Chapter 2: Legs
The mermaid smiled warmly at the boy, his beautiful blue eyes staring into hers as he grinned widely. No words left her lips nor his as she swam closer, gripping his hands; they were much more muscular this time as she pulled him closer. Slowly, she closed her eyes and inched closer and closer to his luscious lips. Then suddenly, the mermaid opened her eyes and sighed in disappointment as she looked around her empty grotto, surrounded by small fish and a plethora of kelp-covered books. "Another dream about him," she thought to herself and sighed before she sat up and stretched. Her mind was still a little preoccupied with the night's dream, still not fully awake enough to process what day it was.
As she was about to lie down for a few more minutes, she jolted awake as it dawned on her. "Today is the day! I can get permission from the council," she thought with a wide grin and quickly swam around in utter joy. Soon, she left her grotto and swam out to the open waters outside the city but not too far away to see its majestic glow. It had been nearly a year since she moved from her mother's cave, not because she had a mate like other merfolk but because she wanted more space and privacy.
The blonde-haired mermaid held her smile as she approached the city, waving cheerfully at her fellow merfolk, who waved back with smiles. As she swam past, most would stare at her from behind, admiring her beautiful body. As usual, she would ignore the looks and the merpeople that would show off their bodies at her; she refused to mate with anyone. It wasn't that she was scared of mating or wasn't sure how it was done; she was saving herself for her true mate. She knew the odds of ever seeing the boy, now a man, were slim to none, but she didn't care; her body was for him alone.
Slowly, she made it to the main building, nodding politely at the guards as she swam past them. The guards nodded back and allowed her to pass as she was unarmed. The main building was full of merfolk, all doing various tasks, such as showing visitors around or ensuring that the plankton in their containers was well taken care of. Slowly, she made it to the main hall, where it appeared that she was the only merperson waiting for a session with the council of elders. As she waited patiently, she couldn't help but study her tail as she waited. "Will it hurt? I've never used the other form before...Maybe the first time will hurt," she thought and bit her lips nervously.
Before she gave it too much thought, a kind voice called out, "Come in, young one." The mermaid snapped out of her train of thought and slowly entered the room shyly. While she had no reason to fear the council, she couldn't help but be a little nervous as she didn't want to come across as rude. As all the council members welcomed her, she bowed politely and smiled gently at them, mostly trying to calm her nerves as she had no idea if she should speak first or they should. "So, young one, what brings you to our chambers," one of the females asked gently, offering her a warm smile.
The council consisted of eight members, four mermaids and four mermen, all elders who had been alive for many years. The young mermaid cleared her throat and looked at the council as they all sat on large rocks covered with seaweed for comfort, watching the young mermaid with kind and supportive smiles. "Oh, great council. As of today, I am no longer considered a guppy, a proper mermaid, if you will. I am here to ask for permission to use my other form...my legs, above the sea," she spoke shyly and watched for their reactions and tried to sense their emotions.
The mermaid watched as she felt their shock as they looked at each other with raised brows. One of the mermen cleared his throat and looked at the mermaid. "Your other form? Are you certain you wish to use your legs? To appear as...as a human being," he asked calmly as he looked down at her tail. She nodded and felt slightly embarrassed as this question seemed to throw off the council entirely.
The council all seemed to be having a silent talk using only their eyes as the mermaid stayed quiet.
"Very well, young one. You are true of age now, and you are old enough to use the other form. We must admit, this is a bit surprising as no merperson in our home has used their other form in ages. But remember, you are only allowed to use your form on the islands with no humans," the head of the female half of the council began and eyed the mermaid. "If you do visit the human world secretly, and we find out. You will be punished. If you are caught by one, there will be no rescue mission. Up there, you are alone. Do you understand?"
"Yes, great council. Thank you for your time," the young mermaid spoke softly and bowed again. "Very well, the meeting is adjourned," the head council confirmed and smiled at the young mermaid. The mermaid smiled back and began to swim out of the room while feeling her whole body shake with joy. The mermaid swam with fantastic speed and power past the guards and other merfolk, almost knocking some down as she exited the building and entered the city. Once in town, she only swam faster and more powerfully until she was in the open sea, being a bit reckless.
"Calm yourself! Don't get caught," she ordered herself as she stopped and looked around as fish swam past her as she was a few feet away from the surface. The mermaid looked around for any signs of predators or humans quickly before popping her head out of the water, her eyes adjusting to the sun's light. She slowly began to swim to the closest island with some slight hesitation as the small fears of actually using her legs began to taunt her, making her bite her lips, but she pressed on.
She soon was in the shallow waters, right off the coast of the island, and began to crawl onto the land, mainly using her arms as her fluke couldn't get much traction on the sand. As she began to touch the dry land, she moaned with pain as the heat of the sand was intense on her skin, but she pressed on. The mermaid was only a few feet on land and already exhausted due to dragging her large tail onto land. As she lay on the sand, she panted and looked down at her flopping tail as its natural slime soaked the sand she lay on. "Why isn't it working? Am I too close to the water," she thought with annoyance as she began to sit up.
Her large orange and red tail continued to flop wildly, kicking sand everywhere as she began to scoot further inland. As she pushed her fish booty further in, she paused as a whole new sensation hit her lower half like an anchor. It wasn't as painful as she expected but certainly different as her fluke began to shrink down and split in the middle, her bones shifting and merging into various shapes and sizes. While the mermaid watched in awe, she couldn't help but smile with amazement as she had never seen anything like her body changing. It wasn't horrifying but so bizarre and mesmerizing at the same time.
As her scales began to change into skin, the mermaid couldn't help but touch her changing lower half with curiosity. She flinched at the feeling of her skin, as it was smooth and softer than she expected. When the transformation finally finished, the mermaid couldn't help but stare at her legs, not even standing up. After a few minutes of simply sitting on the sand, wiggling her toes, and rubbing her legs, the mermaid slowly began to stand up. While her legs shook wildly, she managed to get some balance and even take a step further inland.
With the first step being taken, the mermaid was walking easily; this made her laugh softly to herself, and she was soon running around the abandoned beach with grace as if she was swimming in the sea still. Her long blonde hair flew in the wind, and her necklace dangled loudly from her neck as she ran. The mermaid continued to run with child-like joy as she panted and studied the sea from the island, still amazed to be above the water. Eventually, she began to tire and sat beside the sea as she panted and sweat dripped from her luxurious bronze skin onto the sand.
The sweat surprised her as she studied the water forming from her body, something she had never seen happen before. At first, she thought she was melting, but after calming herself down, she shrugged it off and enjoyed the sun shining on her nude body. The sea splashed at her as she lay on the sand, making her moan unwillingly as the moment the water hit her legs, a plethora of orange and red scales replaced areas of skin. She gasped in surprise as she thought she could control when her tail formed. "I mean, it makes sense. After all, I have to be dry for this form...so when I'm wet, my tail will form," she thought and studied the scales on her legs.
The mermaid sighed and slowly stood up as the sun was sinking further down, meaning soon predators would be on the hunt. She ran with all her might into the sea, diving in as her body began to change as she swam further out. Once she felt her legs slam together, she submerged under the waves and smiled gently at the sight of her beautiful fins before beginning to swim home. She now knew how to look like a human and even walk like one, much more than she knew before about her legs.