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The days inched by slowly until finally a full week had passed. Time could not have been as torturous for Ariana as waiting those seven days.
At the end of her punishment, the sea king called Ariana, and gave her this warning, “Do not be late again, Ariana, for if it happens, you will not be leaving the castle for a month.”
“Yes, father,” Ariana replied.
The sea king dismissed her, and she was free to go.
As soon as Ariana left the castle behind, she called Victor. Victor had been waiting impatiently for her call and arrived on her first thought.
“Ariana, you are free at last,” Victor said happily. “I was dying of boredom. Where are we to go today?”
“Let us go back to the same village we went to last time,” Ariana said.
“The same village?” Victor asked.
“Yes, but we will explore further in the land,” Ariana said.
“The sea merchant might still look for us. He won’t forget about what we did with the lobsters,” Victor said. “We will have to make sure he doesn’t see us.”
Ariana nodded her head in agreement.
She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling they would find the answer in the same village.
When Ariana and Victor reached the fishing village, they were cautious to stay away from the merchant’s area. They went further inside, testing the limit of Victor’s magic.
Near the docks, they had only seen fish sellers and merchants. In the middle of the village, there were different shops.
Here, the humans were selling things they hadn’t seen before. There were flowers that didn’t look like any they had seen before. There were carts full of, what they assumed, was food for humans. They were in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Victor learned they were called vegetables and fruits.
Here, they also encountered other strange land creatures besides humans. The other animals walked on their legs like humans, but they had four of them, instead of two. Unlike the creatures of the ocean, they weren’t shiny, and had no scales.
One creature rubbed itself against Ariana’s legs. It felt soft when Ariana touched it, and made a strange purring sound. When Victor tried to pet it, however, the same creature hissed and scratched its claws, making Ariana giggle. They learned that the moody creature was a cat.
While searching the shops, Ariana noticed a human who she thought could help them. The human was in his shop, surrounded by thousands of letters. Ariana’s heart soared looking at the letters. Their ink did not fade away when she touched them. But these letters were all bound. Ariana would learn the collection of letters was called books.
Ariana was standing in front of a bookshop. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen.
Ariana wanted to ask the bookseller inside the bookshop. She felt he would know where the insignia on the locket came from.
“Victor, we should go inside,” Ariana said, grabbing his arm.
Victor felt his heart pounding at her touch. He calmed his breath before speaking.
“Are you sure? We haven’t been inside before. I am not sure if my magic will hold,” Victor said.
“We will do it quickly,” Ariana said. Victor nodded his head.
“Hello, how can I help you?” the bookseller asked as soon as they entered his shop.
“We were wondering if you could help us identify something,” Ariana said as she gave him the locket. “Do you know what this is?” she asked, pointing at the engraving.
“It is the royal emblem,” the shop keeper said, looking closely at the locket. “But it was the king’s symbol before it changed. Few would recognize it. It belonged to his great-grandfather.”
The locket belonged to the royal family? It surprised Ariana to hear that.
“Wait.. there is a small latch at the side. Let me find something to open it with,” the shop keeper said. He brought out a tool, but was having difficulty opening the locket.
“What’s that?” Victor exclaimed. When the bookseller looked away, Victor waved his hand over the locket.
It opened with a click.
“Congratulations, you were successful in opening it,” Victor said brightly to the bookseller. “Can you tell us what is inside?”
The locket was smooth inside, and shone a brilliant gold color, as if new. There were no pictures, but there were some words engraved.
The bookseller brought out a magnifying glass to look at the small elegant engraving. He replied, “It is a verse from Shakespeare, 'A heart to love, and in that heart, Courage, to make love known'. The locket seems to be a personal token of love.”
Ariana’s heart started beating faster after hearing what the locket was for. It was no ordinary gift the human had given her.
“Does it say anything else?” Victor asked, impatiently.
“I am afraid not,” the bookseller replied. “Sorry, that is all I can tell you.”
“Thank you for helping us,” Ariana said. “Do you know if we can talk to anyone about the locket?”
“Yes, I believe I know just the person to ask. Prince Ivan’s ship was here not many days ago. He came into the shop for a new poetry book. I believe he will stay in the village for a few days. Perhaps he would know who the locket belongs to in his family..” the bookseller said.
“He would know who the locket belongs to?” Victor asked.
“Did you say his name was Prince Ivan?” Ariana asked at the same time.
“Yes, and yes,” answering both Ariana and Victor.
Ariana liked the sound of Prince Ivan’s name. She noticed that the bookseller had spoken fondly of him. Prince Ivan also liked looking at books, just like her, but he could probably also read them.
While Ariana was daydreaming, Victor was looking at the book by the counter. He was surprised to see a picture of a mermaid on the front cover. He asked the bookseller what it was about.
“The book is about legendary sea creatures such as mermaids. Most people believe them to be myths,” the bookseller said.
“And what do you believe?” Victor asked, amused. "Are they myths?"
“I believe that they exist,” the bookseller answered.
“That seems fantastical, doesn’t it? I mean mermaids living deep in the ocean... sounds like a fairytale,” Victor said dismissively.
“You might not believe them, but I do. I saw one as a lad, and I will never forget the sight,” the bookseller replied angrily.
The bookseller’s passionate response surprised Victor. He politely gave him a bow, as if conceding to their argument.
“My dear man, I will not dismiss what you saw. Let me read this book before I form any opinion on the subject,” Victor said. “How much will it cost me?”
Victor found some coins in the human robe he wore that he could use to buy the book. The bookseller was pacified with Victor’s response, and by his interest in the subject. He was more interested in finding potential readers than selling books.
“Since it is your first time here, you can keep the book at no cost,” the bookseller said.
Victor raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“You surprise me... I didn’t know humans can be generous,” Victor said to the bookseller.
“And you surprise me. You dress the same, speak the same, yet behave stranger than any foreigner,” the bookseller said, shaking his head.
“People do tell me I have a lot to learn,” Victor said. “But luckily, I am a quick study. Thank you for your gift, my dear man. I hope that you may encounter another mermaid, yet.”
Victor gave him another bow.
The bookseller smiled and shook his head again. He found the stranger as strange as he was beautiful.
When Ariana left the shop, Victor was still busy studying the book in his hands.
“It is no use taking the book with you, Victor,” Ariana said. “It will wash away in the water.”
She didn’t tell him how she knew this.
“I am sure I can do an incantation to keep it from getting wet,” Victor said, scratching his head in thought.
“And how would you read it?” Ariana asked.
“There must be a spell for languages too,” Victor said simply. He carefully put the book in his robes’ pocket.
It stunned Ariana how simple it all was for Victor.
“Sometimes, I envy you, Victor,” Ariana said with a sigh. "It must be nice to have magic."
“Only sometimes? Dear Ariana, I envy me all the time,” Victor replied with a grin.
Ariana frowned, which made Victor laugh.
“You are part-mortal, so your magic will take longer to appear. You just have to be more patient.”
“Patience is not really my strong point, Victor,” Ariana replied.
“It is definitely not mine either. We should get going, Ariana, I am afraid that my magic will not hold any longer.”
“Yes, we should..” Ariana started, but was interrupted by a loud voice.
“You two over there. Stop!”
A week had passed, but the sea merchant was still furious at being insulted. He paid a handsome sum and hired soldiers to look for two hooded foreigners in the village.
The soldiers were paid to bring both of them to him. He didn’t care too much for the boy, but he especially wanted to find the girl.
“Run, Ariana!” Victor said to Ariana. “We can’t be caught right now!”
Both Ariana and Victor ran as quickly as they could away from the soldiers.
“Stop, thieves! We have a warrant to arrest you!” they yelled, following after them.
Victor and Ariana criss-crossed through different alleys and streets, but they had lost their way back.
“Let’s hide here!” Victor yelled, and they both hid in a narrow alley behind the shops. They waited, but they couldn’t hear the soldiers anymore. Perhaps they had finally lost them.
Ariana’s heart was pounding. She was breathing heavily after running. Victor’s heart was pounding too, but for a different reason.
He was inches away from Ariana. He never stood so close to her before. All he had to do was bend slightly forward to kiss her lips.
“Do you think we are safe now?” Ariana asked Victor, but was surprised to see him looking closely at her.
Ariana blushed. Victor had never looked at her like that before.
Time seemed to come to a standstill. It was just the two of them and no one else.
Ariana was trembling.
Victor reached out his hand to gently touch Ariana's face, "Are you ok, Ariana?"
Ariana was looking at Victor. She hadn't noticed how beautiful his eyes were.
“There! They are over there!”
The soldiers’ voices startled Ariana.
“We have them now!” they said, getting closer.
“Run!” Victor yelled again.
Ariana and Victor both ran to another alley, but this one led to a dead end. They were trapped!
Victor had nothing to defend himself with, and his magic was gone, but he laughed as he dodged and weaved all the soldiers’ blows with no effort.
Ariana was slower and got caught by one of the soldiers. Victor was no longer laughing.
“Ariana!” Victor yelled.
He let his guard down. The second soldier seized Victor's distraction to hit him on the head with the back of his sword. Victor fell on the ground with a loud thud. The soldier's attack knocked Victor out.
“Victor!” Ariana yelled. “Victor, get up!”
The soldiers left Victor lying there, unconscious, in the alley as they grabbed Ariana.
“You are the one the merchant really wants. You are coming with us!” the soldiers said as they dragged her by the arms. They took Ariana towards the sea merchant.
—————
The sea merchant was giddy to see the girl again. He had waited a whole week to get his revenge, all the time thinking of ways he could torture her for her insult. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her.
The soldiers brought Ariana in front of the sea merchant. She was crying for them to let her go.
“Not so brave now. Are you my pretty thief? You will pay for what you did!” the sea merchant said.
Ariana screamed when the sea merchant twisted her arms. There was a crowd gathered in front of his shop, but no one dared to do anything to help Ariana.
Ariana didn't have anything to defend herself with. Without Victor and his magic, she didn't have strength to fight on the surface.
“Unhand her!” said a voice. “How dare you treat a lady in this manner!”
Ariana would have cried with relief at the man's voice.
“Prince Ivan!” the soldiers, and the sea merchant exclaimed.
Ariana turned to look who had caused such fear in a brute like the sea merchant. She was struck by the prince’s handsome appearance.
“My Prince, she is but a common thief!” the sea merchant said, groveling. His demeanor changed the instant he saw the prince.
“Silence! I will not have you speak poorly of our guest,” Prince Ivan said.
“You are mistaken as she is but a thief, sire. She stole my merchandise!” the sea merchant said.
“I stole nothing! You had cruelly kept my friends in cages. I let them go free!” Ariana exclaimed.
“What is she talking about? You locked her friends in cages? Should I arrest you for abuse, merchant?” Prince Ivan asked.
Ariana's words confused the sea merchant. “But they were lobsters, my prince. How else would I keep them?”
“You will not keep them at all!” Ariana exclaimed.
The foreigner enchanted prince Ivan. She was blushing, but her eyes were bright and passionate. Prince Ivan had never seen a maiden as beautiful as Ariana.
“She is absolutely right. What right do we have over free creatures?” Prince Ivan said.
“What about the loss that I incurred because of her?” the sea merchant asked.
“I will pay for whatever loss you think you have, though going by what I heard from the villagers, you should be the last to complain, merchant.”
The sea merchant was alarmed to know that Prince Ivan had spoken with the villagers. If word got back to the King, he might lose his business forever, the sea merchant thought. He couldn’t afford to offend the prince.
“Your excellency, you are too kind. I should have minded my temper. Please forgive me,” the sea merchant bowed quickly. He mumbled an apology to Ariana too and left in a hurry.
Ariana stood speechless in front of the handsome mortal prince. Prince Ivan wanted to ask her name when the crowd parted. Someone shoved his way to the front, where Ariana and Prince Ivan were standing.
“Ariana!” Victor yelled, as he came running towards her.
When Victor regained consciousness and saw that Ariana was missing, he frantically went searching for her. He felt like his heart stopped, and that he couldn’t breathe. He was going mad, terrified that Ariana was in grave danger.
Now that he finally found her, Victor felt he could breathe again.
Prince Ivan’s heart sunk when he saw Victor, and especially when he noticed that Ariana was happy to see him too. Prince Ivan thought, was the handsome man her fiance?
“I won’t keep you long, my lady. I am sorry for any trouble the soldiers, or the sea merchant have given you,” Prince Ivan said, with a bow.
“Please Prince Ivan, don’t leave. I had been searching for you all these days,” Ariana said.
“Yes, we have been searching for you.. together,” Victor added, slightly annoyed.
It surprised Prince Ivan. He couldn't think why she would look for him.
“Have we met before? But no, I couldn’t have... I won’t ever forget meeting you,” Prince Ivan said. “Why were you searching for me?”
Ariana blushed. “I wanted to ask you, why did you give me this locket?”
Ariana remembered seeing Prince Ivan’s face, blurry as her sight had been when he released her in the water. She was sure that he was the one who gave her the locket.
Prince Ivan looked at the heirloom he thought he would never see again. “You have the locket... but that would mean..”
“I am the girl you freed that day,” Ariana replied.
“Ariana,” Victor interrupted. “We don’t have much time!”
Victor felt his magic was at a breaking point. Both Ariana and he would have to return to the water right away.
“I have to go,” Ariana said to Prince Ivan. “I came to thank you, and to return your locket.”
“I want you to keep it,” Prince Ivan said.
“But why?”
“If you return the locket to me, what excuse will I have left to see you?” Prince Ivan asked.
Ariana blushed, but said nothing. She couldn’t stay another moment as Victor was already walking towards the water.
“Can I see you again?” Prince Ivan asked, quickly.
“Yes,” Ariana replied.
“When?”
“Tomorrow,” Ariana promised. “Meet me by the beach nearby.”
“Ariana, let’s go!” Victor said impatiently.
“I will wait for you tomorrow, Ariana,” Prince Ivan promised.
Ariana’s heart fluttered hearing Prince Ivan say her name. She looked at him one last time, before following Victor.
————
The next day, Prince Ivan waited for Ariana by the beach, just like he promised. He hoped that they could talk longer than last time. Ariana arrived looking heavenly in a dress the color of jades and emeralds. She blushed when she saw him waiting for her.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Ariana! You came!” Prince Ivan said. “I didn’t know if you would come.”
“I promised that I will,” Ariana said with a smile. “You kept your promise too, Prince Ivan.”
“How could I forget?” Prince Ivan said. Ariana blushed at his response.
Victor came out of the water. He looked angrily at the Prince, but kept his distance. It was a good thing too as Victor looked like he would punch the prince.
“Who is he?” Prince Ivan asked.
“Who are you talking about?”
“That shadowy figure that lurks around you. He has an angelic face, if it weren’t for the deadly expression on it,” Prince Ivan said, joking.
He meant Victor.
Who was Victor? Ariana thought.
Was he a friend? No. They were too different to be friends, in fact, they were opposites.
Was he an acquaintance? Not anymore. Not after he helped her so much.
Ariana told the prince the truth, “Whenever I want to see you, he helps me with his magic.”
“So you really are a mermaid? Is your human form temporary then?” Prince Ivan asked.
“Yes,” Ariana replied. “I can’t stay long, away from the water.”
“Is there any way it can become permanent?” Prince Ivan asked.
“Only the sea witch or my father will be able to do that,” Ariana replied.
“Your father?”
“My father is the sea king. He rules the seven seas,” Ariana admitted.
“The sea king? That means you are royalty..” Prince Ivan asked, surprised.
“Both of us are. Victor too,” Ariana said.
Victor was the sea witch’s son, so he was the dark prince of the seas.
“So only with your father or the sea witch can you stay longer? You can’t do it on your own?” Prince Ivan asked.
“I am part-mortal. My magic will take longer to appear,” Ariana said.
“Oh, I see... I wish there was another way. Where we could meet as normal lov.. people do,” Prince Ivan said with a sigh.
Ariana’s heart was beating fast. She was sure that Prince Ivan was going to say something else, before he changed his mind.
Ariana also wondered if she could meet Prince Ivan alone, and without Victor. Did Prince Ivan want to tell her something in private?
While Ariana was talking with Prince Ivan, Victor was busy seething. He was pacing like a jaguar in a locked cage, but kept a respectful distance away from them.
He didn’t know what Ariana saw in the human. When she asked him to take her to meet Prince Ivan, Victor wanted to refuse. He reluctantly agreed, realizing if they didn’t go to the surface, she would have no reason to spend time with him.
Prince Ivan was boring, he thought viciously. Victor wasn’t too worried though, as the mortal prince was hardly a competition for him. No matter how handsome he was.
Unfortunately for Victor, he didn’t understand the power of first impressions. He didn’t know that Prince Ivan had made a very good impression on Ariana, the very first time they met. Victor didn’t understand why Ariana’s heart was grateful to Prince Ivan for saving her life.
He didn’t understand why her heart felt grateful Prince Ivan did it all, asking nothing from her in return. Most of all, Victor didn’t realize the terrible first impression he himself made on the sea king’s daughter, the first time they met.
Their first meeting happened nearly seven years ago. The sea king had summoned Victor and his mother to his castle.
Victor’s mother Ursula was busy talking with the sea king. He had called her for advice regarding his wife Helena’s diminishing health. They were having a discussion in the royal court, while young Victor was waiting in the hallway outside.
Twelve-year-old Ariana decided she wanted to make a new friend that day. Since she was shy, she spends most of her time with her mortal mother, and she hardly spoke to anyone else. She was determined she would change that soon.
Ariana saw Victor waiting in the hallway. He was only two years older, but Victor looked intimidating to her as a fourteen-year-old.
“No, Ariana,” she said to herself. “You will not be shy today! You can do this.”
She gathered her strength and went towards Victor.
“Hi!” Ariana said brightly.
Victor didn’t respond.
Ariana thought perhaps she said it too quietly, so she said it again, “Hello!”
“I heard you the first time,” Victor replied in a bored voice.
Ariana thought it was rude that he ignored her the first time. She thought of turning and leaving, but she stopped. She was desperate to talk to someone other than her mother.
She won’t give up that easily, she told herself. She will make a new friend today.
“Amber, Onyx, and Scarlet talk a lot about you. You are Ursula’s son, right?” Ariana asked, politely.
“How do you know the siren sisters?” Victor asked, surprised.
“They are my cousins!” Ariana said brightly. She was glad that Victor was talking to her.
“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed that,” Victor replied.
Ariana didn’t know if he was being polite or rude, so she said nothing. She didn’t know what to say in response. Why was having a conversation so hard for her? Ariana thought, miserably.
Ariana realized that she didn’t tell Victor who she was, “I forgot to tell you my name... I am Ariana.”
“You are the sea king’s daughter. Everyone knows,” Victor said, bored.
“My mother Helena...”
“... is a mortal. Everyone knows that too,” Victor interrupted. “I do like her, though.”
Ariana brightened up when Victor said that he liked her mother. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad... he just needed to warm up to conversations?
“You look nothing like the Queen,” Victor added. “Are you adopted, by any chance?”
Ariana’s heart sank. Victor wasn’t very nice.
Before she could respond to his question, Ariana heard Victor’s mother calling for him. Ursula was frightening and Victor seemed ready to go right away.
“I have to go.. did you say your name was Brianna?” Victor said, in a hurry. “Send my regards to your cousins when you see them next, ok?”
Ariana blushed. “My name is Ariana..,” she tried to say, but Victor had already left.
Ariana had a sinking feeling that the beautiful, rude boy will never agree to be her friend.
——-