Small black specks swam in front of Kristian's vision. His first death by suffocation had been quick and somewhat painless because he had accepted his fate. But this drowning he struggled and fought against. Kristian had no way to save himself. He was going to die. Again. For real this time.
The prince glanced toward the shore, to where his love was, wanting his last thought to be of her.
A sudden sharp jab brought his attention back to the king, whose trident was stuck in Kristian's right shoulder. He winced, gasping, filling his lungs with water. The king removed the trident and knocked it onto the top of Kristian's head.
That instance, the water fled his lungs, and he could breathe again. He gasped and choked and drank oxygen from the water until he caught his breath. "Thank you."
The king grunted. "Didn't do it for you," he muttered. He sighed, his eyes still stormy. "She loves you more than me."
Kristian shook his head. "No, I'm sure she loves you."
"She always disobeyed me. Running off to the surface to spend time with you, a human of all creatures! If others were to start believing the legends about us, our lives would be in danger."
"I think she wanted me to know who she was, but she never told me. Surely because it would be against your wishes."
"She never told you about me. Just how well can you know her?"
The king had a good point, but Kristian countered, "I know lines form between her eyebrows when she's deep in thought. I know how to make her smile, how to get her to laugh. Her being happy gives my life meaning." He began to give into a new fantasy — one where he could be in the castle with the one he loved. A large grin stretched across his face. "You saved me… Could you save her? Give her back her looks? Or would that mean—"
The king snorted. "You only profess to love her. You want her to be a trophy."
"No, Your Highness. I am more than willing to marry her as she looks now, but I don't want her to have to give up anything for me. I am so grateful I'm still alive, and I owe my life to her."
The marine king grunted.
"And you, too, of course."
The king of the sea twirled his trident, at first slow but then faster and faster until it blurred and Kristian couldn't see which end was the points and which was the bottom. It shimmered into a golden reflective surface, almost like a gold mirror, and Kristian gasped when she appeared — in all of her beautiful radiance.
Without conscious thought, he swam forward and reached out to touch her but before he could, her appearance distorted and changed into a grotesque monster.
"Is that how I looked?" he asked, horror coloring his voice so much that he couldn't recognize it.
"Yes. It appears that my saving you has condemned Sirena to your fate."
"You have to do something!" Kristian's chest grew so tight it hurt to breathe.
For the first time, the strong and impressive Tritonion appeared more like a terrified father than a powerful king. "Merlinasea foresaw that I might get involved. She added curses to her enchantments…" He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "I can't risk returning her to her natural form. It could kill her." The king glowered at Kristian. "Or you for that matter."
"Is there anything I can do?" Kristian asked eagerly. "Please let me help!"
"You've done enough damage. I saved your life, and that is all the help you'll get from me. Go back to your castle, Prince Kristian. Leave my daughter be. Do not seek her out. Do not ever talk to her again."
The king whirled around and swam away, his fin slapping against the waves, propelling himself forward. The prince didn't hesitate and was grateful the king didn't seem to notice he was being tailed. After all Sirena had done for him, Kristian wasn't about to sit around and do nothing, nor was he willing to never see or talk to her again. Surely she loved him, if she had given up so much for him. The thought filled his heart with joy even as it ached with the misery she must be going through right now, remembering all too well the agony and despair he had first felt when he had awoken as a zombie.
Thankfully, the ruler of the sea didn't swim far before heading into a cave. Otherwise, Kristian would never have been able to keep up. The marine-dwelling place gave Kristian the creeps, but he followed the king inside. Several sharks and eels guarded nearby, and he tucked his body into a crevice in the wall.
After a moment, he peeked out and no longer saw the sharks or eels, or any other fish for that matter. Farther into the cave came voices. When he saw a strange but familiar half-woman, half-squid creature, he ducked into another crevice and watched the proceedings.
King Tritonion pointed his trident at the creature. "Merlinasea, you've crossed the line this time."
She brushed her hair back from her face. "King Tritonion, I have no idea what you are referring to."
The king emitted a low growl. "You tampered with my daughter's memory, didn't you?"
Kristian covered his mouth. Memory of what? Memory of him? Is that why she didn't recognize him despite his zombie form when they had touched? He had seen through her hag-like appearance.
"Oh, that." Merlinasea waved her hand. A puff of pink smoke covered her form. When it cleared, a blue and green sea dragon remained. "She wanted me to save a dead guy so I did." Merlinasea's voice came out of the huge dragon mouth.
"By turning him into a zombie?"
Kristian was glad the source of the king's anger was someone other than him.
"She never specified what state she wanted him to be in."
King Tritonion threw the trident. It pierced her long tail and speared it to the cave floor. A wince and a slight scowl was the only indication Merlinasea gave to reveal the pain she had to be in.
Her dragon arms reached lovingly toward the trident, but the king jerked it away from her grasp. Freed, she transformed back into the half-woman, half-squid creature as she circled around the king. "Now, now, hide your temper and be a good king." Her tone was mocking, and Kristian hated himself for admiring her audacity to talk to the ruler in such a fashion. "You know you can't touch me."
"Accursed treaty," the king grumbled, the words almost unrecognizable.
"Besides, my deals are binding. I take and I give. That's the way it works. Your girlie knew the terms before I worked my magic."
"So make a deal with me," the king uttered in a low tone.
Kristian's body quivered. If anyone should make a new deal, it should be him, not the king. Before he could come forward, the king gazed in his direction, and Kristian realized the king had allowed him to follow him. The king could have swum much faster and left Kristian behind with no choice but to return to the surface.
Still not pleased with this turn of events, Kristian stayed where he was.
"There's only one thing I want from you," Merlinasea snarled.
"I know," the king said solemnly.
The transformation from bitterness to elation on Merlinasea's face was instant. Kristian's stomach to churn. This could not be good.
"Very well then. What do you want?" The glee in her voice echoed off the cave walls.
"For you to spend one day in Castle Heroica, in its market, near its piers, near the town. One day and one night. That's all I ask."
"And you'll step down as ruler?"
"Yes." The king faced Kristian for a second. Despite his being in the water, Kristian could see the king's eyes become teary. King Tritonion whirled around toward the sea witch again. "When my daughter killed the zombie, she became so overcome with remorse that she returned to the water and died. Her death is on my hands. If she had only told me about… I could have…" He hung his head then raised it. "But no. I have no desire to rule anymore. Too much misery have I faced at the hands of the humans. I hope they give you as much misery, if not more, during your time above the waves."
"I accept these terms," Merlinasea hissed. She cackled and touched the trident, caressing it. "This will soon be mine."
King Tritonion jerked the trident away from her and instructed, "Today you will go to the town."
"I'll go now," Merlinasea promised.
They shook hands, and the king didn't look over at Kristian as he left.
Kristian lingered behind in his hiding place as Merlinasea glided over to a vanity set. She rummaged through a drawer and removed and uncorked a purplish-red vial. A billow of orange smoke emerged and floated in the water, like an ink spot. When she swam into it, the orange flickered to black for a second before turning to yellow, and then a brilliant piercing white, which disappeared a moment later.
Blinking against the light, Kristian expected Merlinasea to have vanished. In a way she had, because the half-female, half-squid was no longer in front of the mirror. Instead, an exquisite-looking human was there. Completely transformed, Merlinasea now had black eyes, a small nose, full lips. Every facial feature had been changed. Only one did Kristian recognize — Sirena's luscious hair.
It angered him to see Merlinasea steal his beloved's locks, but he held himself in check as Merlinasea swam past him. He waited until he couldn't any longer, wanting to be certain the sea witch did not learn of his intrusion, and swam toward the shore as fast as he could. Kristian had to find Sirena. The king had done his part to save her. Now it was his turn.