Chapter 10: From monster to monster
As the three sisters entered the library, they immediately glimpsed Fiddle clutching the pearl, and walked toward her. "Allura isn't happy with you." Merlie growled, Fiddle tensing and adjusting her stance, ready to defend against anything Merlie would try. But, surprisingly, she didn't try to harm her, at least not straight away. Instead, her long black hair became the same ugly grey, tentacles forming. Alongside her, her sisters did the same, their once tanned skin becoming stone and eyes glowing in the darkness in shades of blue, red and yellow. Frightened, Fiddle retreated, closing her eyes and moving until she was backed against a wall, the sirens revealing their true nature. The librarian's head began to pound, remembering something from long ago, something she'd repressed and denied since the beginning of her time in the underwater city. A lost memory.
She'd only been young, exploring the ocean and accidentally drifting a bit too far beyond the reef of her island. There, three beautiful women had drawn her closer with an enchanting song, eventually pulling her out of her boat and down into the sea, all the way down to Atlantis. Nearly drowning, Fiddle found herself begging for air, and Allura granted her that desire, offering to put her to work in exchange for her soul being bound to Atlantis. Having no other option, Fiddle agreed, and became the librarian, gaining amnesia and curses which sealed her lips and disfigured her body, now an unrecognisable monster. Fiddle felt tears pricking her eyes as the sisters approached her. She'd once had a family, friends, people who missed her. And these sirens had stolen all that away. Clutching the pearl, she summoned her strength, imagining herself holding the powers of the ocean, and struck Merlie, managing to get past her in the nick of time. Fleeing to the throne room, she threw the pearl to Kai, who managed to catch it whilst still keeping an eye on Allura. Three sets of tentacles began to entangle Fiddle, covering her face, arms, everywhere they could, dragging her back and holding the girl captive. Kai watched in horror as the sister sirens carried her away, debating whether to follow and help Fiddle or if it would be safer to keep watch on Allura. He decided on the latter, but promised himself he would find Fiddle after he heard the information necessary. So, one more time, he asked the question. "How do we help Lucia?"
Allura chuckled slightly. "You don't." she replied, Kai stiffening up, opening his mouth to speak, but she shot a tentacle from her hair to cover his mouth. Instantly, he held up the trident, reminding her he had the power to sink Itar if he so desired, and she recoiled again. Sighing, she gave him a glare and explained. "Lucia is not enchanted, or anything of the sort. She's just a being from this world whose powers happened to activate when she arrived here. Perhaps it was the magic of Atlantis, or the call of the ocean responding to her, but unless we wanted trouble, we had no choice but to lock her up." Allura replied, Kai scowling. "I doubt that. You don't lock up every siren. Why is she any different?!" he demanded, Allura's eyes narrowing. "She's a disgusting half-breed. Such an occurrence, if found out, would tarnish the name of all sirens. Her mother was one of our sisters, so to speak, but she fell in love with one of the sailors and eventually decided to live on land with him, though she knew she wouldn't last long. At that time, she had a baby, and hid her child from us, since she knew exactly what would happen. She and her husband were shipwrecked, and sent their daughter adrift, hoping for her safety." Allura finished, Kai in shock. So there was no way to help Lucia. How on earth could he tell Stavros?
Still keeping his eyes on Allura, Kai retreated, trident firmly in his grip, and sprinted to his boat, stuffing it under the supplies. Suddenly, a breathless gasp startled him, Fiddle rising out of the water and appearing next to his boat, in horrendous pain. Immediately, Kai pulled her in, passing her some of his warm clothes. They were a bit big, but they would at least absorb some of the water, so hopefully the burning would cease. It was clear the sisters had thrown Fiddle into the ocean as a punishment for disobedience, and Kai was furious. Rowing away, he decided to bring her home. No matter what punishment eventually befell him, he was willing to spirit her away if it meant she could be safe.
Arriving at the island's shore, he was immediately greeted by Stavros, who looked slightly irritated that he'd brought someone home, but Kai simply gave him the trident and led Fiddle toward his home. His mother instantly welcomed the girl in, and asked Kai to tell her everything, to which Kai recounted the entire story, Fiddle nodding along. His mother then set up an extra bed for the girl, asking Fiddle if she'd prefer a hammock or a mat based on which option she pointed to. Choosing a hammock, Kai helped her adorn it with pillows and blankets, a clear contrast to the cold stone floor of the library- or worse, next to Allura's throne. Fiddle shook. She didn't want to return, but it was inevitable. If she was away for too long, who knows what curse Allura could inflict on her as punishment? She couldn't easily communicate this, though, and instead watched as Kai's mother cooked dinner, making domaldes for the two of them. Fiddle recalled her own mother cooking them, but she'd become too used to Atlantean domaldes to remember the taste of the original recipe. Kai, meanwhile, decided to visit Miriam and Lucia.
Approaching Miriam's home, he was surprised to see her sitting outside on a rock, lost in thought. Slightly startled by Kai's presence, she took a deep breath, before hugging him hard. "What did you learn?" she whispered, Kai reciprocating the hug and explaining the truth about Lucia's past and family. "I'm afraid of telling Stavros. It would break him to know that she's truly one of the Itarians…" he whispered, and Miriam simply looked at him. "What if you…don't tell him?" she suggested, Kai's eyes going wide. Normally she was a fighter for the truth at all costs, but this wasn't necessarily a bad change. She held his gaze, before sighing. "You've got to tell Lucia, though. She's good at keeping secrets." she finished, Kai nodding. "Want to come with me?" he offered, Miriam looking slightly surprised, but agreeing. Kai suspected Miriam's dissociation had become a way of coping with her loss, and it worried him. Heading up the path toward Stavros' home, they spotted Lucia immediately, playing outside in the front garden and mumbling to herself. Kai approached her from behind and tickled her, surprising her and making her giggle- she was very glad he was home safe. "How are you doing, Lucia?" he asked, the little girl smiling, before tilting her head and catching sight of Miriam, watching from a slight distance. It was clear the two hadn't talked, so Lucia simply walked over to her and gave her a hug, silent. Kai watched, uncomfortable, as Miriam reciprocated the awkward hug, before clearing her throat. "Hey…Lucia. Are you okay?" she asked, Lucia's eyes changing a little as she nodded. She didn't expect Miriam to be so kind, but perhaps Kai's words from a few days ago had a greater effect than he realized. "I'm doing okay." the little girl replied, before leading them inside. "We found out some information about your family, and your magic." Kai explained, Lucia pausing as she pulled a mat out for them to sit on. "...Magic?" she asked, Kai nodding. "You aren't cursed, Lucia." Miriam interjected, Lucia listening intently as she sat down. Kai gave her a little smile. "Your mother was a siren, but she fell in love with a human sailor, and they had you! But they were shipwrecked, and managed to send you afloat before they died." he explained, Lucia frowning. "They…they did love me…" she whispered, her voice suddenly breaking as tears overcame her, both Miriam and Kai watching in shock. "I…I thought for all these years that they hated me, or didn't want me…! But…but they protected me…" she sniffled, her voice shaking from the tears. Kai patted her back, before becoming serious. "Lucia…I need you to keep this a secret from Stavros. We think it would upset him." he explained, Lucia nodding. "I don't think he'd like it either…but…thanks for telling me." she whispered, smiling. Miriam bent down to hug her, properly this time, and smiled a little, since she could imagine Cori being proud of them.
An idea came to Kai, so he whispered it to Miriam, leaving Lucia to try and listen in. Miriam nodded slightly- she wasn't sure if it would do any good, but it couldn't hurt to try. Gently, Kai took Lucia's hand, rolling up the mat, and the two teens led her outside, down to Kai's home, where his mother had just finished the domaldes. Surprised to see Lucia and Miriam, but glad they were doing a little better, she offered them food, and Fiddle set about serving, despite not being asked to. Unsure where to sit, Kai moved a chair next to him, letting her take a place with them. As the rest of the group dug in, Kai's mother noticed Fiddle wasn't touching her food, and gently moved her hand to touch her shoulder, despite the bumps present from the scarring. "Hey Fiddle…?" she whispered, getting the young girl's attention, and smiled at her. "You don't need to be formal with us. Here, you can do whatever you wish, and eat whenever you please. Don't be afraid to communicate your needs with us either, okay?" she encouraged, Fiddle's eyes starting to blur with tears. Nodding, the girl took a bite of the domaldes and cried- it tasted like home.
After their meal, Kai passed Fiddle a sheet of paper, and explained that it might help Lucia to communicate with another person from Itar, or relatively, anyway. Fiddle, understanding, nodded, and Lucia took a place in Kai's room, closing the door and taking off her eyepatch, since it was harder to read with one eye covered. Fiddle slid the note under the door, Lucia reading it to herself- 'Hello, my name is Fiddle. Who are you?'. Lucia decided it would be easier to talk through the door to respond, so she told Fiddle her name, before sliding the paper under again. The sound of a pencil scribbling, then a response. 'That's a pretty name. I heard you were worried about being an Atlantean, correct?' she asked, Lucia realizing just how blunt Fiddle could be. "Yes…" she sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. "I'm scared I'll hurt another person with this eye of mine…" she admitted, sliding the paper back to Fiddle, who paused before replying. 'There is nothing wrong with having a magical eye. It makes you special.' She responded, Lucia frowning in confusion. "It killed Cori…" she mumbled, sliding the paper with such force that Fiddle had to catch it. 'But it was an accident. Don't blame yourself if it wasn't intentional.' she replied, Lucia sniffling slightly. "I know it was an accident, but I can't help but feel guilty. Dad is scared of me, I just know it!" she yelled, tears now falling from her eyes. Fiddle paused once more. 'I'm not afraid of you. I've met many sirens in my life, most bad, but you don't seem evil. In fact, wearing an eyepatch to protect others is very kind of you.' she answered, Lucia surprised at this answer. She wasn't expecting Fiddle to trust her. "You really think I won't hurt people if I'm careful enough?" She asked, and Fiddle simply agreed, Lucia wiping her eyes and replacing the eyepatch, opening the door and looking up at the girl in gratitude. "Hey…did anyone ever tell you how pretty you are?" Lucia asked, Fiddle now being the surprised one and looking away, a little bashful. The two shared a hug, glad they could finally express their feelings to someone who understood.
The next day, Kai awoke first. He wandered through the rooms, spotting Fiddle fast asleep and comfortable in the hammock, borrowing a nightgown from his mother. She looked peaceful, just like when they'd gone sailing together, and happy, as if she was dreaming something wonderful. Deciding it would be nice to cook breakfast for everyone, Kai found some fish his father had caught the day before and set about preparing it, eventually chopping some tomatoes and potatoes to go with it, creating a delicious dish he hoped everybody would enjoy. His father came through, grateful, and set about eating. "Glad you're back safe kiddo." he mumbled, Kai blinking in surprise. "Thanks, dad." he replied, the two sitting down to eat companionably, no more needing to be said. Finally, his mother and Fiddle came through about the same time, Fiddle having borrowed some more of Kai's clothes under the guidance of his parents. His dad gently smiled at Fiddle, the two not having spoken much due to his dad fishing late the night before. Staring down at the food, Fiddle felt a little nauseous, since she was so used to seeing fish alive, but Kai had an idea. Gently, he put a piece of the fish on his fork, and nudged her. "Hey Fiddle, it's Allura! The only way to defeat her is to eat her, quick!" he laughed, shoving the fish into his mouth. She made the same laughing motion as before, a smile forming on her face. Tucking in, she was surprised how delicious Kai's cooking was, and suspected he learned from his mother. She decided that when she was free, she'd come back and learn how to cook properly.
A knock on the door sounded, Kai's father opening it to reveal Stavros, the older man apologizing for interrupting their breakfast, but Kai's mother offering him a seat nonetheless, since there was plenty of food. Serious, Stavros stared at Kai. "I assume you intend to return to Itar, to fight for the people we lost?" he asked, Kai returning his gaze. "Of course. And to fight for the innocent people trapped in that city." he explained, Stavros blinking in confusion. To him, those two statements were one in the same, yet Kai clearly thought otherwise. Fiddle stared at the older man- she didn't know what to make of him. Likewise, he looked at her, trying to avoid staring at her scars, but he was curious. Gently, Fiddle pulled out a piece of paper from the day before and wrote Kai a note, explaining she would go back to the city and act as an inside aid. Kai's father offered to row her close enough, the girl agreeing, since he wanted Kai to have enough time to plan with Stavros. Departing, Kai hugged Fiddle hard, promising he'd be there if she needed him. Grateful, Fiddle returned the hug, before gently kissing him on the cheek, Kai's heart stopping as he waved her off, his mother hiding a smile. Turning back to Stavros, the two decided to plan, since an attack on Itar would take the strength of the islands and spirits alike.