Etoile, The Last Siren

Little Star

... Etoile was the youngest out of the twelve sisters of the sea. There were rumors of how the twelve sisters had been brought into the world but the myths always said that Fate, bored, created twelve beautiful creatures who had extraordinary power and beauty. Their singing voices would seduce men and their power was strong enough to wreck ships and sink them into the great black abyss. And out of the twelve, Etoile, the youngest was the most beautiful one of all.

She had the strongest voice and could create hurricanes and whirlpools with just one note. But thousands of years and the sisters had begun to get bored of seducing and bringing men to their death. There had to be more to life than just singing and dancing. The eldest sister, Cara, was the first one to leave. She kissed every one of her sisters goodbye and headed to the world above, determined to find meaning. She never came back.

Etoile being the youngest was also the most spoiled. She was loved dearly by her sisters and protected from the world. She sang and danced just for fun and even after thousands of years never knew what her sisters did to the human men. She couldn't understand her sister's restlessness. What did they need other than each other and music? One by one, her sisters all left, all promising to come back, each one of them never fulfilling their promise. And finally, after thousands and thousands of years, the little star realized that she was all alone.

"Well, well, if it isn't Little Star, where's your sisters little siren? Are you all alone?" A voice called out from the abyss.

It was a deep voice that mocked her. And it came every time one of her sisters had left, except this time, she really was all alone.

"Are you my friend?" She asked, playing with her hair.

Maybe it was the years of solitude but she had actually begun to look forward to the mysterious voice that greeted her every few years. She stared deep into the abyss, hoping to receive confirmation but just like always, no reply.

The siren looked up at the never-ending sea and sighed. Was it finally her turn to disappear into the light and never return? She stayed alone for so long, just in case one of her sisters returned back home but she had been alone for the past three hundred years and she was sure no one was returning by now. The feeling of dread and mourning was quickly replaced by anger. Why had they left all alone to pursue an imaginary goal? Was being with her forever so hard that the unknown was the better option? Now they were probably dead and that was all their fault. She scoffed and closed her eyes, maybe she could sleep for another hundred years, maybe they'd be back by then.

"Little Star, are you all alone? Let me help." Her eyes shot open. This was the first time the voice ever said anything else.

"Hello? Can you see me?"

Silence.

Silence.

More silence.

Fuck this, she thought. Enough had been enough. For all she knew, this voice was just a coping mechanism for the loneliness and she was slowly going insane all these years. She started vigorously swimming up to the light. It was time for her to see the world that her sisters had abandoned her for. It was time for her to get her revenge.

As she got closer and closer to the light, she started to realize that the waters were beginning to get more and more choppy. It had been a couple of thousand years since she had even popped her head out of the water but she knew that there was a storm taking place. She held her breath as she got closer and with a huge gasp of breath she broke water and her lungs took their first breath as she felt them fill with air. She let out a cough and gasped for more air, tears coming to her eyes. How did the humans do this so easily?

She looked out onto the land and saw bright lights and what looked like large rocks with holes, lot and lots of holes. Then she was startled by the sound of yelling and cheering. She turned around and saw a boat, but this boat was A LOT bigger than the ones she used to see. She approached quietly, hoping to see what was going on. As she got closer, she recognized that this was happy yelling from the roars of laughter that seemed to explode out every now and then.

"Three cheers to our future king, PRINCE THOMAS! HIP HIP-"

"-HORRAY!"

"HIP HIP-"

"-HORRAY!"

"HIP HIP-"

"-HORRAY!" Followed by more cheerful laughter and yelling. Etoile couldn't help but smile and be enchanted by these humans. They reminded her of her and her sisters back when all twelve of them were still home, together.

A handsome man, dressed in expensive, but simple clothes stood up with a wide grin. He lifted a chalice full of wine and let out a loud yell that was followed by more chanting. The man gulped down the entire chalice, the wine spilling out of his mouth and all over him. Etoile giggled at the silly man and stared at him curiously. She didn't often see men this handsome.

"Prince Thomas! When can we expect a princess in the castle!" A sailor cried out.

The dashing prince gave a smirk before chugging down the rest of his wine. The sailors cheered once again before the prince lifted a finger and made a thinking face. "Who needs a princess when you have dirty sailors to travel the world with!" The ship exploded into laughter.

Etoile smiled, entranced by the prince. She wondered what walking would be like, walking beside the prince, traveling the world with his dirty sailors. Just as she was about to swim back into the sea, a strong gust of wind violently shook the ship, causing several sailors to fall overboard. She saw the prince, drunk and dazed, fighting to keep afloat in the icy water.

The prince, who knew how to swim had jumped into the sea, playing a prank on his men. Suddenly, ice-cold hands had grabbed his feet and pulled him underwater. He frantically kicked, hoping to get away but the more he resisted, the firmer the grip seemed to get. His lungs started to fill with water as he felt his body get dragged across the water and right before he passed out, he saw the face of an angel.

The little star dragged the prince onto shore, praying that he was still alive. He had bruises all over his body, he had been struggling and she was just trying to save him. She gazed at the sleeping man in awe. His long lashes rested and he had a furrowed brow even in his sleep. He had a little scar next to his right ear and although his face was mostly shaved, she could see the light stubble that had already started to come in.

Etoile had always wondered what her sisters were doing on land. Is this why they never came back? Had they also found a human to look at? She didn't want to stop looking at him. Slowly and hesitantly she reached for his face. She quickly took her hand away, surprised by how warm his face was. He let out a small groan and she giggled before deciding to head back into the sea.

She wasn't sure what she felt but she knew that she didn't want to leave the handsome prince. And to do that, she needed legs to become a part of his world. Her heart was racing and she couldn't help but start singing in excitement. For thousands of years, she just danced and sing, but now she had a purpose: to be with the human man. She headed back into the dark sea, unaware that she would be heading the exact path her sisters had headed years ago.

And so it begins again... the sea sang.