take it no longer. She threw her head back, screaming with all her might to the sky. The pendant flashed as she screamed, whiting out the world in a blinding light.
Lara bolted to her feet, drawing a knife in one hand as the other went for her sword. "Clay–!"
She stopped with her sword halfway out. She was not on the battlefield. She was in Melody's room. The princess was asleep in her bed facing away from her, the covers rising and falling as she breathed. Lara looked out the alcove window. It was the wee hours of the morning, and unusually cool. Light was just starting to return to the sky. A storm was coming in, if the heavy damp in the air and dark clouds over the sea were any sign. The wind was blowing, causing the trees in the garden to wave. It would probably be raining by the time the sun was up.
"A dream…" Lara released a long breath, putting her knife away as she sheathed her sword. "It was just a dream."
She sat down and reached into her pack, fumbling about for the deerskin purse off to the side. Her fingers slipped in and grabbed two of the remaining tiny pellets. She pulled them out and popped them into her mouth, quickly swallowing to avoid the astringent taste.
Kodama warned her about this. The medicine he provided suppressed her nightmares and keep the more debilitating flashbacks at bay. But true to his word it had not lasted forever. Over the last few weeks their potency began to fade. One pellet used to last her two days. Now two pellets barely lasted through the night, and she was running low. She needed to get more soon. And hopefully stronger stuff.
"The relief thou seekest will not come from medicine or magic. Wounds upon the mind and heart must be healed by them."
"Easier said than done," Lara whispered through gritted her teeth, clenching her hands tight. She grabbed her canteen, taking a swig of water to wash down the medicine. Why did Kodama have to be so archaic about everything? He spoke in riddles and double meanings, rarely giving her a straight answer. The least he could have done was point her in the right direction.
Still, at least he was honest with Lara. She could not say the same about her employers.
Lara did not doubt there had been an attack on the Alliance in the days following the seaclops and skinner's defeat, and that people had been kidnapped and murdered. Ariel and her sisters were more than upset enough to support that conclusion. Ariel in particular. Those were not false tears she shed. There was sorrow and loss to go around last night. Despite their grief, they chose to refrain from telling Melody the news until morning, and asked Lara to do the same. Apparently, Melody was upset about another declined invite to her friend Elaine, just like all the other letters she sent her friends. This travesty was not going to help when she woke up.
What Lara did not believe for a moment, however, was what Eric and Grimsby told her. She could read people well enough to know when someone was giving her half the story. Shifting eyes, fidgeting hands, and that hesitation before they talked as they double-checked their words. This was not just an attack the Alliance suffered. There was more to it than they let on. They were deliberately hiding something from her.
This was not the first time Lara was suspicious of them. As much as she had come to like this royal family–most of them, anyways–there was something off about them. For a kingdom this close to the sea and with such a booming fishing tradition, they never ate anything from the ocean. Not fish, crab, lobster, or even clams. Whenever they went to the beach it always coincided with Melody's lessons, or going away from the palace, or Lara being out with the orphans. Point was, they only did it when Lara would not be able to go with them. And their walking was not the worst Lara had seen if she compared it to, say, a three-year-old. They got around just fine now, but when she first met them, they were constantly tripping and tumbling over themselves. Had they been carried around their entire lives? It was as though they had not spent a day on their own feet.
She shook her head and yawned wide, smacking her lips as she rolled her shoulders. Maybe she was overthinking this. She had been in the eastern kingdoms for so long she had become suspicious by nature. She was probably reading more into this than was actually there. She lay on her back in the alcove and closed her eyes, hoping to catch an hour or two of uninterrupted sleep before Melody woke up.
She had barely taken five breaths when she heard Melody shift, followed by the creak of the bed as she got up.
Resisting the urge to peek, Lara focused on her hearing to tell her what was happening. She heard Melody walk over to her wardrobe and open it. Instead of pulling out a dress she grabbed something from the bottom and closed it. Then she went back to her bed and picked up something made of fabric. The chair to her vanity table scratched on the floor as she moved it. Melody hissed at the noise, immediately stopping. There was silence for a few seconds, and then Lara heard clinking glass and the rustle of parchment, followed by the scritch-scritch of an ink quill on paper.
Lara chanced a peek, cracking one eye open. Melody was hunched over her table quickly writing something. A fishnet bag was slung over one shoulder, her body shrouded in a black cloak.
Lara opened both eyes. Not a black cloak. The shadowsilk cloak! The princess was wearing her cloak! Patches of it kept phasing in and out of sight in the early light, her hand reaching back to pull the hood up over her head.
Melody stopped scribbling. Lara quickly closed her eye, forcing herself to breathe as slow as she dared for the illusion of sleep. The scratching of the quill pen resumed after a moment. It went on for a minute longer and then stopped. She heard Melody blow on the ink to dry it before setting it somewhere else. Then her bare feet headed towards the door, the latch clicking as she opened it. The footsteps went out into the hall, followed by the door closing.
Lara was upright the moment the latch clicked back into place. Immediately she pulled up her pack, making sure Melody had not taken anything else of hers. A quick rummage showed nothing missing. She checked behind her back for her knives. Still there. She got up and went to the vanity table. Carefully she picked up the note, not wanting to smudge the wet ink. It was not long, but the hastily scribbled writing and first two sentences told her all she needed to know about Melody's intentions.
I'm going to Atlantica for a while. I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to tell you this properly, but I know what you'd say.
Lara dropped the note, dashing to door. "That idiot…!"
Melody pulled the cloak tight around her, sticking to the shadows in the hall as she made her way. Everything was quiet this early in the morning. The palace would not start waking up for at least another hour. The guard would be changing, which meant now was the best time. She did not feel good about taking Lara's cloak, but at least it had worked like she said. So long as she stayed in the shadows no one could see her. Twice already she had guards walk right past her, completely oblivious to her presence.
She approached the garden door as quietly as she could, keeping her net bag close to prevent any possible noise. Looking up and down the hall to confirm no one was present she quickly cracked the door open and slipped out, closing it behind her.
It was dim outside as she ran, using the shadow cast by the palace for cover. The wind pulled at the cloak, threatening to reveal her if she let go of it. The damp grass was cold under her bare feet as she hurried across it making for the stairs to the pavilion. And her departure for Atlantica.
She clutched the enchanted necklace, feeling the shell's ridges pressing into her palm. She wished she did not have to resort to this. It was underhanded to run away, perhaps even cruel. Her parents would be worried sick, as would the rest of her family. Lara might get fired for allowing her to sneak out. And her grandfather…well, she would swim through that current when she came to it.
But she had to do this. She just could not stay here anymore. Not in that giant palace, cooped up with Lara or guards following everywhere she went. Not surrounded by so many memories of William–once a source of joy and comfort, now only pain and sorrow. She felt like she was suffocating up here. Her friends had abandoned her, refusing all of her requests to meet. Her family was busy taking in the human world, as mesmerizing and wondrous to them as the ocean was to her. She was lonely, and though she once embraced it for the sake of her grief, now she did not want it. She needed to get out in the sea where she belonged. She needed to feel the water around her, hoping it would wash her woes away. She needed to see Tip, and Dash, and all her undersea friends. They were probably worried about her. She would send word home when she got to Atlantica, along with an apology. She owed everyone that much at least.
She made her way down the last steps to the pavilion. Her feet slapped against the cold marble as she started walking faster. The sea was becoming rougher, waves of low tide slapping against the stone edges. She was so close. Just a bit further and she would be free.
She was so focused on getting to the water she did not notice the sound of bare feet come out from behind a column until a hand grabbed the top of the cloak and yanked it right off her.
"And here I thought you were just a brat, princess!" said an angry and familiar voice.
Melody spun around to find Lara holding the shadowsilk cloak in her hand. She had a deep scowl on her face, golden eyes narrow and peeved. Her sword was strapped across her back, the hilt poking over her right shoulder in line with the chord tied across her chest. She wore the same brown tunic and faded black pants as yesterday, the fabric heavily wrinkled. She wore no shemagh this time, leaving the bloodstone pendant around her neck in view.
"Turns out you're a thief too," Lara said as she tossed the cloak next to a column.
Melody gaped at Lara. When did she get behind her? When did she get down here? "You…how did you–?"
"Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't hear you," said Lara. "And I did see you. In your room. With my cloak."
Melody felt surprised for a moment, but it quickly turned into irritation. Of course it would not be that easy to give Lara the slip. Fate was not that kind to her anymore. "Do you ever sleep?"
"Only when my stuff's not being stolen."
"I wasn't stealing," said Melody. "Just borrowing."
"Borrowing without asking. Pretty sure that's called stealing."
Melody sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry for taking your cloak without permission. Now you've got it back. You happy now?" She turned and walked across the pavilion. Lara trotted up, following a step behind her.
"Go away, Lara," said Melody curtly.
Lara kept up with her. "So…running away from home?"
"I said go away!"
"You know I can't do that."
Melody scoffed, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Oh, so there's something the mighty Lara Anclagon can't do after all?"
Suddenly her bag was jerked off her shoulder. Melody spun around to find Lara stepping away from her, bag in hand.
"Hey! Give that back!" Melody demanded. "It's mine!"
"Just borrowing without permission," replied Lara as she started rooting through the contents. Melody lunged for her bag, but Lara quickly sidestepped her. She went stumbling past, grabbing empty air.
"Let's see what you…huh!?" Lara dodged another swipe from Melody before sticking her entire face in the bag. "There's barely anything in here! I know how to travel light, but this isn't even bare essentials!"
"I said give it back!" Melody rushed at her one more time, determined to reclaim her belongings.
Instead of dodging Lara tripped one of Melody's feet, catching her arm as she fell. Melody shrieked as she was swung around, thinking Lara would throw her into the sea. Instead she quickly but gently lowering Melody onto her back before stepping away.
"Where were you planning to go with this?" asked Lara, tossing the bag over with her cloak.
"That's none of your business!" Melody snapped as she got up, going to fetch her bag.
Lara moved in front of her, blocking her path. "It is my business since I'm the one protecting you."
Melody scowled at Lara. "That's not my problem! Now leave me alone and go bug someone else for a change!"
Now it was Lara's turn to scowl. Melody went to brush past her, but Lara got in her way and shoved her back. "Did I do something to you in a previous life?" she asked sharply, walking up and shoving her again. "Or is it just my existence that pisses you off?"
"Ow!" said Melody as she tripped and fell, scuffing her palms on the ground. "That hurt! What's your problem!?"
"My problemis you!" snapped Lara as Melody got to her feet. "You've been nothing but a sour-puss since day one! Maybe I wasn't so hot about taking this job at first, and maybe we got off to a rocky start! At least I tried to get along, which is more than I can say about you! So what is your problem?"
"All right, fine!" Melody wiped the grit off her palms. "You want the truth!?"
"Yes!" Lara gave a generously overdone bow, her words dripping with sarcasm. "If it would so pleaseher royal highness, lay it on your humble servant! It'd be a nice change of pace to get something other than a dirty look out of you!"
Melody marched up to Lara, staring straight into her eyes. For once they did not intimidate her. They just made her angry. "Fine! Here it is, bright-eyes! I don't like you! I never wanted you here in the first place! In fact, no one does, in case you haven't noticed!"
Lara's mouth twitched in annoyance, but she stayed silent and folded her arms as Melody continued. "Hiring you was my parent's idea! They chose you, and I've had to put up with you ever since! I didn't get a say at all! You got money and meals and a place to sleep out of it! All I got is a leash around my neck and the short end of the stick!"
"Gee, with that attitude I wonder why?" replied Lara.
Melody narrowed her eyes as she spoke through clenched teeth. "I never asked for your protection! I never wanted it then, and I don't want it now! So thanks for your help, but no thanks! I'll look out for myself! Go play with those kids or something! That's all you really care about!"
"Oh, so you can take care of yourself, is that it?" Lara stepped closer to Melody. "Sorry if I'm skeptical, but you deal with danger in three ways: fainting, screaming, or running away! No, wait–not running away! Running towards danger! Superb tactics! Really, just outstanding! Hey everyone, we're safe now! The princess is here to save the day! She can stop the bullets from hitting us…once!"
Melody's scowl deepened. "Shut up! Is that your twisted idea of a joke!?"
"Someone had to say it, because you clearly don't get it!" Lara jabbed a finger into Melody's forehead, causing her to step back. "Has it occurred to you that someone is trying to kill you!? And your family!?"
Melody angrily swatted Lara's finger aside and then shoved her back a step in turn. "Yes! How can I forget with you stalking me every minute of every day!?"
"Could've fooled me!" Lara shoved Melody again. "Because from what I've seen, you don't have a freakin' clue! In one day, you were almost shot by pirates, eaten by a you-know-what, and then threatened by the queen of that you-know-what! And now you're out here trying to run away from home!"
"I know what I'm doing!" shouted Melody.
"No, you don't!" Lara shouted back. "You spent your whole life in a perfect little fairy tale with every whim and need satisfied! You don't know anything!"
"That is not fair!" Melody snapped. "Or true!"
"Is it!?" Lara marched back to Melody's bag and yanked it open. "Let's review how prepared you are, shall we? Let's see…we've got shells, ten feet of rope, a compass and–oh wait, that's it! Yeah, you're set to go all right! Where's your water? Where's your food? Your flint? Your money? You don't even have a knife! What are you gonna do if you get attacked? Faint them to death? Repel them with that rotten attitude of yours? Call for the guards?"
Lara tossed the bag back at Melody, who almost dropped it. "You won't last a day out there without someone watching your back!"
"At least I won't need you where I'm going!" snapped Melody.
"And where's that? Atlantica?"
Melody's eyes widened. "How do you know about Atlantica!?"
"Your note," said Lara, nodding towards the palace. "I'm not illiterate, princess. Or dumb. I know when someone's trying to hide things from me. And I know Atlantica isn't on any maps of the western kingdoms. So where is this place?"
Melody swallowed. "It…it's a secret."
"Yeah, I can tell. I'll bet your…never mind." Lara sighed and wiped a hand down her face. "So, I take it you're dead set on going?"
"Yes," said Melody.
"And nothing anyone says is gonna stop you?" Melody said nothing, letting the silence and the look she gave Lara speak for themselves. "Fine. If that's how you want it."
Lara reached behind her back. Melody was immediately nervous. Was she serious? She was going to use violence to stop her?
Instead of a knife, however, Lara pulled out a wooden cooking spoon.
"You think you can take care of yourself?" Lara tossed the spoon at Melody's feet. "Prove it."
Melody looked at the spoon as though Lara had thrown a dead fish at her feet. "Huh?"
"I'll make you a deal," said Lara, removing her sword and knives and setting them with her cloak. "We've got fifteen, maybe twenty minutes before the rain starts. If you can get me with that spoon before then, I'll leave. I'll pack up my things and be out of the palace before noon. I'll go back to bartending and you'll never see my face again. You've got my word on it. But if you can't–or won't–I'll haul your butt back inside right now."
Melody could hardly believe what she was hearing. "You want me to hit you…with a spoon?"
"No, I want you to try to. Because I don't think you'll even touch me. In fact…" Lara folded her arms together. "I won't use my hands at all. That should give you a chance at least."
"You're crazy!" exclaimed Melody. "I'm not gonna fight you!"
"Then start walking up those stairs," said Lara. "Because I'm not letting you leave."
"That's what you think!" Melody turned and ran for the edge of the pavilion. If she could make it to the water, she would be home free.
She was barely ten feet away when Lara seized her wrists, ripping the bag out of her hands. With a heave she sent Melody rolling back over the floor. The world spun as she tumbled into the middle of the pavilion, stopping next to the spoon.
"Don't even try it!" said Lara harshly, throwing Melody's bag over with the blades. "Now either get up and go back inside, or come at me like you mean it, princess!"
The way Lara said "princess" like a curse word made Melody's temper roil. Weeks of having those golden eyes watching her every move, following her wherever she went, and now being tossed around like a rag got to her. She had enough. If Lara wanted to push her then she would push back. And Melody intended to push her right out of the palace and her life forever.
She grabbed the spoon and rushed at Lara as a distant peal of thunder sounded.
Eric and Ariel were awoken by heavy pounding on their chamber door and a guard shouting, "Your majesties! Your majesties!"
Eric hopped out of bed, quickly slipping on a shirt as Ariel rose. He opened the door to find a panting guard. The man looked as though he ran up the stairs from the bottom floor. His face was flushed bright red and drenched in sweat.
"What's going on?" asked Eric.
"It's…the princess, sire!" the guard gasped out.
Instantly Eric had hold of the guard's tabard, practically shaking him. "What's happened!? What's happened to Melody!?"
"Is she hurt?" asked Ariel, rushing over to Eric as she tied her robe on.
"It's her and Anclagon, sire!" the guard said.
Eric released him. "Lara? What's going on?"
"They're fighting!"
Ariel ran as fast as she could after Eric, bare feet almost slipping on the damp garden lawn. She shivered as the cold wind slipped through her flimsy robe and nightgown, chilling her skin as her hair billowed out behind her. Behind them followed the guard, the weight of his mail and weapons slowing him down.
She could hardly believe it was true. This had to be some enormous mistake. But already she could hear Melody's shouts from the beach. She raced off the grass to the stairway, taking them two at a time after Eric.
"What is going on here!?" shouted Eric as he came to an abrupt stop on the pavilion, almost causing her to run into him.
Ariel almost pinched herself at what she saw. Melody and Lara were in the middle of the pavilion. The princess had a wooden cooking spoon in one hand, which she was swinging at Lara for all she was worth. Lara dodged, ducked, and wove through her strikes, arms folded in front of her. A dozen guards stood around the edge, obviously wanting to help but hesitant to do so.
"Melody! Lara! What are you two doing!?" Ariel shouted. "Stop this right now!"
"Stay out of this, mom!" shouted Melody as she took a swing at Lara's face. The brunette jerked her head back, causing Melody to stumble forward with the momentum. Lara darted to the side and hooked her foot into Melody's ankle, tripping her forward. Melody catching herself on her hands, scuffing them yet again.
"What she said!" added Lara as Melody scrambled onto her feet and came at her once more. "This is between me and her!"
"I said stop!" ordered Ariel.
Lara did no such thing, her head bobbing to the side as Melody thrust for it. She stepped back and then kicked high, pushing Melody's "spoon hand" aside before planting her heel on the princess's hip and shoving her away. Melody fell back, almost hitting her head on the ground.
"Both of you stop!" shouted Ariel as she brushed past Eric. "Before one of you–!"
A strong hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her advance. She spun around to see Eric's eyes fixed on their daughter and her guardian.
"Eric?" Ariel brushed his hand off. "What are you doing!? Tell them to stop!"
"I don't think yelling will make them stop," said Eric. "And…I'm not sure they should."
Ariel's eyes widened. "What!? Eric, you can't be serious!"
"I had a feeling this might happen," said Eric as Lara ducked a swing from Melody and then used her head to shove her back. "I think it's better to let them get it out of their systems. They're not going to listen to us."
"But someone's gonna get hurt!" Ariel exclaimed.
"Look again," said Eric, nodding towards them.
Ariel turned back, watching as Lara evaded another of Melody's wild swings. Melody looked exhausted. Sweat was dripping off her face as she chased after Lara, chopping and slashing like she was wielding a knife. She was panting hard, mouth agape as she staggered after Lara. Her motions were becoming sluggish as she burned up the fuel from whatever emotion was driving her. Her elbows and knees were dirty from where she had fallen, but she appeared otherwise unharmed saved the scuffs on her palms.
Lara, on the other hand, had barely broken a sweat. She dodged all of Melody's attacks with ease, arms remaining folded. The spoon never got anywhere near her, and when it did, she was quick to get out of its range. She looked like she was dancing she was so light on her feet. Whenever she tripped up Melody it was with care, not striking as fast as Ariel knew she could. She was deliberately being gentle with her. She was holding back.
"I don't think Melody could hurt Lara if she wanted to," said Eric. "And looks like Lara doesn't plan to put so much as a bruise on her."
Ariel's hands wrung her robe. "It's not bruises I'm worried about."
Melody was getting desperate. She was not sure how much longer she could keep up her frantic pace. It felt like hours had passed, but she knew it had been minutes. That, and she was running out of time. Her arms felt heavy and slow, burning with exertion. Her steps had become hard and jarring, slapping loudly on the stones. She was breathing as deep and fast as she could, but her body told her it was not deep or fast enough. Her throat was dry and scratchy. Sweat rolled into her eyes, making them sting as she chopped at Lara's head.
"Yeah, you can take care of yourself all right!" said Lara as she ducked under the strike. "I almost felt the wind on that one!"
"Just shut up!" shouted Melody, swinging back at her. Lara sidestepped and swept her leg around, catching Melody in her heel. She tripped backwards, landing hard on her rear.
She glanced out at the ocean. The rain was almost on them. She could see the first drops on the ocean, casting ripples over the rolling swells. Then it hit all at once. It plinked on the pavilion roof in the start of a downpour as the storm unleashed its first deluge. The pale sands of the beach darkened as it soaked up the rain.
"Time's up," said Lara as she unfolded her arms.
Melody did not care. She bolted to her feet and charged. This was not about getting to Atlantica anymore. This was about her and Lara. She could take care of herself. She was not some weak little girl who needed walls or a guard dog with a sword to watch over her. She neither needed nor wanted a protector, and she was going to prove it. She hated how those golden eyes looked down on her, not just with arrogance but concern and pity. Concern she was going to put herself in danger. Pity that she was incapable of getting out of said danger. It just made Melody angrier. She wanted to take those looks, those sentiments, and those words, and throw them all back in Lara's face.
She swung wide at Lara, not with a spoon but a fist this time. Lara's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She twisted, causing Melody to cry out at the torsion on her joints. She collapsed to her knees with the pressure, afraid Lara would snap her whole arm off if she did not. Lara spun her around and seized her neck with her other hand, pushing Melody back first into the floor. She pulled the spoon from her hand before pressing it firmly against her throat, a knee on Melody's sternum to keep her pinned. Melody lay gasping, staring up into her eyes.
"If I was an enemy this could be a knife," said Lara as she pointed the spoon At Melody's face. "And you'd be dead right now."
Lara released her and stood up, tossing the spoon at a nearby guard. The man fumbled for it, dropping it to the ground. Melody propped herself upright, gasping for air as she wiped her brow.
Lara offered a hand to her. "I'm–."
"Get away from me!" shouted Melody, swatting her hand away as she stood. Tears started leaking out her eyes, not of sorrow but anger, hurt, and frustration. Lara backed a step, as though her emotions were a tangible force acting upon her. "I hate you! Do you hear me!? I hate you! I wish you never existed!"
Lara's eyes widened. She almost looked shocked if not hurt. Then her expression changed to grudging cold acceptance, her eyes becoming hard and stoic.
"Get in line," Lara said, walking to her things. She grabbed her cloak, balling it up and shoving it under one arm before picking up her sword. "I don't care what you think about me. It's my job to protect you. Doesn't mean I have to care about you to do it. But there's people here that do care about you. So next time you want to run off, think about everyone who loves you first instead of yourself."
Melody spat at Lara. "What would you know about being loved!?"
Lara froze. Her hand tightened around her sword as her hair immediately bristled. "What…did you say?"
Ariel recognized the shift in the air. It was just like in the ballroom with Alana. Except this felt far, far worse. And Melody looked ready to ignite the fuse on this emotional powder keg just to see it explode.
"Melody…!" Ariel stepped past Eric.
Melody clenched her hands tight as she shouted, "Nobody could love a freak like you!"
The words seemed to echo in the pavilion and out into the storm, drowning out the rain and waves. Ariel gasped as Eric stiffened visibly. Even the guards flinched at her yell. A distant peal of thunder sounded as Lara dropped her sword and cloak, her eyes widening as her hair bristled in earnest.
Melody knew she made a mistake the moment the words left her lips. Guilt welled up inside her, mixing with her anger in a turbulent reprehensible brew. It was the anger in her that said it, not her. Something separate and violent had taken hold, using her voice for its own ugly desires.
The next thing Melody knew, something hit her face so hard she momentarily blacked out. Everything went dark, and then she woke up to feel the back of her head strike the pavilion floor, sending pain flashing through her skull. The left side of her face was throbbing, as though all the blood had been forced out and was now rushing back in. She tasted blood in her mouth. Her vision was blurred. Someone was standing over her, and then they sat on her. They grabbed the front of her camisole and hauled her up.
"Take it back!"
At once everything became clear. Lara was sitting astride Melody's hips. Her hair was bristling mad as she lifted Melody by the front of her camisole, the chain to her necklace caught in her fist. Her face was twisted with bestial rage, eyes luminous and glaring as she snarled. She looked like a savage monster, all wrath and violence and–.
Something wet and warm fell on Melody's cheek. Rain? Was there a leak in the roof?
No. It was not rain. It was tears.
Lara was crying. Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping from her lashes onto Melody's skin. Her face was still contorted with immense anger, but her eyes were not. They looked sad, lonely, and hurt. So very, very hurt.
"Take it back, you bitch!" Lara screamed, shaking Melody like a rag doll. The chain to her locket snapped after a violent jerk. "You don't say that to me! You don't ever say that to me! Take it back or I'll kill you!"
Lara drew her arm back before backhanding Melody across the face. This time Melody did feel it. She had never been hit before, so she was not sure what to expect. It felt like an enormous numbing force suddenly struck her right cheek, making her thoughts blip out of existence momentarily. It did not hurt as much as she thought it would, the shock to her brain dulling the pain.
"I said take it back!" Lara yelled, drawing her fist back again.
"Lara!" shouted Eric. "Stop right now!"
One of the guards ran in and grabbed Lara's wrist. She snarled and flung him away as though he were a toy, the man sailing across the pavilion and onto the beach. Melody saw the guards running towards them, all drawing their swords.
"Stay out of this!" Lara barked. Her eyes lit up, and a heavy wind blasted off her like a shockwave. Melody's ears rang from it. The guards found themselves thrown backwards or pushed off the pavilion by the force.
Ariel was thrown into Eric by the sudden gust, knocking him down. He yelled at the pain it caused his ribs, but he did spare Ariel any bruises. She quickly got up and saw Lara draw her hand back to punch Melody again. And she did not look like she intended to hold back. If Lara hit her with that, she would do far worse than bruises.
"Lara, no!" Ariel rushed in and grabbed Lara's arm. "Don't! Please!"
Lara spun on Ariel, growling like an animal at her. She was breathing hard and fast through clenched teeth. Her eyes really did seem to be glowing. Her skin was hot to the touch, as though her anger was stoking a real fire in her veins.
"Please!" begged Ariel, trying to restrain Lara's arm. "Don't do it, Lara! This isn't you!"
Her words did something to Lara. Her eyes widened, as though she had woken up from a dream. Her hair quickly settled as her eyes lost their glow. Ariel saw her muscles unclench as she lowered Melody to the floor, her breathing slowing. She looked around, seeing the guards had disappeared and Eric groaning as he stood. Then she shoved Ariel away and turned back to Melody, glaring spitefully at her. She leaned in close to her face. Melody could feel heat radiating off her.
"We. Are. Done," Lara hissed, her words as sharp and venomous as poisoned daggers. "You want me gone so bad? You got your wish. You're on your own." She got off Melody, brushing Ariel aside as she walked to her sword, slipping it across her back before putting on her cloak. "Run off and get yourself killed if that's what you want. Go see your dead prince on the other side. I can't imagine what he saw in you. Can't imagine what anyone sees."
Lara wiped the tears off her face. She started towards the edge of the pavilion then stopped, looking spitefully back at Melody. "He shouldn't have wasted his life on you."
Her words hurt Melody like a knife to her chest. A stabbing pain right in her most precious spot, Lara twisting the blade just to make the pain worse. She said it with the intent to hurt, and she accomplished it in full.
Lara hopped off the edge of the pavilion, walking down the beach in the building rain. Then she started jogging. Then she was running. Then she was sprinting as fast as she could along the shore.
"Lara, wait!" shouted Ariel, but she was already far away. She rounded a corner in the shoreline and disappeared, the only traces her footprints in the sand.
Melody pushed herself upright, rubbing her swollen cheeks. Her necklace slid off, clattering to the floor. She picked it up, noticing the broken chain. She felt something trickle out the side of her mouth and wiped it off, smearing the back of her hand with red.
"Melody?"
She looked up to see her father standing over her, offering a hand up. But she saw more than just concern in his eyes. There was something that only added to how wretchedly terrible she felt. She saw disappointment as well. It made her feel dirty and small, as though she was a wad of filth in a clean world. Everyone was spotless except her. She wanted to disappear forever, to become small and shrink out of existence. Since she could do none of those things, she grabbed her necklace and ran. The guards parted as she rushed past, running back to her room as fast as she could.
The deluge started in earnest, announced by a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder.
"Melody, wait!" called Eric, but she was already up the stairs. He watched as she ascended and disappeared over the top.
He ran a hand through his hair. This had been a terrible mistake. He should have listened to Ariel. He should have stopped them when they had a chance. Now they had an even bigger mess on their hands, and he was not sure how to fix this one. He was not even sure it could be fixed, much less cleaned up.
"Sire, should we arrest Anclagon?" asked a guard. "For assaulting the princess, I mean?"
"If you can catch her," said Eric, nodding after Lara. "Do you think you can?"
The guard paused, and then shook his head. "In all honesty, sire…no. Not even with all of us."
Eric sighed, dragging a hand over his face. "Get my horse and two escorts ready. I'll go after her."
"No," said Ariel. "You take care of Melody. I'll take Tempest and go after Lara myself."
"Tempest!?" exclaimed the guard. "My queen, you can't be serious!"
"Ariel, no!" protested Eric. "It's too dangerous! There's a storm coming in and Lara is–!"
"I'm going and that's that!" said Ariel definitively. "I know these shores just as well as you! Lara might be more willing to come back if it's me! And you're in no condition to ride!"
"But the storm is coming in!" said Eric. "You know how dangerous the shoreline gets!"
Ariel pulled out a silver chain from around her neck, the jade ring threaded onto it. "I'll be careful. If I end up in the water, I can slip this on and swim back. But Lara doesn't have one of these, and she doesn't know what these storms are like. I have to go, Eric. You know I do."
Eric started to protest, but he knew that look in his wife's eyes. He was not going to win this argument no matter how he protested or pleaded. And Ariel was right. If Lara ended up in the water somehow, he would be little help compared to a mermaid. He could not even ride a horse properly. Not with his ribs still healing. And she did seem to have a way with Lara. As though her words could reach her when all others failed to. If anyone could bring Lara back, it was her.
"All right," he relented. "But please be careful!"
Ariel leaned up and kissed him. "I know. Just take care of Melody. I'll bring Lara back." She motioned for a guard to follow and ran back up to the palace, the rain soaking through her robe in seconds.
A bolt of lightning flashed out in the sea, the crack of thunder vibrating the pavilion as the wind picked up.
Lara ran.
She did not care where she ran to. She did not care how far or long she ran for. She did not care that the storm was getting worse. She did not care that she was far closer to the surf than she should be. She just wanted to run till she could run no more. She wanted to run till her body failed.
Maybe then the pain in her heart would go away.
She thought she was getting better. She thought she was finally putting the past and its demons behind her and letting the scars heal over. She thought she was done crying and lashing out and clinging to empty hopes, only to have them broken again and again. But Melody's words opened up old wounds, and after so long they bled with a vengeance. She wished she could trade it for a broken bone, or a stab wound, or a strike from one of those lightning bolts. Why did it have to be wounds that never bled that hurt the worst?
Lightning cracked nearby, the sound blocking out the roar of the ocean and rain for a moment. Lara hated it. She hated how loud and bright it was. She hated the ocean and dark sky. She hated the rain and wind. She hated the forests and farms and town and palace. She hated how friendly the people were, how easily they welcomed her like one of their own. She hated how happy they all were, and how much they cared. She hated how kind Ariel was and how noble Eric was. She hated how her sisters had their little quirks that made each of them equally endearing. She hated how their children loved her stories as much as the orphans did. She hated this kingdom. She hated the world. She hated it all.
It was all so unfair.
The tears distorted Lara's vision and she misjudged how far a rock was sticking out of the beach. She caught her foot on it and tripped, skidding face first through the wet sand. She did not get up. She just lay there, feeling the wet grit press on her face as the rain pelted her. She clenched her hands tight, feeling the coarse sand dig into her palms.
No, she did not hate this place. That was a lie and she knew it. Nor did she hate its people. How could she ever hate them? It was the first real home she had in years. The first place she had been welcomed, able to make friends, and have some semblance of a normal life. The first place she had known peace in. The first place she might be able to stay in.
But it was not her home. Her home was somewhere she could never get back to. And she hated that this place reminded her of that.
She did not want to be here. She wanted to close her eyes and wake up in her bed. She wanted the last five years to be nothing but a bad dream. She wanted her room. She wanted to smell her mother's cooking. She wanted to hear her father's rumbling snores as he slept. She wanted her forests and mountains and rivers. She wanted her winters, springs, summers, and falls with them. She wanted her parents back. She wanted to go home.
She pushed herself upright, kneeling in the sand. She tilted her head back and screamed as loud as she possibly could, venting all the pain and sorrow and anger she felt into her tears and voice.
"Why!? Why me!? What did I ever do to deserve this!? Why do I keep going through this misery again and again! Why do I keep losing everyone I ever cared about! What did I do to deserve any of it!? Come on! Someone answer me, damn it! Tell me why!?"
If there were gods to hear Lara, they gave no answer except a crack and rattle of lightning. She screamed again and again until she broke down sobbing, her tears mixing with the rain as it soaked her through.
"Please…just make it stop," she begged, beating her fists weakly against the sand. "Just make it all stop."
It did not stop. Not the rain or the wind. Not the hurt in her heart. Not the yearning for a home and people she could never have back. She curled over, resting her forehead in the sand. She wanted to stay there and let the rain wash her away. She wanted to turn into sea foam and disappear. She was so tired.
Lara walked into the kitchen, clutching her cloth doll. "Mom?"
Her mother stopped humming as she stirred the bubbling pot. Lara's stomach growled at the delicious smell, eagerly anticipating the meal to come.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Mom, why do you sing so much?" Lara asked.
Her mother smiled that warm loving smile only mothers could. "Because it makes me happy."
"But what about when you're sad?" asked Lara.
"Then I sing anyway. And I keep singing until I'm not sad anymore."
"So…" Lara walked over to her, taking hold of her skirt in one tiny hand. "Are you sad now?"
Her mother quickly set her spoon aside, kneeling down to Lara's height. "No! Oh, heaven's no, Lara! I'm not sad!"
"Then why were you crying?"
"That was the onions, sweetie! I'm not sad!" She reached behind Lara's head, pulling her close so their foreheads touched. "I could never be sad with you in my life!"
Her mother picked Lara up and then held her against her hip with one arm, using her other to resume stirring the pot. "Come on, we can sing while dinner finishes! Ready?"
Lara nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh!"
Her mother smiled, then leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek. "All right. You start first!" She began humming, giving Lara a tune to follow.
Lara straightened up, wiping the tears and sand off her face. Shakily she got to her feet, her sobs quieting as she breathed in and out. With each breath it calmed down, becoming more even.
"It's worth a try." She sniffed loudly, brushing a bit of grit out of her eye as she looked to the sky. "Right, mom?"
A distant thunder rolled through the air, as though answering her. Lara closed her eyes. It had been a long time since she did this, but she remembered how. It was like walking to her. Even if she had not used it for months, she knew she could never lose what her mother had taught her. A way to put her emotions into words no matter what she felt inside. Even if it was storming anguish that reflected the growing tempest around her.
She could never forget how to sing.
A/N: "Mess of Me" by Citizen Soldier
"Stay on the inside
Don't let your secret out
Reveal the landslide
That's always pouring
Down, down like the rain
Can't you see me drownin'?
Drifting away"
She started walking again as lightning flashed off in the distance. There was no need to run. All she had to do was put one foot in front of the other and she would move forward. That was all walking she could do that, she could keep going. She walked on the surf line, allowing the waves to come up and lap her feet. The cold water soaked the hems of her pants, but she paid it no heed. She kept her focus on the words. The wind grabbed her cloak and hair, lifting them.
"They'll never understand
Why I disappear
The voices that I hear
Calling me into the darkness"
A wave crashed into a rock out in the surf, sending spray flying towards her. The droplets peppered her face, the smell of salt mixing with the rain.
"I'll breathe in, I'll breathe out
So sick of holding it down
Where no one sees
This mess of me
It's okay, I'm alright
Even though I'm dyin' inside
I'm never free
Of this mess of me"
She started walking faster, building momentum as her singing followed suit. Her voice was clear and strong now, carrying out over the din of the storm. Lightning flashed, their cracking sound protesting her efforts to be heard over them. So, she sung louder.
"A test for demons
Conceal this double life
No rhyme or reason
For the war behind these eyes"
Lara clambered onto a large rock, leaping from it to another one. She landed firm and leapt again, relishing the feeling as she soared through the air weightless and free. She kept going, bounding from rock to rock as she kept singing and chasing that sensation.
"Don't get too close
Do you see what I see?
Haunting like a ghost
I'm never free"
Amidst her singing and jumping, Lara did not notice how far she was going into the water.
"Come on, Tempest! Faster!"
The black stallion responded to Ariel by running even faster through the storm, hooves pounding over the ground. The queen and stallion were soaked to the bone, both having to squint against the pelting rain. Already the wind had claimed Ariel's cloak, carrying it off to who knew where. The wind lashed her hair against her face, the ends stinging her cheeks.
Ariel had seen bad storms before, but rarely ones that built with such speed. Barely half an hour had passed since it made land and the wind was almost worthy of a hurricane. The trees were leaning over, the rain peppering her face as they raced along the shoreline. Waves were crashing onto the beach like hammers, rising taller by the minute before smashing onto the sand. Already they were far taller than Ariel. The rocks in the surf would appear momentarily before the swells swallowed them, whitecaps abounding everywhere.
Ariel grit her teeth as a gust blew rain into her face. She should have turned back by now, but she refused to give up. Not until she found Lara and brought her home. She would not leave her alone in this.
"Lara!" she shouted. "Lara, where are you!? Lara!"
Lightning flashed nearby and struck a tree, sending sparks showering into the storm. The deafening crack making Tempest skid to a halt. He reared in fright, almost throwing Ariel off.
"Whoa! Easy!" she said, trying to soothe him with her words. The horse settled down, hooves still fidgeting anxiously. She ran a hand along his wet neck. "Shhh! It's all right! It's just noise! It's all right!"
She looked along the beach, hoping to spot a black clad figure running down the sands, or at least a trail of footprints. She knew it was a futile hope. The storm would wash away Lara's tracks in minutes, and with that shadowsilk on she may not even be visible.
"Come on, Lara," she thought out loud. "Where did you go?"
Tempest's ears suddenly perked forward. He snorted, reaching around and biting at her dress.
"Hey! What's gotten into you?" said Ariel. Tempest gestured his muzzle down the beach, stomping his feet impatiently. "What, you think she's there?"
The stallion threw his head as though nodding, whinnying loudly. His ears swiveled back around, clearly focused on something in that direction.
Ariel clicked him into a trot down a wash towards the beach, listening for anything over the howling wind and thunder. How Tempest could hear something she did not know, because she could barely hear anything. But then she did hear something, just for a moment. A faint voice underneath the storm. Lara's voice.
She was…singing?
Tempest neighed loudly, throwing his head about as he pranced.
"I hear her! I hear her!" exclaimed Ariel excitedly, snapping the reins. "Go! Follow that song!"
Tempest needed only her words. He took off along the beach, Ariel giving him full control of their flight as they sped off into the storm.
"I'll breathe in, I'll breathe out
So sick of holding it down
Where no one sees
This mess of me
It's okay, I'm alright
Even though I'm dyin' inside
I'm never free
Of this mess of me"
Lara stopped her leaping, having no more rocks to jump to. She was on top of a tall wide spire, the pinnacle worn flat and smooth by untold years of waves and wind. The waves crashed against it a good twenty feet below her. Shore was more than a hundred yards had not even noticed.
"My charade, my grenade
I will lie for you
I will follow you until the end
I'm ashamed, I'm afraid
If they knew the truth of my abuse
What would they do?
What would they do?"
Maybe it was the singing, or maybe it was just that she liked being up here, but for some reason the churning ocean below did not scare her for once. She just wanted to be here, feeling the wind and rain with her whole being as she sang.
"My charade, my grenade
If they knew the truth of my abuse"
The wind picked up, as though trying to drown her out for good. She would not be silenced. She would not stop, not until she was through. She had to keep singing. If she stopped now she would admit defeat. That she could not withstand everything that life had thrown at her. That this would be where she finally broke. So she kept going, singing with as much volume as she could.
"I'll breathe in, I'll breathe out
So sick of holding it down
Where no one sees
This mess of me
It's okay, I'm alright
Even though I'm dyin' inside
I'm never free
Oh, of this mess of me
I'm never free
Of this mess of me"
Lara sat down, letting the song fade to its close. The storm raged on as she brought her knees in, curling up tight and folding the cloak around her. She had no intention of leaving till the storm was gone. She would just stay here till then, watching the lightning and listening to the thunder. She did not want to think about anything else. Not Melody, or her parents, or memories, or where she would go next. There would be time for that later.
A large wave crashed against the spire, the water surging up its side. It fell far short, unable to reach her.
Tempest had been running just over a minute when he dug his hooves into the sand, causing Ariel to pitch forward onto his neck. He turned towards the surf, neighing excitedly. Or was that panic?
Ariel could see why, and it terrified her. Lara was sitting atop a high rock far out in the surf, black cloak pulled tight around her. The waves crashed almost twenty feet below, shooting spray up at her but not reaching.
"What is she doing!?" exclaimed Ariel. "Does she have any idea how dangerous that is!?"
She dismounted Tempest, running towards the water. A wave came crashing in, blasting her with spray. She came to a halt, staying back from the now raging surf.
"Lara!" she shouted, cupping her hands to her mouth. "Lara!"
Lara heard it faintly. She listened again, hearing her name called as it tried to make its way through the rain.
"L…ra! La…a!"
She turned to face the shore. Immediately she picked out the long red hair flapping in the wind, the figure's hands cupped as she shouted her name against the storm.
"Ariel?" she whispered as she stood up.
"You have to get off there!" called Ariel. "It's dangerous!"
She saw Lara turn her head towards shore. She stood up, shielding her eyes against the rain. Ariel's heart missed two beats. "No! Lara, don't! The rocks are slippery! If the wind gets you–!"
On cue a vicious gust ripped through the air, forcing Ariel to shield her eyes.
It took Lara by surprise how fast and powerful the wind hit her. She stepped back, trying to brace against the gale.
It was the wrong step she needed to fall into serious trouble. Her foot slipped on a patch of algae and she fell onto her back. Immediately the wind grabbed her and pushed her towards the edge, pulling on her cloak like many greedy hands.
"Oh crap!" Lara clawed at the rock, but her fingernails found no purchase on the wave beaten stone. Her cloak came free, ripped away and carried off towards shore. She slid to the edge, hanging off with fingers barely grasping the lip. Below her the waves smashed into the spire, dousing her with water. The rain and spray made her fingers begin to slip.
She looked down. The waves were crashing against the rock with terrible force, water rising like wolves lunging up from a pit at her dangling feet. If she fell in…
Another wave smashed into the spire, larger than any previous. It shot up the rock face and snagged her legs, ripping her free.
Her last thought as she plunged into the cold water was that she was a dead woman.
Ariel's heart leapt into her throat when she saw the wave take Lara.
"No!" She ran to the water, only to retreat when a large wave crashed down. If she had tried to go through it, she would have been pulverized. "Lara! Lara!"
A brunette head popped out of the water, doused under moments later.
"Swim!" shouted Ariel. "You have to swim!"
Lara appeared again, arms flailing wildly as she struggled to stay afloat in the swells. She tried to keep her head above the water, only to sink under again before another wave crashed on the rocks.
Suddenly Ariel realized what was happening. She had seen those sorts of motions before. On the night when Eric's ship sank, many of the sailors flailed about just as Lara was doing before they were pulled out of the water. It only meant one thing.
Lara did not know how not swim. She was drowning.
The brunette surfaced again, only to have a wave come down on top of her. She plunged into the deep before bobbing back up, the swell pushing her against the rock. She clawed wildly at it, trying to find any little purchase she could.
"Lara, hold on! I'm coming!" Ariel ran for the water and dove in, timing it between the deadly waves. She swam as hard and fast as she could, never taking her eyes off Lara. She moved her arms and legs furiously, but the dress slowed her down. The sea refused her advance, the powerful waves holding her back as she went. It was difficult just to go straight.
A wave pushed Lara up to the spire. She clung to it, managing to find a momentary hold before another wave pulled her off. It spun her around and then slammed her into the rock. Her head whipped back hard and she went limp, no longer struggling as she sank below the surface.
Cold terror gripped Ariel. She was still so far away. Lara would drown before she even got close.
She took a breath and dove under the waves, reaching for the chain around her neck. She knew they were supposed to keep the merfolk a secret. That they all promised not to tell Lara about Atlantica or Ariel's past or who Morgana and Ursula really were until they all felt she could be trusted beyond a shadow of a doubt. Revealing the merfolk's existence to Lara before then was too risky.
But Ariel would never forgive herself if she let Lara drown for it.
She jerked hard, snapping the chain and jamming the ring on her finger. Instantly the jade became golden light, sparks floating around her as the spell began the transformation. Her clothes were taken by the magic as her legs fused together, skin becoming scales as her lungs took in the water as easily as air. The water went from frigid to tepid cool on her skin. In seconds she was a full mermaid again, fully at home in the turbulent water.
Wasting no time, Ariel kicked her fins and shot towards the spire. She cut through the water faster than she ever could have with legs, leaving a trail of bubbles behind her. The spire's base appeared in the churning sea, rising up from the bottom. Ariel had forgotten how quickly the land fell away from the shore in these waters.
There was Lara sinking towards the murky deep. Her eyes were half lidded as she fell headfirst, bubbles streaming out her mouth and hair waving about. Her sword slipped out of its scabbard, sinking past her to the dim as the bubbles stopped.
"Lara!" Ariel stretched her arms out, diving hard and fast. "Hold on!"
Lara always thought drowning would be a terrible experience. The water scathing your lungs as it filled them. Feeling your life ebb away as your body was starved of air. The last thing she would have felt was the fear and panic as Death took her, her mind slowly dying as it used up her oxygen.
But she felt oddly calm. The fear was not as bad as she thought it would be. She could feel her thoughts slipping away one after the other, but it did not cause her panic. Her lungs were burning, pleading and begging for air. But it was a distant pain, like someone shouting to her from far away. She was just going to close her eyes and drift off to sleep. She would wake up tomorrow back at home. Or never again. Either way, everything would be fine.
"Lara!"
She frowned. Who was calling her? Could they not see she was trying to drown here?
"Lara!"
A pair of hands grabbed her arm. Her fingers brushed over soft skin as her eyes fluttered open. Someone was holding her. A woman. A fish. A fish-woman. Was that even possible?
"Lara!"
Her eyes opened more. For some reason this fish-woman looks exactly like Ariel. She had a jade green tail in the place of legs, her upper half naked save a purple brassiere made of seashells. And there was that unique red hair waving about in the water.
"Hold on!" The fish-woman's tail kicked back and forth as she pulled hard on her arm. Lara felt herself being lifted towards the surface. "I'll save you!"
Lara felt confused. Why was she trying to save her? What did she have to keep living for? She was already well on her way to dying. Why not let her finish the journey?
"I know you're scared…I know…you will hurt…when I'm gone…but please…promise me…one thing."
"Anything!" said Lara. "I'll do anything you ask!"
She smiled weakly, blood leaking out her mouth as she reached up to cup Lara's face. "Promise me, Lara. Promise me…you'll keep…on…living…"
Ariel felt Lara's fingers wrapped around her wrist just before the girl blacked out. At least some part of her was still conscious. She jerked her up and hooked an arm around her, swimming as fast as she could for the shore. Lara was heavy for her size.
Under the waves the currents were just as savage, but Ariel plowed through them without a thought. The sea was her territory, and it would not deter her in this form. The bottom rapidly angled up towards her, the water becoming shallower with each stroke of her fins.
A swell made its way for land overhead. Ariel angled up to get in front of it, letting its momentum carry them forward. She stayed in the watery maw as it rolled onto the beach, taking them with it. She held tight to Lara as it broke on the shore, tumbling them in the frothing water. She kept holding on until she felt sand on her skin and scales. The water retreated back into the surf, leaving them beached.
Ariel looked back at the ocean. They were high enough for now, but she had to get Lara awake. She quickly rolled the girl onto her back. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed. Her skin felt cold as the water. She pressed an ear to her chest. She heard no breathing, and her heartbeat was faint.
"Come on, Lara! Wake up! Please wake up!" she pleaded, shaking her face between her hands. She slapped her cheeks a few times, but Lara remained motionless. She put her ear back to her chest. Her heartbeat was getting slower and weaker.
"No!" She grabbed Lara's shoulders and shook her, then started pounding on her chest as hard as she could. "No, no, no! Come on, wake up! You've got to wake up!"
Lara remained unresponsive, eyes closed and face adopting a bluish hue. Ariel was getting desperate as she pushed on Lara's chest. "Lara! Please wake up! Please! Don't give up! Come back! You have to wake up!"
Lara remained motionless. The blue hue was rapidly becoming prominent. Ariel listened to her heart one last time. It was winding down to a stop, the beats barely audible.
"Wake…!" Ariel raised both fists over her head and slammed them as hard as she could into Lara's gut. "Up!"
It worked. Immediately Lara's eyes snapped open as she doubled over coughing and sputtering. Seawater poured out her mouth as her lungs emptied.
Relief flooded through Ariel like she had never known. "Lara! Thank goodness! I thought I was about to lose you!" She pushed her onto her side, letting her continue to hack and heave the ocean out of her.
Suddenly Tempest came charging towards them, snorting and neighing loudly. Lara's cloak was clutched in his mouth. He dropped it and bit at Lara's top and pulled, dragging her a few inches before the fabric ripped. He spat out the piece and tried again with the same result.
"Tempest! What's wrong?" asked Ariel.
The horse threw his head towards the ocean, dark eyes wide and fearful. When Ariel looked, she saw he had good reason to be.
A giant rogue wave was coming, a freakish anomaly caused by the storm. It was already taller than the rock Lara had fallen from, racing towards them with incredible speed. It loomed high, advancing like a wall of water.
Ariel felt terror grip her yet again. The odds of surviving that thing head on were slim to none, mermaid or human. It was more like an aquatic avalanche than a wave. The sheer volume of water coming down would be like a cartload of rocks, enough to crush in the decking of a ship. She needed her legs back. She fumbled for her ring but found nothing around her finger. Of course it was not there! She was drenched from head to toe in seawater, and the waves kept lapping over her fins! The spell thought she was still in the ocean!
"Lara, you have to get up!" Ariel said, urgency thick in her voice. "We need to get out of here!"
The wave reached the first rocks, engulfing them without slowing down.
Lara pushed herself onto one arm, coughing up more of the water. "Ari…*cough cough* Ariel? What're you *cough* doing here?"
"Get up!" exclaimed Ariel. "We have to go! A wave's coming!"
"What *cough* wave?"
Ariel pointed to the ocean. "That wave!"
The rogue wave swallowed up the spire Lara fell from with a roar like an explosion without slowing. The water drew back from the beach, its volume being consumed by the wave's fury.
Any hope Ariel had of escaping was drowned out by despair. It was too late now. The wave would be on them in seconds. There was no way they could make it in time. She clenched her eyes shut, shielding her head and tucking her fins in as she braced for the worst. Tempest whinnied in fright, not understanding why they would not run but unwilling to leave his first and now second preferred riders to their fates.
A piercing sharp whistle cut through the storm. Ariel opened her eyes. Lara was on her knees in front of her, facing the ocean with one hand reaching to the sea. Her wet hair waved in the wind, flinging droplets behind her. Ariel propped herself up on one arm. "Lara, what are you–!? Just run! Go! Get out of here!"
Then the impossible happened.
The sword came flying out of the wave. It sailed straight for Lara, landing hilt first in her outstretched hand. An audible metal hum filled the air, as though the blade had been struck with a tuning fork.
"We're not *cough* dying here!" Lara pointed the sword down, both hands taking hold of the hilt as she raised it. "Claymore…!"
Instantly the blade glowed furnace red and then orange, the rain hissing as it struck the searing hot metal. Flames burst off it, throwing out a heat that blew away the storm's chill.
The wave was on top of them, its crest already collapsing under its weight.
"Shield!" shouted Lara, stabbing her sword all the way into the sand.
Instantly a circle of flames shot up around the trio, encasing mermaid, mage, and stallion in a dome of fire as the wave crashed down. The sea roared and churned around them, pounding against the fire with savage force. A wall of steam blew outward as the water boiled against the searing shield, unable to breakthrough. Lara grit her teeth, grunting as she held tight to the sword. It was vibrating hard, as though trying to escape from her grip. The charm around her neck shed its disguise, revealing the fire inside licking at its glass prison. The tattoos on her arms and the piercings in her face glowed orange, her hair waving wildly behind her as her arms strained.
The seconds dragged themselves out agonizingly as the water continued to bombard their fiery shield. Then the wave receded, drawing its wrath back into the ocean. Only when the water was gone completely did Lara extract her sword, the dome shrinking down until the rain put it out. Her tattoos and piercings arm cooled to black as her sword did the same, the glow from her pendant dimming. She fell back in the sand, panting heavily as she closed her eyes.
Ariel was stunned silent. What just happened? She should be dead if not horribly mangled. They all should be. There was no way they could have emerged from that unscathed. Yet here they were, alive and unharmed, surrounded by a ring of glassed sand.
They were alive because Lara made a shield around them. She called her sword out of the ocean, made it catch fire, and then used it to form a dome of flames that held back the water.
Lara could use magic.
Lara was a mage.
Suddenly Lara rolled over in the sand, chest heaving violently. She coughed heavily and then retched, throwing up more water as her body tried to eject every iota of it from her.
"Lara!" Ariel dragged herself over, placing a hand on Lara's back as she emptied herself of the sea. "Are you all right?"
Lara nodded, coughing again and belching before answering. "I'm *cough * I'm okay. Just *burp* waterlogged. You?"
"Fine, thanks to you," said Ariel.
"Good *cough*." Lara straightened up, wiping her mouth off on her arm for the rain to wash away. She turned to face Ariel properly. She could see Lara's eyes running over her form from head to tail, trying to make sure she was really seeing this. They went back and forth twice before they met her face. "You're a…what are you?"
Ariel swallowed. "Lara, I…I'm a mermaid."
Lara stared at her. Then she shook her head and coughed, then slowly got to her feet before she could answer.
"I'm sorry!" said Ariel urgently as Lara staggered over to her cloak, the fabric caught under Tempest's foot. "I thought about telling you so many times! I wanted to but…I promised I wouldn't say anything! We all did! We weren't trying to trick you!"
Lara said nothing. She reached down and grabbed her cloak as Tempest stepped off, giving it a sharp flap to knock off the sand. Then she spread it out and turned back to Ariel. She suddenly felt very nervous as Lara approached silently, holding the cloak almost like a net. Why was she not speaking?
"L-Lara?" asked Ariel, now pushing herself backwards. "What are you going to do?"
Lara swung the cloak at her. Ariel shut her eyes, expecting to feel it surround her like a bag. Instead she felt Lara place it around her shoulders, tucking her red hair back before pulling the hood up.
"I'm gonna get you off this beach before another one of those comes along," Lara said as she fitted the clasp, working the cloak around Ariel's fins despite the tips sticking out. "We'll wait out the worst of this in the forest. And while we're doing that you *cough* can tell me about…" She nodded towards Ariel's tail. "If you want, I mean."
"You're–whoa!" Lara hooked her arms under Ariel and picked her up. She did it so easily, as though she weighed nothing. "You're not angry?"
"Hard to be *cough* angry with someone who just saved me from drowning." She clicked her tongue for Tempest to follow. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's been keeping secrets. I'm guessing you've got your reasons, too. But…" Lara paused to cough again. "At least I figured something out."
"What?" asked Ariel.
Lara gave her a lopsided grin. "What a mermaid is."
The sorceress, the mermaid, and the stallion headed away from the ocean, seeking the safety of the forest. The wind continued to howl amidst the rain, the worst of the storm beginning to make land.
A/N: The storm struck land with ferocity and violence. It now begins to leave with revelation. Lara and Ariel give up their secrets for the sake of saving a life. There is much to tell and much to reconcile. Things have been said that should not have, and old hurts brought into the light again. But with everything laid bare, perhaps now there is a chance for understanding.
Yes, Lara can sing. It's Disney and Little Mermaid–there had to be singing at some point!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own "The Little Mermaid," Disney, or any of its associated characters and intellectual property. I do not own the listed song(s). Everything else, however, is mine =)
