I remember when I would sometimes imagine breathing without gills.
     Who could imagine? And moving with two legs, those two fins humanics use to walk.
     Ha what a thought. I do not think I would regret my decision, I just wish I knew what I caused sooner.
     I did not want to cause harm to him any longer, so here I was. Now those memories of what happened there and then wash over me like a tear from the ocean's lullaby...
~°°°~

      I live free. I live beneath the surface of the ocean. Where dolphins whistle and fish play. Where pearls shine and clams glow. Where humans never stray in. I never thought I would leave the ocean. It started one day when I was a young mermaid. I have to say 1-2-0-0-0 meris was the age it all started.

...

      "Miracine the ocean is not a place to play. Stray too long and you will be lost. But the ocean is as beautiful as any gem you ever seen. Lights and an unknown world." A voice stopped me and I turned around to see the azure older mermaid.
       "Just be careful, you will never know what you will find. I know your old enough to go there, but I am still not sure." I sighed.

       We been over this several times. She keeps on changing her mind.
       One minute, she decides to allow me to actually see the world for once and the next I am doomed to stay here forever.
       Not to mention how my brother recently gave up his Birth rights to me.  He was blessed first, but he gave them to me and I have no idea how to become an excellent ruler either.
    He was the one who took all the extra courses and studies to become King, but now I suppose I need to do that myself.

      Regardless of everything on my mind, I told her "I'm sure it will be fine, Azurine. I gone outside this village once the other day with my brother. We had a fun time singing together. And he goes outside the village all the time."

      I just want to see more of it and whenever I do go I am constantly being watched by those elders people like I'm going to explode and do something drastic.
     I can't explode, can I?

     I only dreaded one thing, and it was that my brother have not return from searching the human's treasure a few days ago.

     I wanted him to be with me on this day, oh well. But I couldn't wait. Today was the day.  The big day. The day my fins grew and would not slow me down anymore.
      Where I could go to any water consuming place without getting stranded.
      Where my speed would be fast as water jets. Where pearls grew on my tail to allow me to swim faster.

      Here I go. I spread my fins and the current threw me out.

    "Miracine! Wait." I heard Azurine call after me, but it was too late. The current was already pulling me into the great sea.

     And to be fair, I honestly did not care. I was going to spread my fins and swim away. "Miracine!" She called again. "Be careful of the...." Her voice got drowned in the ocean.

     "What?"I yelled.

     "Be warned if you go close to the...." I never caught what she said.  "The words of the mermaid were lost with the current.

    What was Azurine going to say? Is Azurine just telling me to be careful? Be careful of what?

    I shook my head and dismissed that thought. It is probably nothing.
    Oh well, she will tell me when I come back.

    If only I just knew it would became my biggest dream and biggest mistake.

     In the deep blue sea, I was exploring the seas and places I never seen.

     I was enjoying myself until I heard an odd sound. I jumped in surprise.

POP

BANG

    My sweet angelfish!  Was someone killing another merphan?

    What was that noise?

     I looked up and saw lights. Wow... I never seen lights before. Well that is a lie, only once but it was not bright lights.
     These were bright and glimmering so vividly. There were millions of the lights above me that were glowing. I wanted to go. I wanted to see more.
    There were several colors including goldfish, red snapper, violet-eyed-fish, coral pink, bluegill, and yellow tang.
     It was above everything. Everything I knew of.

What was it?
I did not know.

    The water, I gasped.  I looked up and it almost parted.
    I reached my hand up and I felt almost different surroundings. What was it?
    It was dry feeling. Was this above the all? Was this the above I heard about. The place dolphins spoke of. Should I go?
     Should I explore?

     I shall.

     I went up.m and lifted my head above the water. Wow! Incredible, I looked around amazed.
    There were so much glowing and gleaming lights everywhere. And among them were the humanics or humans, as dolphins told me what they referred to themselves as.
    Wow I always heard about these creatures. Some of the servants always told me stories about them.  Some of them were good while other times they weren't.

     I did always love hearing stories though.  My brother though, would always warn me to never get close to them.  But that's absolutely silly.  I'm not even allowed to leave the palace 99% of the time.  No human is going to barge in our kingdom.
     He always told me stories about their wicked behavior, hoping it would scare me off.  But it did the opposite, and now I'm even more intrigued.  Besides, humans taking mermaids to their labs cutting us up before to eat, is just too crazy sounding.
      But each tale I was told, I remembered perfectly.

      They told me of a mermaid prince that got turned into a blobfish from some sea sorcery and the way it could be broken would be if a mermaid princess kiss the blobfish.  That story was always so romantic and cute.  It always filled my heart with joy.
     There was this other story. A mermaid was born and everyone celebrated and got invited to a party in honor of them, except this sea serpent that everyone feared. This angered the serpent, so he made sure on her 16-000 birthday she would cut herself on coral and die. Then an eel as kind hearted as thee made so she would only sleep a hundred years and then she shall wake with a kiss of the prince's sweet lips.

     There were stories about stepmothers' being jealous of their desired's young mermaid children and would send them away to die.
      There were other stories where mermaid daughters were practically serving the entire family while being abused constantly, and wouldn't be saved until she swam her night away with the prince of the kingdom. Oooh lala!
     Then there was lastly the story where a mermaid turned into a humanic. I never remembered it that much, but all I knew was that she was in love with a prince.  A human prince.  I mean it was just so romantic.
    And in order to be with him, she traded her voice and tail for legs.  And every time she walked, it was as if knives were slicing into her fins as she walked.  It sounds so incredible!

    However, no one told that story much, for they feared others would want to be like them and pursuit that lifestyle.  But here I was looking straight at human life.

     And the elders never tried to really hide their dislike for them.  I wonder why do they hate them so much?

     I was watching the wooden mass above the sea and realized it must be some kind of show. On the sea with this moving platform. It was called a  ship I think. I seen sunken ships before. They hold mysterious items that shine colorful lights in the darkness. Wow... I gasped, everything up here is so beautiful that I could just sigh and sing a melody. Then that said melody came.

The ocean dreams
A fairytale
The ocean sings
Of a Sea tale

But its dangerous dreams consume
Your everlasting soul
To be found nevermore
Within the sea who fades away
And remains is a hole
Once a heart did lay,
But now nothing as it disappear

Everything fades away
All the empty souls
With no emotion to bare
Stand in your way

They sing lonely dreams,

On Oh how they wish for you

To ask me who
Did this to you
And steal it away
Say..

My Sweet sorrows
Never will appear
From a siren whose name doesn't know
The truth of your tear
That washes down so

At eve break
A Sea wave

The birds sing
A melody
But humanics take
And never weep

Sadness shall depart

As long as sea is always apart
From the humans

For every ocean's last tear

Is the ocean's final Dreams

Until chaos breaks

Until the Ocean's chaos...

Breaks...

     I smiled as I sang so happily.  I remember those lyrics so well.  My voice was always so dawning to everyone.
     Once a merphan joked about how it was like a siren. But merphans were completely different from sirens.  They were fated to cause destruction or creation.
     Then I opened my eyes. I heard an odd noise.
     What was that?  It sounded dreadful.

     Oh my flippers!

Crash

Wooooooosh

Bang

Shwoooosh

      Lightening, thunder, and darkness appeared.  All of the human life stopped dancing and playing music. They stopped eating and had fear on their faces. They let out a high pitched cry that burned my ears.
     Was this how they communicated to each other? But it did not make sense, they taught us human language for emergencies and this was not it.

     Suddenly several humanics were jumping, well it was more like they were dropping to the sea below. Humans were strange. I did not understand them at all.

       Just then my eye caught to a group of three. They were younger than the rest. There was two masculines and one feminine. The feminine had light, golden, honey hair and emerald eyes that expressed the fears written all over her face.  On her body however was the most strange, she was wearing a pale bluegill flowing dress.  Humanics clothes are so odd.
     The masculine to her left had seemed to be in more fear than the feminine.  He seemed to be frozen in place.  I looked at him more intensely and sudden I felt warm and fuzzy.  I felt almost weird, I didn't have a sickness did I?
      His brown hair that lazily swept down by his neck was wet from the rain.  And Oh- he had these beautiful deep-sea, sapphire eyes that I couldn't look away from.  I could just stare at them forever.  I didn't know why, not at all, but I was drawn to him like a fire beginning to burn inside me.  His eyes were kinda like my marine blue eyes too.
     The other masculine in the group had redish dirty-blonde hair that was pulled to he side.  His eyes however, were the color of smoky quartz.  Unlike the other two who had a some fancy bluegill colored outfits, he had an outfit that was red snapper.

      The three of them were all scared.  I felt bad for them, especially the sapphire-eyed one.  Usually I didn't care what happened to humans, I just thought overall they were cool and intriguing.  Plus it happens all the time and humanics were supposedly bad, but these one were not.
      I finally realized everyone was jumping because their ship was sinking. Their party and their festival was going down. But no one was doing anything!
     Just then lifeboats came. I felt joy and I was thanking the sea of its goodness. The emerald eyes and the smoky quartz eyes jumped, but the sapphired one did not.  Someone had to help him.  But everyone else was the same and frozen, unmoving or jumping into the frozen cold sea.  The only ones that were fine were the other two with him.
    Why? I was horrified.  Why is he not doing anything.  The other two landed on the lifeboats.  Could it be that he didn't know how to jump?

      The waters flowed and came up to the ship. It was drastic and frightening for them, but it honestly looked so cool and amazing.  Then I thought of the sapphire masculine and I didn't think it looked so cool anymore.
     No! I always heard why they never went deep into the ocean. They could not hold their breath for long and it was way too cold for them to survive down there. Just then at the last second, he jumped. B-but he missed the lifeboat!

     "Nooooooo!" I screamed, but I doubt they could hear or understand me.

      He wasn't swimming. He only sank down in some daze. He was going to perish. I can't stand that.

      "Ooooooh ahhh ahh ah ahhhh" I whistled in the water. Soon my dolphin friend came by my side.
      I carefully held the sapphire eyed humanic and put him on my dolphin friend. "My friend, please help him get to the nearest land. We do not have much time."

       Eek! Eek!" Saya, the dolphin responded and we both began to travel. He was unconscious when I got to him. We were halfway above water and halfway under. I held him on Saya and she carried him to wherever the nearest land was.

       Shore.

       I spotted shore ahead. I could hear fish singing with joy. I lifted him of Saya and got him to the sand.
     Wow... I sighed.  His face was beautiful. I wonder he looks similar to my meris. Are we the same? That means we could...
     But he is only a human. What a shame, if he was not then maybe we could.... My thoughts faded away.  I laughed, I am being ridiculous. I do hope he is okay though.

     I stayed for awhile, but no one came for him. It soon became early morning and I couldn't help but get a weird feeling that something was off like something bad happened.  Still I wanted to make sure he would be fine.
     If he was not I would never be able to forgive myself.

      I slowly took of the pendant I wore.  It was said to have powers to heal and have properties of the sea. Many were after them, because without these you cannot use your abilities of the sea.  They we're carved from the ancient gems of each sea country and made into necklaces.
     Those necklaces were given to the royal mermaids like me.  I took a deep breath and wished upon the ocean and its sea that this could help him.  I laid the pendant on his chest and pressed my hand on it.

      "Please help him." I whispered and all of the sudden, it began to glow. I heard him move slightly and breathe out. His eyes were closed still, but I knew he would be fine. I saw his face struggle to open his eyes.  It was an amusing sight.

     I went farther away and watched him from a distance.

     At last he opened his eyes.  His beautiful sapphire eyes.

      "I.. I survived?" He breathed out loud suddenly. "I remember sinking and then Mel and Ash kept calling my name, I tried tried to swim to them but my body wouldn't work..." Fear suddenly struck him.
     "MEL! ASH! Are you safe? Please..." Just then he fell as he tried looking around. He was looking for the other two he was with. "How did I ever get here..." Just then he noticed me in the water. Fear struck me and I sunk down. "WAIT! Don't go!" He shouted.

     All of sudden, I got extremely nervous. What do I say....
     I need to remember how to say words. Does he know I helped him? I bobbed my head up, so only my face would show. We both starred at each other intensively without saying anything.

     The humanics broke the silence by asking, Hey....do you know where I am?" I shook my head. I did not know the exact location. All I knew was that it was in the pacific.
     "Ohh...." He seemed disappointed. "It is alright. What... what are you doing way over there? Are you swimming perhaps? Maybe since we both do not know where we are, we could are, we could ask around to get help? Do not worry."
    his voice calmed me at once. "I am a friend." He smiled and he did have a nice smile. Wow, I could not believe it.

     "I know... that...you... somewhere... pacific...ocean." I said slowly.  I was so rusty on my humanic language.
      I sounded terrible. I looked over at my pendant which was laying down in the sand.  He must have knocked it over.

      The human looked down where he saw me eyeing it and picked my pendant up, "I'm Seivon, is this yours?" He was admiring it, but he didn't know that my pendant saved him. I smiled and nodded.

    "Are...you...okay?" I spoke carefully again. "You...almost...perish...in pacific." His eyes went wide.
    Does he realize that I helped him?

     "Yeah I am. Well I think.." He laughed. "Did you...Did you bring me here?" I nodded again. "Thank you. For saving me." I only smiled shyly.  I was so nervous!  "Did you see anyone else get away?" He looked around with worry.

    "Blonde emerald eyes... Dirty blonde hair... and smoky... quartz eyes...  Are okay...  They safe... Lifeboats.  Your friends right?" I smiled, hoping he would understand I am just not good with talking.

    "Yes!" He grinned and smiled, "That's them, Mel and Ash!  Thank goodness.  That was a terrible storm.  The news channel not the weather apps even predicted it," he slumped down, "It said it was supposed to be sunny all week.  That's all rubbish," he complained, frowning at everything.  "Why am I alive..."
    I stared at him, should I not have saved him?

   "Was... Saving a...mistake?" I carefully asked.  I was getting better at doing this human talking thing.

    "Oh no!" He shook his head, "I'm just confused and sadden about everyone else.  I hope Mum and Dad are okay on the other ship."

     I've been thinking I should head back, but something is drawing me to him. They elders also might be worried.

    "How did you find me?" He suddenly asked.  I can't tell him I saw him drowning.  "And your parents, where are they?"

    "Banished." I looked away sadly.  My parents were once loved and welcomed by all.  Until they didn't follow one of the elders' mission and we're banished.
     My brother told me all about it.  I wasn't there when it happened, but I remember Mother's last words to me as she gave me this pendant.

     "You have to be strong, My Love.  You will face great challenges but you have be brave and never truly forget what is important.  You may have to make sacrifices but above all cherish your brother, he is only trying to look out for you."

      "Oh, I'm terribly sorry I shouldn't have brought that up," He panics right away.  Thankfully that made him forget about the first question he asked.
        "Say you're not alone are you?  If you want we can both go to town together and look for help.  I have no idea where I am and neither did you apparently." He brushed the sand off him and began coming closer and offered me his hand.
         Oh no! He cannot see me. He would hate me and be freaked out seeing my tail and scales.

        "Wait! Do not... come!" He was confused, but nevertheless stayed.

       "But why?  I thought maybe we could look around together and.." he trailed off a bit sad, "Don't you want your pendant?"

      "You... thrown pendant... Then you get... Help." I stated carefully again.

      "I don't know what happened but it seems like we're both in need of assistance." He came a bit closer to the water.

      "Look!" I pointed it without a minute to spare. "Remember me... and keep it until I return..." I risen before going down once again.  "We shall.. meet again."

      "Wait....don't go." He called out slowly.  "When?  What time?  Where?"  He said three things I didn't know much about.
     It was human things that I didn't understand.  Staring at him makes me faint.  I guess I should tell him my name.

        "My name is....M-" But I was cut off by a feminine voice.

       "Sei!? Sei?" The voice called, "Oh Ash he has to have survive, he has to... If he did not, I do not know what I would do without him..."  The feminine voice lamented sadly.

      "Melody, you need to calm down." This time I heard a masculine voice, "I couldn't find him anywhere and I would have searched farther in the sea if not for you crying.  I'm scared too!"

     "Sei?  Please let it be him..." The voice came closer and I saw a figure in the distance.

     "It's friends.... I go.... now" I only muttered.

    "How did you know?" I shrugged as I saw the two from before.
     I had to go. I jumped down throwing my arms in the water. As I went down my tail unfortunately splashed and I soon feared that he saw my tail.
      I became visible and I watched him opened his mouth.  He saw it, didn't he.  I was afraid that would happen.  But maybe if I would befriended him, he will have to know.
      Besides I'm going to see him again.  Really soon.
      I don't think he has ever seen a real mermaid before, but thankfully his expression was not fear. It was curiosity, shock, and desire.
     He is probably the first that spoke with a mermaid and I just smiled behind the rock, hoping he would keep my pendant safe.

      "Seivon! There you are!" It was the emerald eyes feminine and the smoky quartz masculine. "I was worried something happened to you." She sobbed.

     "Yeah? It is fine, I am. I...think. I am not dreaming...Right?" He responded still in shock.

      "Hey Seivon, are you okay? You seem really out of it" The dirty-blonde asks in concern.

      "Melody....Ashton, you are not going to believe me what happened." Seivon, the human began to express.

    "Oh try me" The feminine put her hands on her hips, not believing.

     I looked at him widening my eyes, "Say nothing." I whispered with fear in my eyes.  No one can know.

     "I saw a M..." He swallowed when he glanced my way.  There he saw me hiding behind a rock with fear in my eyes.
     "I was saved by a girl. She was so beautiful and had the most oceanic marine eyes that captivated me." He instead said words that brought me joy.
      "I don't know who she is, but she said she we would meet again and I will be waiting for her." He sighed brushing his hands through his hair.
      He thinks I'm beautiful, I smiled to myself.  He said, my eyes are captivating I gleam as well.

     "What? Do you like her or something?" The feminine asked who seemed kinda annoyed.

     He turned away, "Well.. I uh... I don't know... I just maybe.". I felt myself smile at his words.

    He likes me?
    I think I like him too...

      "Well I am grateful for her saving you, but you do not know her. Besides now the summer is over and we can fi....."
      It was my queue to leave when I saw that he had found his friends and they can help him.
      Removing myself from the rocks, I left quickly.
     I hope I can see him again really soon.

     I filled my arms in the water and I began to swim. Away I went through bubbles and water jets, happy thoughts filled through me. I swished through the current and waterways.
     That was strange though, something felt off.

     But something was off.

     "Oh goodness, you are back!" Azurine rushed to my side. "We need to leave immediately!" What was happening? I noticed merphans rushing around leaving and in frantic.
     They a had horrified faces.
   

       "What is going on?" I asked, but she didn't exactly answer me.

      "Who knows," She muttered with rolls of seafood in her arms, "I could only imagine someone broke a rule or released them." What?
       I did not do anything to make this happen, right?

      "What is going to happen?" I desperately searched for an answer, but everyone was swimming frantically and screaming.
      In the great distance I saw dark shadows coming this way.  I trembled and widen my eyes as I saw them.
      Even though, she didn't say it I felt like she was secretly blaming me. 

        "Never mind." She didn't answer again, "Darkness is destroying the ocean. The spirits are trying to rule it.  We must leave temporary, I'm afraid."
        She looked down, "Do not worry, young princess we are strong and we will leave until it passes.  And maybe if every princess does the same, hopefully we will survive!" Azurine gave me the best smile she could, but I knew it was forced.
        We were all scared.  But above all, I wondered where was my brother was.  It's been days since I last saw him.  He took me singing to stop something dangerous.  It was a fun activity he told me, but then he stayed behind.  He stated that he had to do something.
       I wished through the bottom of my heart he will be safe.

       "We are leaving?" I asked sadly.  I loved my kingdom and it breaks my heart that I have to leave it in these circumstances.  I wanted to explore the ocean, but not like this.

     "Yes, for a long time, I'm afraid. We are going to have to do the worse." She then looked down trembling, "W-we must pretend to be those tremendous humanics and that means blend in!  We need to perfect our language ability and speak their language to them. We will go to the place called surface." I stared at her as she spoke.
      How long?

      Oh.

      Sadness filled me. I loved this part of the ocean, but now I am having to go away for a long time.  Though I guess going on land means seeing that masculine Seivon again.

      Azurine noticed my sadness and laid her hand on my shoulder, "Soon there will be a time when you will be able to adventure and explore some more. But right now, you will not be able to. For now, focus on your studies on what to do when you wear the crown of this kingdom."
      She then told me gently, "You should know many would love to be in your fins. But now or the near future is not the time to play around. Await until then and maybe a miracle will happen."
      Miracle I though, hmmm.

     I just hope this miracle involves me and the sapphire eyed human.

-Prologue-

A Mermaid's Dream:

An Unknown Underworld Mermaid Story

Based off

The Little Mermaid

by

Hans Christian Anderson

&

Other Mermaid Lore and stories

    Edited AN//. Legend here, I got the Prologue done that took forever.
     I feel like the first 3 chapters will be the hardest because I edited them before and I'm having to copy and paste it from docs.