The Little Salmonid

Part 6

At last, the day of the wedding ceremony arrived. Samantha had the honor of being a groomswoman, which she had silently accepted. It took place on a yacht which was decorated in orange and blue, reminiscent of the couple's ink colors. Friends and family from both sides were sitting on the deck taking pictures while watching Donna walk down the aisle in a flashy white dress that could be seen from a helicopter. The bride and groom stared lovingly into each other's eyes while the government official gave his speech.

"Do you, Giuseppe Tintura Grimaldi, take Donna Marina di Seppia to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live, and until the end of time?"

"Shell yeah, I do!"

The audience snickered, and the official continued.

"Do you, Donna Marina di Seppia, take Giuseppe Tintura Grimaldi, to be your lawfully wedded husband--"

"I do," the bride interrupted eagerly.

"Very well then. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now--"

Samantha struggled to keep her composure as the bride and groom sealed their love with a kiss. Everyone cheered, clapped, and waved sparklers as the newlywed couple fired two Rapid Blaster Pros into the air; and so did Samantha, despite being aware of her impending doom. Donna threw the bouquet into the crowd and everyone made a mad dash for it. Samantha managed to catch it and everyone applauded her.

"You caught the bouquet," cheered Giuseppe. "That means you'll be getting married next! Good luck!"

Samantha tried to let out a chuckle, but her voice was long gone. The only squid she ever wanted to marry was Giuseppe, but he was now out of her grasp.

After the vows were done, everyone headed inside to celebrate.

"Don't you think it's a little soon for our boy to be getting married?" Giuseppe's mother asked her husband.

"He's an adult now," he answered. "It's time we stopped treating him like a child. Besides, Donna's been a good friend to him all these years. I'm sure she'll make an even better wife."

"Now it's time to do what all married couples do after a wedding," Donna sighed to her new husband a few hours later.

"Pass out because this wedding drained the absolute life out of us?" he answered.

"Yup!"

...

The wedding ceremony was over and dawn was quickly approaching. The first ray of sunshine would strike Samantha dead. She was still in pain with every step, but that pain was nothing compared to that of her broken hearts. The little Salmonid was on the deck sulking quietly when she heard a familiar voice. It was one of her sisters calling out to her. She rushed over to the gunnel and looked down where she found her sisters with patches of missing scales.

"Samantha!" Silver cried out. "The Steelhead Sorcerer told us everything!"

"He shaved off our scales," yelled Henna. "He shaved 'em off– ow, in exchange for this!"

Coco tossed a dagger onto the deck, and Samantha caught it in the air. It had a green blade and a sinister appearance.

"It's a magic dagger," said Saki. "It's really sharp! You gotta drive it through the Inkling's hearts and kill him! Then you'll turn back into a Salmonid and your life'll be saved!"

"Please come back to us," cried Pinky. "Please come back to us! Mawmaw and Pa feel so guilty that their scales are fallin' out, just like ours!"

"But you gotta do it before the sun comes up!" added Henna. "Hurry! It's you or the squid! You have to kill him!"