FicWad

Chapter 5:

Days continued to pass, and with each moment the sea seemed to sigh and churn with slight melancholy. The entity of the sea half heartedly swam and drifted back down to the depths of the ocean floor alone, after checking on the winged woman and with a new realization to ponder over. She felt as though she might cry from the agony that had begun to form in her heart, only mermaids have no tears, therefore suffer more.

"I can not!" She cried aloud and threw herself onto the oceans floor, her head in her arms.

"I can not let myself love

She had lain among the ruins of her kingdom watching the ripples of the surface reflect against the sand. Memories came back to her in bits and pieces like the shards of glittering amber colored gemstone scattered around her that still shone, mixed with the fine sand of the sea floor.

She remembered that fateful moment in time when nothing else mattered to her and how her heart beat raced as she caught sight of that knight. How she felt such energy when she touched her. How her soul seemed to stir even though the venom in the warriors words stung her. Past that cold exterior was a wounded soul, a weeping heart. That knight, whoever she was, needed mending.

When at first the explorers and humans came to her world, she was curiously happy. She thought she would have someone to love and stay with her forever. She then remembered that human beings could not live in the water, so that when they got down to her father's palace they would no longer be alive. Something in her still wanted to believe that this person could stay with her forever and could live with her, bring light to the world of shadows that had begun to consume her soul.

In the past, women of her kind would entwine their arms and rise to the surface after catching sight of the slow shadow of a vessel. They had the most beautiful voices then any other creature. And before a storm, when they expected a ship to be lost to the angry surf, they would sing to the sailors all the delights of the sea and told them not to be fearful if they were to sink to the bottom. But the sailors could not understand their warning or sweet song and thought it was noise of the approaching storm or the howling of anguished spirits who met their fate there. It would never be beautiful to them because they couldn't understand the songs and if they were to sink, their bodies alone would reach the palace of the sea king.

So she knew she couldn't let that creature die. She fought with all her might to make sure her brave one wouldn't be harmed again, even willing to put herself at risk, but why? She knew the tales told to her when she was little. Only once had she heard of such things as destiny, love, and eternity.
A long time ago, in the deepest part of the sea surrounded by a whirl pool of enchantment and prosperity stood the castle of the Neptunian Sea King, Triton. Its walls had been built of the finest and strongest coral known and were speckled with the most intricate gothic windows made of the clearest amber found on the sea floor. The roof was formed of an assortment of shells that reflected the glimmer of the water above and gave off changing colors, like light to a prism.

The Sea King and queen were always too busy arranging social gatherings and negotiating treaties to pay attention to their heirs. There were many children borne of the Neptunian line, but the most important were the princesses of Neptune who were to carry on the title and kingdom one day. Usually, the first born female was the heir of the planet but in this case there were two. The oldest and most rebellious and irresponsible in the royal's eyes was named Larissa. She had been the first born but surprisingly she had not been the one chosen to carry on the name of the planet. The next to the youngest was named Michiru, and their mother's favorite. From birth she had the rank and appearance of a princess. With perfect wavy hair and captivatingly deep aqua marine eyes that could lore anyone with just one glance and you could never just look once.

Still, law was law and Larissa took Michiru's place as heir until she was old enough to rule or if an emergency arose , for she was only nine then and Larissa was of ten and six years.

For company, the young princess would spend time with the King's aged mother who helped to keep the castle for him and his Queen. She was very wise and compassionate, never letting high rank and nobility affect her outlook on life in anyway. Ever since Michiru could remember, her grandmother would always be willing to hear out her dreams and hopes, no matter how childish and useless they seemed.

It was one after noon in particular that Neptune never forgot. She could still picture everything so clear in her mind, and hear the words that were spoken.

Since she was little she heard tales of the world above the water, past the constant blue and pastels that sheltered her world. There was so much that she wanted to know and learn about beyond what was over the castle walls. As a princess she didn't have much freedom to explore as much as she had wanted and since her kingdom was under a temporary lock down from the rumors of the king's advisories of attack, she was pretty much confined till the danger left.

When she had enough courage she tried to ask her parents but they just told her it was better not to get evolved with humans or air breathers because they were dangerous. She tried her other siblings, save Larissa who was hardly around and they just laughed. Finally she took all of her unanswered questions to her grandmother, who knew all about the upper world, which she referred as the lands above the sea.

"Grand Mother?" Neptune began tentatively, once they were seated in the courtyard among the flowers that shifted slowly in the current. "Is there other worlds out there like ours?" The older mermaid nodded looking up towards the surface of the water as she talked.

"Yes, there are many different worlds beyond the sea that even in all my years, have never been told about. Creatures that walk on the land and who don't need fins to move but have what they call legs, they are air breathers."

"Like humans?" she then asked curiously.

"Yes, but there are many kinds of humans; some are entities like us, the living children of their element. Then there are mortals who are like the others only ordinary, magic less, and are easily fearful of things they do not understand. They are greedy and power hungry and destroy anything in their path." Neptune looked wide eyed as she listened never imagining such things existed.

"Now, don't get me wrong. Not all humans are evil, such as not all entities and immortals are good. But it only takes one powerful being to cause great damage, perhaps even permanent damage."

"Like the start of the mortal wars going on outside our world?" The young mermaid asked quickly. "Sometimes at night the sea floor rumbles..."

"That's their power, and with every passing moment it draws nearer to our existence but the sea protects us from harm for now."

"I feel sorry for them. They live in such an ignorant world." The ocean haired mermaid remarked touching one of the flowers that swayed gently in the current.

"Don't feel too badly for them. It is true there is lots of corruption in their world but they have things we will never experience or know. We sometimes live three hundred years here in the sea, but their life spans are shorter then ours. Unlike us they have immortal souls that live on, and so they live again. They know glorious things we will never see, some of which like destiny and true love. When we die we turn into the foam on the surface of the sea water. Only the chosen Immortals of our world live seemingly forever."

And when the young girl looked saddened, she patted her hand reassuringly. "But you must not think of that," said the old woman; "we feel ourselves to be much happier and much better off than human beings."

"So I will live without ever knowing true love," the heir of Neptune said softly, "and I will never have soul mate and live with them forever because only ones like us survive here?"

"Not necessarily," said the wise merwoman, "There is one way..."

"Tell me, please." The young girl asked with maturity beyond her age. The merwoman sighed a little and nodded remembering and after a moment she began to tell the lore.

"Unless someone was to love you so much, that you were more important to that person than anybody or anything in the world. And that they loved you more then life or death, and if all their thoughts and all their energy was fixed on only you, if they promised to be true to you here and beyond that, then their being would become one with yours and you would attain a share in the future happiness of mankind. They would give part of their soul to you and retain their own as well; but I'm afraid that it's something that I've only been told as part of myth." She gestured to the water as if it was nothing more then the bubbles in the water, but seeing the urgent look in her grand daughter's eyes, she inhaled deeply, continuing.

"In order for a bonding to take place you need the right spell and ancient treasures, of which I only know of one piece existing in our world. Another thing is our fish's tail, which among us is considered so beautiful, its thought of on earth and to humans to be ugly and terrifying; they do not know any better, and they think it's necessary to have what they call legs, in order to be normal and beautiful." Neptune sighed, and looked sorrowfully at her fish's tail wishing there was someway to meet other entities like her from other worlds. They would know of the pains of their power and duty also. "But let us not think of such things now and be happy," said the wise mermaid said helping her grand daughter up with her hand. "And dart and swim about during the three hundred years that we have to live, which is quite long; after that we can rest ourselves and be one with the sea, all the same. For this evening we are going to have a court ball."

"Oh Grandmother, another one?" The young heiress asked a little and obediently followed her guardian into the castle, leaving such troubling thoughts for later when she could think alone.

The ball room was by far one of the most beautiful rooms in the palace. The walls and the ceiling were of thick but transparent crystal. Collections of beautiful vast shells, some colored like the pale pastels of the surface, others of bright earthen shades only seen in other worlds, were decorated through out the room with the most gorgeous and exotic flowers the kingdom had to offer. They grown within them and spilt out delicately onto the floor.

For light, there was a mighty chandelier in the center of the ceiling made of crystal. Coral branches attached against the wall baring small flames of blue fire, lighting the whole area, and shone through each of the walls so that the sea was also illuminated. Fishes who swam slowly back and forth glittered as their scales picked up the light, glowing with purple brilliance and others like silver and gold.

Neptune sighed a little. She was decorated in her own royal best and looked around among the guests used to parties, and slipped back and away from the crowd so she had a better look. They were all the same to her and it grew boring after awhile. Some movement separate from the dancing caught her attention and she looked seeing her oldest sister Larissa slip out of the ballroom and into the shadow of the great hall.

"Mother and father won't be pleased when they find that out..." she muttered under her breath and glanced around seeing if anyone was watching. After a moment she worked her way around the people unnoticed, and followed her sister. Warily, so she wouldn't be caught, the young girl swam quietly up to the doorway of her fathers war room used as a discussion chamber, confused. It was a room they were forbidden to go into and had many large glowing crystals representing every elemental based world. You could communicate to other kingdoms through it, but it was only used in emergencies, and by the king. 'Why would she be in here?' she thought, and her eyes grew wide at what she saw and heard.

"When can I see you again?" There was a pause. "I know but I found a way to get to you... I found someone who could help me. I can use my family's magic and leave here..."

Neptune's eyes grew wide and she burst into the room.

"Larissa no, you'll die out there!" Neptune said panicked and swam farther into the room, confronting her sister who paled and turned so that her back was towards the dark blue crystal representing the planet of the heavens and wind.

"Michiru!" The crystal dimmed as she stopped touching it and the link she was using faded. "Please don't tell our parents about this, I know what I'm doing." The younger mermaid shook her head tears forming in her eyes.

"No you can't, there's no way. You'll die above the water..." Larissa put her hand to her lips silencing her.

"No, Michiru, I found a way to become human. I'll walk just like 'they' do, I'll breath air. I'll be with him now..." The younger girl wrapped her arms around her older sister's waist shivering from tearless sobbing.

"Become an air breather... All over some silly human!? Give up your kingdom and your title and risk your life, just for some stupid boy?!" She sniffled whispering. "I'll never see you again 'issa." The pretty older heir of Neptune gently tugged her sister back. She smiled, hearing her use the old name Michiru used to call her when she was just a small merchild and couldn't say it right. She brushed her fingers against the younger mermaid's forehead and the Neptunian symbol glowed softy.

"You'll understand someday when you fall in love... True love, Michiru, can you imagine it?" The young girl let go and looked to her sadly.

"But how?" She asked her eyes glassy.

"With this..." Larissa touched a small swirling orb hanging about her neck that contained a wicked colored light, like the color of blood. "Father's mage gave it to me; he said he would help me..." Neptune gasped and reached out trying to take it from her neck, she failed.

"Larissa, that man is evil! I sense something wicked in him. You shouldn't trust him." The older mermaid frowned protecting the crystal, well out of Neptune's reach now.

"Don't be silly, Michiru. I told you I know what I'm doing; you're just a child and wouldn't understand..." She frowned a little seeing the look of hurt on her sisters face and hesitated only slightly. The orb glowed and she touched it shaking her head.

"I'm wasting time now. I have to leave before it's too late..." Larissa took out a small seemingly ordinary metal box resembling a treasure chest and handed it her quickly.

"What..." Michiru began but was cut off by her sister's next words as she was taking off the charm from around her neck. "Hold it for me till I come for it again, keep it safe. Let no one harm it or its contents..." She raised her hand above her head holding the glowing orb. "Trust me, everything will be fine. You'll always be my sister and I love you. Remember what I told you, my 'ichi Doll." The young mermaid nodded, biting her lip and clutching the box as Larissa threw the crystal down unto the hard marble floor. As it is shattered, blood colored smoke rose around her older form and there was a bright light. Neptune saw through the thick swirling smoke her sister's tail change into two and then her sister was gone as it disappeared, a portal closed where she stood. The young girl sank to the floor her head in her hands and sobbed tearlessly, for all things lost.

Since Larissa gave up her link to the sea forever, it made Michiru the official heir. And not soon after, Neptune's forewarning was right. Being an immortal and entity of the sea, it protected her from the evil wraith of her father's enemies. She could do nothing while her kingdom was destroyed. And just like her grandmother said, she would live seemingly forever...
Neptune sat up brushing away the hair which fell across her face from her eyes and glanced around with the same sorrow she had then. She was trapped in her memories and in her past alone and captive to the sea forever. The mighty waves crashed above her all around and she breathed with each wake. In her hand which she clutched to her heart was a small treasure chest, unharmed after all this time...

"So you see my dear one," she began sadly running her hand through the sands of her fallen kingdom with faraway eyes. "I can't love you because my heart is captive to the sea. I am a cursed creature within a cursed world."

Neptune looked up watching the shadows move across the water as night time fell. She noticed the beginnings of milky blotches begining to appear in the sky. 'The stars', she thought sadly and sighed.