Forbiddenly Intertwined

 

            Three young mermaids raced upward below the sea. They were headed to shore, a forbidden place for merfolk, especially ones of their stature. One of the three was Princess Shay Adaroy of Ethisia, the grand kingdom of merfolk. She had secretly left the palace gates in order to explore the shore.

            Shay’s skin was the ivory shade of the various shell jewelry she wore. Her hair was sorrel-colored and her fins and eyes were sea green. Princess Shay was beautiful. She was the Maiden of the Sea, and every eligible suitor sought after her. However, Shay was sixteen, the age of foolish wonder and curiosity.

            Shay swam faster, eager to breach through the surface, the portal to the “other side.”

            Shay’s friends, Yué and Frieda, were struggling behind. Shay was a swift swimmer, the result of rigorous lessons.

“Shay,” Yué called, “slow down!”

            Shay didn’t respond: her concentration was solely on reaching the surface. The rest of the journey was spent in silence.

            Shay gasped in awe when she laid eyes on the surface. The water glistened in a sparkling blue and orange, the setting sun reflecting off of the sea. She saw the sun for the first time. Its radiant luminosity filled her with utter glee. She sighed. Shay’s once tense muscles eased.

            Yué and Frieda sensed the same feelings as they caught up with Shay and saw the ocean’s true beauty. Time seemed to cease as the three waited there, absorbing the pure essence of it all.

            After what seemed like days—but were really, only a few minutes—Shay snapped back into reality, remembering the purpose of their wild excursion. Yué and Frieda faded back into reality as well.

            “Shay, you go first. It was your idea to come, anyway,” Frieda said, nervously rubbing her arm.

            Shay used her index finger to break through the surface. It was greeted by an exhilarating rush of sea breeze and sunlight. It was another fresh experience for her, and she enjoyed it. Filling with excitement once more, Shay bolted out of the water with tremendous, undiscovered vigor. Saltwater splashed as Shay twirled through the air. The beads of water splayed across Shay sparkled in the setting sun.

            The sun had almost completely sunk below the horizon. The sky and cumulonimbus clouds were tinted pink, orange, and fuchsia.

            Yué and Frieda pirouetted after her. They were greeted by increased sunlight. The three naïve mermaids bathed in the heavenly warmth, wondering why anyone would want to forbid anyone to go to the surface of the sea.

            Little did they know of the surprise waiting for them. Little did they know that they had risen in the sea of Tempest Beach.

 

♪♫♪

 

The young King Jäéll stood firmly on the shores of Tempest Beach, letting the cool seawater lap over his black boots.

King Jäéll was the new kin of Certhiel, the kingdom of the Ellios.  Jäéll was tall and ebony skinned. He had long, silky black hair. Ellios were naturally half wolf, half human. What made them distinct were their fangs, claws, tails, and wolf ears. King Jäéll had these same attributes. His tail and ears were furry and gray. He was clad in a long, royal blue cloak that billowed in the wind.

Jäéll’s body tensed and his piercing, silver eyes sliced through the surrounding atmosphere. He felt the sea’s same reaction: a storm was coming. Jäéll felt drawn to Tempest Beach, as he always had, when a vicious storm was brewing—the thing which Tempest Beach was named for. The beach would have its monthly tempest, and Jäéll seemed to be the only one who could sense exactly when they would occur.

There were certain signs of trouble at sea that anyone could pick out: the type of clouds that appeared, the color of the sky, the smell of the air. However, Jäéll could sense things, but they were always different. Sometimes, it was the same as the feeling when someone comes into a room. Other times, it was as subtle as a feather brushing the back of his neck, or as violent as someone knocking the wind out of him. Either way, Jäéll sensed things that none other could.

Jäéll clenched his fists as he felt a surge rise up in him as the waves in the sea became more violent. He scratched his own palms with his sharp claws. Anyone else would have winced as the pain shot through them. But Jäéll was tough as nails and didn’t let pain hinder him.

He removed his boots and cloak and walked forward, into the sea. He was sure he could see three shapes in the distance, directly between himself and the horizon. But, by now, the sea was fiercely churning and bubbling like an upset stomach, and the clouds were as gray as Jäéll’s tail. Jäéll hoped that the things he saw weren’t Ellios, or some other poor, helpless creature.

Little did Jäéll know that the three things floating in the sea were, in fact, creatures. Little did he know of the significant roles that fate and destiny would soon play.

 

♪♫♪

 

Shay, Yué, and Frieda swam over to a massive, brown rock in the water. Shay ran her finger across it and felt its rough, jagged surface. As she did this, the gray storm clouds erupted with rain. This brought a new sensation, a new experience. The three young mermaids had felt the wetness of water, but that had been an all-around feeling. Now the water came in tiny, little droplets that pelted Shay, Yué, and Frieda. They smiled, enjoying the feeling.

Suddenly, the three screeched in shock as thunder rolled in the heavens. Almost a second later, streaks of blue-yellow light flashed against the gray sky. The rain poured down more intensely as if the flood gates had opened. Previously calm waves rocked back and forth violently, tossing the three mermaids to and fro.

Shay, Yué, and Frieda tried to hold on to each other and fight against the storm, but the waves won and they were torn apart. Yué and Frieda were sent back underwater in the storm, remaining unscathed. However, Shay slammed into the giant rock, which knocked her unconscious. The winds blew fiercely while the waves tossed and turned, sending Shay closer and closer to destiny.

Little did she know of who was waiting at shore.

 

♪♫♪

 

Jäéll’s eyes scanned the ocean, searching for the unidentified beings. He’d seen three of them at first, but now he only saw one which popped up here and there in the ferocious waves. He was pretty sure that they were all living, breathing creatures and that two of them had come out of the storm safely. Although he wasn’t exactly sure of what they were, he was still extremely worried for who- or whatever it was out there: the sheer responsibility for the safety of others was just in Jäéll’s nature.

Jäéll was forced to wait silently in the downpour while the helpless creature floated closer and closer.

He gently tucked a loose strand of his flowing hair behind his ear. He tried to constrain the clashing emotions of terror and intense responsibility inside of him. Jäéll was the king; his job was to protect and govern his citizens. And even if the creature out there wasn’t one of his citizens, Jäéll felt the overwhelming desire to assist.

He sighed, trying to brush away his feelings. He was a very impatient man who struggled with just standing there…doing nothing. Jäéll was the type of person who would do anything just to get the job done. However, in the present situation, the tempest was the only thing restraining him. He had to have incredible self-control.

Finally, the creature’s identity became discernable. It was a mermaid all along. Jäéll scowled. Merfolk and Ellios were sworn enemies. If Jäéll were to rescue the damsel in distress, it would be an irredeemable sin and an unbreakable curse upon him and Certhiel, his kingdom.

Jäéll sighed once again. The responsibility to save a life bore too strongly on his heart.  He couldn’t just leave her there to die. She would wash up on the shore, and if she didn’t get any water before she awoke, she would certainly perish. Jäéll had to save this mermaid, no matter the cost.

Jäéll took a few steps back, ran forward, and gracefully dove into the ocean. The brutal waves knew Jäéll. They seemed to bow down to him as if he were Poseidon himself, for the sea of Tempest Beach recognized land’s royal blood. Although the tempest raged on, it halted around the king, allowing him leeway.

When he reached the hapless mermaid, he tenderly wrapped his arm around her waist and swam back to shore.

Jäéll sat with her in the sand, waiting for the storm to end. He then noticed her beauty, and blushed profusely. She had fair skin and sorrel-colored hair, and she was clad in shell jewelry. He’d seen mermaids in paintings and books, but never in person, and he wondered if there could ever be another as astonishing as this.

When the sea settled down and the storm clouds faded away, he gently lowered himself and the mermaid back into the calmed waters. Jäéll cradled her there, choosing to claim her as his own.

 

♪♫♪

 

            Shay melted back into consciousness. She first felt the familiarity of the ocean and then the strange textures of skin, cloth, and fur. The sound of seagulls cawing in the sky and the shushing sound of the waves were perceived next. She tasted a hint of salt from the water on her dry tongue and lips. She smelled the exotic scent that hung around her savior. Shay blinked her eyes open, and there he was.

            Jäéll stared deeply into Shay’s innocent, sea green eyes, as Shay stared into the glistening silver of Jäéll’s. Love at first sight.

            They knew that they were meant to be together forever.

            Words came to Shay that she’d never spoken before.

            “Oh, grandeur sublime

            “Became cursed as

            “Poor Destiny’s crime.”

            “Fate’s meeting divined

            “These lovers’ hearts and souls

            “Forbiddenly intertwined,” Jäéll finished. He’d never said words such as those before. Neither Jäéll nor Shay knew what it meant, but they knew it was meant for them.

            Shay quickly realized that she and her newfound lover had yet to exchange names.

“I am Princess Shay Adaroy,” she said, “of Ethisia.”

            “King Jäéll Frésün of Certhiel, my love,” Jäéll replied.

            “You are of the Ellios—their king,” said Shay. She could tell when she first set eyes on him, because of the way he looked. And his voice seemed to bathe in his rich, velvety accent. She knew that the Ellios and merfolk were enemies.

            “No matter,” Jäéll laughed, as if reading Shay’s mind. No matter.

            Shay smiled, knowing she was infatuated with him. She admired how he could simply take something so significant and make it seem as if it didn’t matter. Love only mattered.

 

♪♫♪

           

            “Oh my goodness, the princess is alive!”

            Shay was abruptly greeted with many euphoric hugs and kisses and tears from the people who thought that she had died in the storm.

            “Oh, my lovely daughter, I am so relieved. But, why have you gone to the forbidden surface against my wishes?” her father questioned.

            At the mention of her intentions, Shay panicked. Certain death awaited her because she went to shore. It was, of course, forbidden—although, a very heavenly place, indeed. Shay would never be able to see Jäéll again if her father found out about what really happened.

            Shay decided to lie, and she was absolutely positive that Yué and Frieda had kept their mouths zipped about the whole thing. Shay assumed that they had “played no part” in the mishap.

            “Oh, Father!” Shay began, weaving her fabrication. “I was out for a casual swim, when these great, big sharks attacked me!”

            The large crowd that had formed around the princess and king gasped in horror.

            “It was absolutely terrible! They had me cornered against a rock wall. And the only way to escape was to swim upward. I swam as fast as I could to get away, but those mean sharks chased me all the way to the surface. And that’s when a storm came to sea, which swept me away. And, and…”

            Everyone’s eyes were wide with horrified fascination, waiting to hear what happened when the tempest hit. However, Shay’s imagination engine ceased to crank out its lies.

            “…And, I don’t remember the rest!” she finally said, giving up on thinking of anything more wonderfully creative. “I think, maybe I was unconscious. When I woke up, I came directly back to the palace.” Shay smiled to herself at how brilliantly cunning she was.

            “Are you hurt, Your Majesty?” someone asked from the crowd.

            “Well, my head is throbbing. But I don’t have a clue as to why,” she said, speaking the actual truth.

 

♪♫♪

 

The subsequent morning, Jäéll sat in a large, royal blue armchair that was placed by the closed window in the castle library. His handsome face and gentle fingers pressed against the foggy glass, giving him a cold chill that ran throughout his body. The window momentarily fogged deeply in the place where Jäéll breathed on it. He intently peered outside, trying to see through the thick rain, trying to see his Shay.

“Jäéll, you’ll catch cold sitting away from the fire. You’re probably already sick from staying out in that rain. I have yet to understand the purpose of your storm watching,” Jäéll’s grandmother, Ellená, scolded.

Ellená Frésün was dark skinned, a feature that all Ellios shared. Her long, black hair was streaked with strands of gray, a sign of old age. Ellená wore a long, violet dress that perfectly matched the color of her eyes. A frown was embedded on her wrinkled face.

Jäéll and his grandmother were the only souls remaining from the grand Frésün family. Jäéll’s parents had been murdered nine years before, and his grandfather had peacefully passed away of old age. His grandmother regained the throne until recent, when Jäéll was of age to claim the throne and his rightful kingdom. Or, as Jäéll liked to think, the kingdom claimed him.

Jäéll frowned, mostly because of his grandmother’s pointless reprimanding, but also because he couldn’t see his destined maiden. Jäéll longed for her, anyway.

“Prince, you look so lovesick, gawking out the window like that. Have you found your queen?”

Upon hearing that, Jäéll’s cheeks flushed red. He glared at Ellená, embarrassed and weary of his grandmother’s constant ridicule.

Ellená sighed, equally weary of Jäéll’s necessity of a front-row view of the monthly tempests. And because of that, he would catch a cold. Then the whole kingdom would be in an uproar because the king is sick. And when the king gets sick, everyone fears of his death, even if it’s a minor cold.

However, Jäéll had recently been infected with another illness: lovesickness.

“You know, Jäéll,” she said, with a devious smirk on her face, “it is about time for you to find yourself a queen, with you being eighteen and all…”

Jäéll’s gaze turned from the sea to his grandmother, sitting by the fire with a wistful look her face. “And…?”

“Well, you can’t hide it. You’re in love,” she said matter-of-factly. “And people your age are stupid. You are, as well, even if you are king.” Then her tone and expression turned staid. “Follow your heart, not your brain. However, don’t do anything foolish.”

 

♪♫♪

 

“I know you love me,” Jäéll teased. “You wouldn’t have come back to me if you didn’t.”

            Jäéll had sat all that evening, waiting for his beloved mermaid to return. By then, the sun had set and the rain had ceased.

            “I never said that I don’t love you. I do,” Shay replied. “It’s the same for you as is for me.”

            “Then let’s run away together,” he joked. But he knew, deep inside his conscience, that Certhiel was more important. It was Jäéll’s responsibility to stay by his people’s side by and by. He knew that as well as he knew his own name. He may have ruled his kingdom, but his birthright ruled him.

Follow your heart, not your brain. The words echoed inside Jäéll’s head. His heart yearned to be with Shay in their forbidden love, but his brain told him his kingdom needed him. No matter. Jäéll brushed the asinine words away.

            “Silly,” giggled Shay, “I can’t run. I have no legs, just fins. Therefore, I swim.”

            “I guess you’re right, then.”

            “Jäéll…” Shay stared him straight in the eyes.

            “Yes, my Lady Love?”

            “What is it like to have legs? How does it feel to…walk?” she asked.

            “It feels like…” Jäéll pondered for a moment’s time. “I don’t know what it feels like,” he finally answered after giving the question a considerable amount of thought. “You see, I can’t recall a time that I’ve been without my legs, and my memory isn’t strong enough to remember the time when I was just learning to stay on my feet. And you don’t really know how something is until you lose it, right?”

            “I guess you’re right,” Shay said.

            “It’s like happiness,” he went on. “If you live in a world without sadness or anger, only happiness, you can’t perceive the feelings you’ve never had. You are incapable of feeling sadness if there is no sadness to feel. Or, at least, not until you leave that world and come to a place more…mundane. It’s the same for walking and having legs,” Jäéll concluded.

            Shay nodded in understanding. She didn’t know what it was like to swim, because that’s all she did. She couldn’t walk. Hence, there was truly no explanation.

 

♪♫♪

 

            Three long months had slowly drifted by as Jäéll and Shay were forced to conceal their blooming relationship. And, as time went by, their surreptitious rendezvous became less and less frequent. At first, they would meet almost everyday however, the last meeting they had was two weeks before. Jäéll and Shay were becoming more anxious to be together: they craved eternal liberty.

            On their most recent tryst, their yearning overpowered their better judgment.

            Jäéll took out an apple from his pocket and handed it to Shay. “Here.”

            Shay stared at it with a quizzical expression. “I don’t understand,” she said looking up at her beloved. “What is this…?”

            “It’s an apple.”

            Shay caressed the red, tooth-shaped object. She moved her delicate hands across its glossy, unblemished surface. Shay had no idea what an apple was, and she just figured that it was some sort of token of affection that creatures of the land gave to their lovers.

            “Thank you,” she replied, bowing her head in gratitude. “I will cherish it always.” Shay held the apple close to her chest, close to her heart.

After Shay showed no sign of doing anything else with the apple, Jäéll became confused. He thought that she would have enjoyed eating apples. Jäéll sighed. He had spent so much time in the apple orchard looking for the perfect apple to match the sheer perfection of his mermaid.

“Go on,” Jäéll coaxed. “Eat it.”

For a single second, Shay thought the man was out of his mind. This massive, blood-colored tooth couldn’t possibly be edible. Maybe her fellow merfolk were correct about the Ellios being savage beasts, eating whatever they could attain. Even still, Shay could never turn her back against Jäéll, no matter how foreign his customs may have been.

            “I’m sorry, Jäéll, but I refuse to eat someone’s tooth,” she said. “I cannot accept this gift.” She thrust the apple back to him.

            Then it occurred to Jäéll that apple trees did not—could not—grow underwater. Therefore, Shay knew not about apples.

            “Oh, I’m the one who is sorry. Apples aren’t teeth, they’re fruits. A fruit is a food. Completely natural—it comes from trees…You do know what a tree is, right?”

            “Yes, I know what they are,” she said, trying to conceal the smirk of pure delight caused by Jäéll’s honest mistake. Laughter threatened to erupt from inside her, and Shay failed to keep it locked in tight. Jäéll laughed as well.

            “Well, go on,” he said. “Apples are one of my favorites.”

            Shay nodded, took a deep breath, and sank her teeth right through the crimson-colored skin, making a loud ‘crunch!’ The taste was saccharine, filled with sweet juice.

            After Shay had chewed the first, savory bite, Jäéll asked, “Good, isn’t it?”

            “Of course. “Shay bit off another piece. She was soon filled with disappointment as she realized that every bite afterwards would never taste as succulent as the first had. It was the same as love. Nothing can compare to first, true love. She sighed, filled with a bitter taste in her mouth and in her soul.

She knew that she would and could never love again if she ever lost Jäéll.

            This terrible thought depressed her. And, at that moment, she knew what must be done.

            Filled with a torrent of clashing emotions, Shay hurled the apple across the sea. Jäéll looked absolutely startled by her action.

            “Whatever could be wrong?”

            “I’m sick and tired of this, Jäéll! I’m tired of having to hide our relationship. I can’t stand the torment of this. It just makes me sick to my stomach thinking that we might get caught at any moment. We’ll be killed, Jäéll, killed! And I can’t afford to lose you—not now, not ever!”

            Jäéll held Shay as she sobbed into his cloak, her breaths quick and rasping.

            “It’s ok, Shay. It’s ok,” he said, trying to comfort her, although the rage within him was building as well. “We’ll get through this somehow. I promise that we will. I will protect you with my life. If I die, then I’ll make sure you know I’ll be there with you for always, anyway. I’ll stand by your side through thick and thin, no matter what happens to us, okay!?” By this time, Jäéll had begun to yell, the suppressed anger finally bubbling over.

            Shay did not answer, but continued to cry. Jäéll held her face in his hands until she was forced to look at him.

            “Okay!?” he asked again, still shouting.

            Shay nodded vigorously, unable to speak her strong understanding and shared emotions. Although the tears kept streaming down her angelic face, Shay was smiling. Jäéll was smiling, as well.

            They would get through their troubles together, even if it meant discarding their kingdoms for love.

 

♪♫♪

 

            The almost full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the way, as Jäéll sprinted as fast as he could through the dense forest. Terror and increasing excitement elevated his heart rate tenfold. There was no time to lose.

            Jäéll had escaped into the night in order to leave unnoticed. He was going to achieve his and Shay’s freedom to love each other. Shay would have come along, but Jäéll advised against her going because she would surely dry out. Jäéll ran alone.

            Jäéll sped along until he arrived at his destination: the lair of the witch, Diana. Her magic was the only solution to their problem.

            The entrance to Diana’s lair was a giant, mahogany door that failed to blend in with the numerous nondescript forest trees. The outline of two white doves perched on a branch was painted on the door. The round door knob was made purely from gold.

            Two lines of hazy words appeared on the door.

“Dare to enter, dare to come in.

“What lies before you is what lies within.”

            After Jäéll read the words, they simply faded into the air as smoke. Jäéll took a deep breath and firmly grasped the door knob. The door did not open. Instead, everything around the king turned pitch-black. The outline of the doves remained, however, the birds animated and flew off. They beckoned Jäéll to follow their lead. Jäéll pursued them, treading deeper into darkness.

            Up ahead, a dim, flame flickered. As Jäéll and the birds came closer, it seemed to grow in size and color, from a bloody crimson to a bright white. The blinding white fire ceased to blaze. It formed into a rectangle of pure, white light. The doves flew into the light. Jäéll followed suit. He was engulfed in the luminosity.

            When the radiance faded away, Jäéll was standing in a tiny, glass-walled room. The birds flew to a young woman sprawled across an oversized, burgundy cushion that was placed on a platform that filled most of the space in the room. The rest of the space was filled by shelves crammed with a rainbow of colored, glass vials. The floor was checkered black and white. A large clock covered the entire wall behind the cushion.

            The young woman on the immense and spacious cushion was Diana. Her hair was long, silky, and black. Her skin was ebony. She appeared to be asleep.

            Decades ago, Diana had obtained magic and everlasting youth by the hands of another witch—for a price, of course, as was the same requirement for many a witch. Diana was once of the Ellios, but she had given up the lifestyle of a queen. Diana Frésün was the great grandmother of Jäéll, the grandmother of the previous king, and the mother of the long deceased husband of Ellená.

            Diana’s piercing, silver eyes opened abruptly.

            “Hello, King,” she said, the words slipping off of her serpentine tongue. Her eyes glinted in anger for a split second. “You have disturbed my much needed rest.”

            “Please forgive me, but this is an urgent matter,” Jäéll said bowing.

            Diana slowly sat up. “Well, what is it?” Her grumpiness from lack of sleep was obvious.

            “I beseech thee, please grant me and my lover our freedom to love each other,” he said, falling to his knees. “You see, I am of the Ellios, but she is of the merfolk—their princess to be exact. We cannot love to our fullest because we our bound by birthright.”

            Diana raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

            “Is there anything you can do to help us?” Jäéll implored, his head no longer held high in his grand stature.

            “Bah!” Diana hissed. “Of course I can help you. But…”

            Jäéll lifted his head in surprise.

            “Neither do I want to help you nor am I willing to.”

            Jäéll sighed, his heart heavy with chagrin.

            “Jäéll, the same blood that flows through me flows in you as well. I feel for you, sweetie. I’ll help you, but for a price. First, come back tonight with your pretty little mermaid.” Diana stood to her feet, pranced around on her toes, swiftly turned to Jäéll, and finally said, “Be gone!”

            And, with that, Jäéll was gone.

 

♪♫♪

 

            The moon was full the next night, the night of the daring escape. There was still at least an hour until midnight. The frothy ocean waves tossed to and fro. All else was silent.

            Shay waited quietly in the ocean. It had been over an hour that she been waiting for Jäéll to arrive. She began to wonder where he was just as she saw his silhouette in the distance.

            Jäéll ran to embrace Shay in his strong arms. At that moment, Shay realized that they’d never kissed. Tonight would be the night.

            Before Jäéll could let her go, Shay grabbed his face and their lips met, parted, and met again in a fiery hot passion that blazed life-fire through their souls and hearts.

            They beamed at each other in silence as they released their grasps.

            Shay removed a glittering, sea green scale from her tail. She placed it in Jäéll’s furry hand.

            “Happy birthday, Jäéll,” she said, breaking the silence.

            “This is one of your scales! You can’t just give it to me. It’s yours.”

            “No, no. This is a piece of me that will now always be with you. Please, keep it.”

            “Thank you.” Jäéll tucked the scale in his cloak pocket.

“What of the witch?”

            “She told me to come back with you. Diana will help us. Let us go!”

 

♪♫♪

Jäéll carried Shay all the way to the mahogany door to Diana’s lair. The outlines of the two white doves were still there, waiting for Jäéll’s hand to touch the golden doorknob. He enclosed it in his hand.

            Everything darkened once again. Shay felt extremely frightened by that, but the feeling of Jäéll’s chest and heart close to her heart comforted her.

            The white doves took off at a startling pace. Jäéll knew that the birds would keep going straight ahead. However, the birds veered to the right. Jäéll shrugged and turned as well.

            After a while of running, he saw the tiny flame sparkle, grow, and morph into a bright white door of light. He followed the outlined doves into the light.

            The room they arrived at was not the same as the room from before. This room was, by far, more immense. A golden staircase lay before the two lovers that seemed to go through the clouds and past the heavens.

            “Your love does not lack. Your heart won’t turn black.

“Once you sign the contract, there’s no turning back.

“Please make this warning fall not on deaf ears,

“For fears and destruction will ignite for many more years.”

The enigmatic words floated in the air in front of Jäéll and Shay. They faded back into nothingness just as smoke would.

“I guess this is it, then,” Jäéll acknowledged.

“No turning back,” Shay said. “A-are you ready, Jäéll? Are you ready for eternal freedom?”

“Yes.”

           

♪♫♪

 

Jäéll and Shay made their ascent up the stairway to sovereignty. When they arrived at the top, a small and circular platform, Diana stood there.

“Made up your minds, I see,” Diana said, cautiously. “I take it, great grandson, that this is your mermaid maiden?”

“Yes.”

“Yesterday, I mentioned a price. Are you willing to give something away for something in return?”

“What is it that you want?” Shay asked.

“With your freedom, you’ll no longer need your kingdoms. I can take away your birthrights.”

“Our kingdoms and our birthrights…?” Jäéll asked.

“Well, of course. You won’t need them anymore, anyway.” Her serpentine tongue hissed out the words. Her eyes flickered because she was on the brink of success. “Well, no need to keep you waiting for too long.” Diana snapped her fingers and a beige pedestal with the contract upon it appeared.

“Go on,” she said again. “After you sign it, there’s no turning back.”

Do not do anything foolish. The words echoed inside Jäéll’s head one final time. He pushed them back. As he reached for the quill pen beside the contract, it rose on its own accord and pricked his finger. He felt no pain.

“Blood binds. So as long as blood continues to flow through your veins, it remains an unbreakable seal,” explained Diana.

            Jäéll signed his name.

            However, warning signs flashed in Shay’s head. Was it truly wrong to simply discard her kingdom? If so, then what was to become of it and her family, her people? No matter. Oh, that phrase made anything seem so unimportant. With her mind made up and her finger pricked, Shay signed away.

            She dropped the bloodied pen and shrieked as a chain exploded from her heart. Jäéll’s chest opened up, as well, and a chain slithered its way out of his heart. The chains met and merged together.

            Once again, the strange words from their first fateful meeting on the beach flowed out of the lovers. Shay began the first verse.

            “Oh, grandeur sublime

            “Became cursed as

            “Poor Destiny’s crime.”

            “Fate’s meeting divined

            “These lovers’ hearts and souls

            “Forbiddenly intertwined,” Jäéll finished.

            Diana smiled wickedly as Shay and Jäéll turned to look at each other. They now realized the meaning of the rhyme. They now realized exactly why it was meant for them.

            Diana snapped her fingers once more, and Shay and Jäéll’s souls crept out of the empty shells they previously called bodies that now sunk to the floor. They may have been free from their bodies and predestined fates, nevertheless, the chains still connected their hearts, their souls.

            The two outlined doves flittered up to the others. Diana snapped her fingers one last time, and the two outlines and the two souls merged. The two outlined birds became reborn as complete and feathered doves, no longer a plain outline. Their hearts remained locked together.

            Diana looked to the ceiling and it opened up to reveal the fading moon and the sky that began to color. Dawn was coming.

            The witch pranced around on her toes and gazed at the lovebirds. “Be gone!” Diana called. Her voice echoed throughout the morning sky, over the surrounding hills, and through the sunken valleys.

            Shay and Jäéll were gone in the blink of an eye, soaring through the open sky, rejoicing in newfound freedom. The tiny glint of sun shimmered in the distance, and the forbidden lovers were off without a care in the world and with bittersweet redemption. Dawn had arrived, and this was just the beginning.

            Little did they know of the destruction that their foolish love had caused their kingdoms. Certhiel and Ethisia were now the witch’s domain. Diana had obtained the right to rule the two kingdoms and enslave its innocent citizens. No matter, for these lovers’ hearts and souls were forbiddenly intertwined.

Reviews

[Jules]

i knew it i knew it!!! after the apple section i knew it was going to have a sad ending :C it was a great story an interesting twist on the little mermaid. i enjoyed it it was a great forbidden romance story but i dont feel swept away by their love its too serious but at the same time it was what made it an amazing romance story- ooooo im torn between enjoyment and disappointment :S ooo you'll just have to wait and see how it fairs in the contest :D thanks for entering :D jules x