Once long ago, somewhere beyond the sea and the shore, there lived a kingdom of music and dance. The skies were lanterns, the ground was a stage, bright colors could be seen all around, and song was the language spoken by it's people. The king of this great land had a daughter who was the most beautiful singer in all the world. Her melody cast a magic spell that could relieve anyone of strife and fill them with harmony. She was the crown jewel of her father's kingdom and adored by all who would dwell within it.
One day her voice lured a young sailor to her father's kingdom and it was love at first sight for the both of them. Unfortunately the king disapproved of his daughter's love for him and when the sailor asked for her hand in marriage he refused to grant his blessing. His daughter begged him to reconsider but he remained undaunted and he told her that if she accepted the proposal then he would have her banished from his kingdom forever. Despite the threat, she chose to marry the sailor for she knew that she would always be a queen in his eyes.
The couple sailed away together and found an undiscovered kingdom where they built their own castle. A kingdom that existed between the land and sea, where great beauty was found within the trees, the water, the shore, and the sky. Where they could sail on boats during the day and dance in each other's arms all throughout night. The young queen couldn't imagine any other land to reign over and it pleased her sailor because he would always work so hard to give her the same splendor she had known in her father's kingdom.
After a year had passed, a prince was born to the couple and his birth was the final piece needed to make their lives perfect. They raised the child with laughter and smiles, they told him stories and sang him songs. They taught him to dance and to make music. But best of all was when his mother and father would each hold his hand and they would walk on the beach together at dusk to watch the sun set over the ocean's horizon. Oh how happy this family was and for five years this family never knew sorrow. But it was only for five years.
As fate would have it, the sailor was implored to return to sea for a noble cause and while he was courageously sailing over the tides, his ship was destroyed and he was sent to a watery grave. This tragedy left the queen widowed, heartbroken, and desperate to find someway to support her son. She worked hard but even her best efforts weren't enough to give her little prince what she wanted for him. She wanted him to have the best of everything and she felt that there was only one way to achieve that. She had to remarry.
She married a king who was charming and had enough riches to give the prince everything that his mother desired for him. Fine clothes, the best education, and he moved them into his kingdom which was grander than the one his wife and stepson had known, however it lacked the same warmth and joy that adorned the previous land. While it pleased the queen, it just didn't feel like home to the prince and he wasn't sure if his mother's decision to marry the king was wise. But she seemed so sure that he would make a suitable husband and father, that he tried to give her second husband a chance. But as it turns out the boy was right to be skeptical.
Eight year old Alastor Boudreaux nervously looked down at the ocean surface which the ferry boat floated over. His fingers gripped the edge with caution and he tired so hard not to appear scared. He had always been afraid of the water, afraid of it because it had taken his father and he was terrified that it would one day take him too. It might have been humiliating for someone his age to have aquaphobia and still not know how to swim but he chosen to live with that humiliation. Better to be embarrassed than to drown.
He was about to turn away from the source of his fears when he saw the glint of a tail rippling in the water. He had seen fish tails before but that one appeared to be awfully big. Too big to belong to the average fish such as herring or tuna. Was it a shark perhaps? Or a dolphin? He squinted his eyes to see if he could see any features that belonged to the tail. For a moment he thought that he saw the glimmer of a small fair head peeping up from the foam, staring at him with curious eyes.
"Alastor honey."
His fascination was soon forgotten and replaced by utter joy the very moment he heard his mother call to him. There she stood with her red hair and sun dress flowing in the wind, her gentle brown eyes giving him an adoring gaze, and her smile making him feel loved. She was so beautiful. Probably the most beautiful woman in the world.
"Alastor the band is playing another song. Won't you dance with me?"
He hurried over to her, she took hold of his hands, the two proceeded to swing dance once the band played an energetic song. Truly there was nothing like jazz music. It was a revolution when it first came into the world and for decades it had been entrapping people with it's upbeat tone, turning even the most simple of get togethers into a grand party.
"You dance divinely Alastor." His mother said.
"Do I really Mama?"
"Yes indeedy. Why you must be the best dancer in all of New Orleans. New Orleans's best dancer and most handsome boy."
She bent over, hugged the child close, and kissed his cheeks as many times as she could.
"Daisy!"
His mother froze when she heard the familiar and irritated voice of her husband call to her. She spotted him in the crowd and could see him rudely shoving his way through everyone.
"What the hell do you think you're doing leaving me up deck by myself? You know I don't know anybody here."
"I'm sorry Wilson. When I didn't see Alastor with us, I became worried and so determined to find him that I briefly forgot you."
"If you ask me you worry too much about that boy. So he slips away from you, where is he going to go on a ferry?"
"But dear he might slip and fall into the water. You know he can't swim."
"Maybe it's time he learn."
"Wilson we've been through this. He's afraid."
"If he doesn't learn now then he'll be a laughing stock in school. Do you want that?"
"Of course not but I'm not going to push him."
"Is what I'm asking so unreasonable? It's for his own good."
"He'll learn when he's ready."
"You know why he's still afraid of the water? Because you feed his fear. You need to make him face it like a man."
He turned to Alastor.
"It's not so deep here so I think now would be the perfect time to teach you."
"What?!" Daisy cried. "You're not serious!"
Alastor immediately tried to make a run for it but his stepfather was too quick. He caught him by the arm and started dragging him toward the edge of the boat. His mother went after them but the hoards of people swept her up.
"No! I don't wanna swim! I'm scared!" Alastor kicked and screamed but the man's grip on him was firm.
"You're eight years old Alastor. You're too old to be scared of the water." Wilson said. "When I was your age I wasn't scared of anything."
"Well I'm not you! Put me down you goon!"
"Shut up and listen! I'm going to teach you the same way my father taught me and that's to let instinct take over."
"What does that mean?"
"I put you in the water and you sink or swim! You're a smart kid so you should get the hang of it before it's too late."
"You're crazy! Help! Help!"
But no one could hear him over the chatter or the music and by the time Daisy finally got to them, Wilson had thrown the boy straight into the water. Alastor just started throwing his arms around and kicking his legs like mad.
"Alastor!" Daisy looked like she was about to jump in after him but her husband held her back. "Let go of me! He'll drown!"
"He will not. Just watch." He held her so tight that it would no doubt leave bruises and no matter how hard she struggled to get away she just couldn't break his hold on her.
"Help me!" Alastor cried. "Somebody! Help me!"
Then he went under and sank like a stone. He could feel his mind start to become foggy from the lack of oxygen and he knew that if blacked out now then he would surely be a goner. This was it. End of the line. He would soon meet a watery grave just like his father.
But then he suddenly found himself able to breathe again and he now had the strangest feeling that he was safe. That nothing could hurt him here. But how could that be? How could he be breathing under water and feeling unafraid?
With his fear gone, he was able to focus better on his surroundings and he finally realized that he wasn't alone down here.
A little girl was in front of him, one around his age. A petite thing with blonde hair that floated all around in the water, eyes that were a deep blue or were they a bright silver? He couldn't figure out which at the moment. She wore a necklace but other than that her top half was completely bare though because of her young age she had not developed breasts. Alastor thought her to be very pretty and for a moment he forgot everything except for her.
He smiled at her, she reciprocated, he reached out to her and their hands joined, fingers interlocking to secure their place. They gazed into each other's eyes and an instant bond was made between them. It was so strange. He didn't know this girl yet being with her made him feel a happiness that he had never known. One that he wouldn't mind feeling forever.
But all too soon the moment was interrupted when he felt a pair of arms grabs his waist and pull him upward. As his hand slipped from the girl's, he lost the ability to breathe underwater and became scared again. Luckily he was being rescued by one of the men working on the ferry who saw the boy go under and quickly went to his defense. Once they were back on the boat he handed Alastor to his mother who wrapped him up in a towel.
"Oh Alastor are you okay?" She asked him frantically. "Can you breathe right? Are you dizzy? How do you feel?"
He couldn't answer. He was too confused and in shock to do anything except stand there. He felt like he had just awoken from a dream.
"You're soaked. Let's get you some dry clothes."
His mother ushered him along to ask the men on the ferry if they had any extra clothes for him. Both were unaware that the little girl had risen to the surface and was now watching the boy's every move. Tears were in her eyes when he disappeared from her sight and she sadly dove back into the sea, flashing a fish tail that went completely unnoticed.
When the little mermaid ventured to the world above for the first time, she did not expect to see something that would alter her existence forever. She felt drawn to the prince despite hearing stories of how dangerous humans were and when she saw him fall, she could not bring herself to let him die. She saved him despite the risks and took a moment to gaze upon his face which caused a new feeling to arise in her heart. Because of this feeling, the mermaid was sad to see the prince return to his kingdom above while she had to descend to hers that lay below.
After that day, the prince and the mermaid would not lay eyes on each other again for the longest time. They were sure that they would never meet again and spent years trying to forget one another. But that would prove to be impossible for without acknowledging it, the mermaid had left her heart above and the prince had left his below.