A young girl, who appeared at the age of seven, walked against the soft sandy beach, her nanny behind her as her short copper locks flowed in the wind.
Her light blue eyes widened at the sight of a sea shell floating near the shore. Her eyes followed the pale conch shell as it ebbed with the waves, eyeing her nanny. Her caretaker was distracted by a certain nearby townsfolk, the girl's smile growing as she stepped towards the waves.
Her feet stepped into the cool waters, bending down as she picked up the conch. Just as she was about to reach for the shell, it was pulled away from her grasp, the tide pulling at her ankles as a small pout appeared on her visage.
She stepped around nearby large, jagged rocks, fearful of cutting her feet on them as she waded through the water, toes sinking into the soft sand around them.
Grunting, the girl lifted her skirt up to her knees, bunching it up in her hand as she continued to wander out, the waves now splashing against her hips as she bent down to pick up the conch, straining to keep her face as far from the water as possible.
What she hadn't noticed was the large silhouette in the water before her, red eyes watching her as it neared.
As the copper-headed girl finally smiled with the shell in her grip, her eyes widened as she felt something wrap around her ankle. Suddenly, a yank was felt as she screamed, her caretaker's head snapping towards the source of the noise as she cried out the girl's name.
"Lilia!"
A sharp sting was felt on the girl's left eyebrow, her forehead swiping across a nearby jagged rock as she was dragged into the water. Her hand released on the shell which she once so tightly gripped, the girl more focused on trying to breathe.
Water filled the girl's lungs, bubbles flowing upwards to the surface as she widened sky-blue eyes filled with fear and stared upwards. The salty seawater shot up her nose, her vision flickering to black.
Red eyes stared at her... but its stare didn't feel dangerous.
It pulled its tendril away, eyes narrowing before it poked the girl's stomach, curious as to why this being had stopped moving.
Slowly, it nudged the girl upwards, her body floating towards the surface as her eyes were shut. The beast's eyes widened as it saw another figure near, swimming away as fast as it could, but not without the girl's caretaker catching a glimpse of it, grabbing the girl close.
The woman cradled the princess close, fear present in her chocolate-coloured eyes as she saw the lack of movement from the child, a scar cutting the middle of her eyebrow. The nanny gasped, holding the girl tighter as she waded towards the shore as quickly as she could.
The townsfolk next to her frowned in worry, placing an arm on her shoulder as they blurted out their words, worried.
"I'll go find help," They frowned, rushing off as the caretaker nodded shakily, hugging the younger girl.
Thunder clapped as lightning flashed in the now-greying skies, raindrops soon falling down before they worsened, soaking the caretaker, and the already wet child in her arms.
The woman flailed an arm, waving madly at a passing horse cart, clearly panicked as the horse cart came to a startling halt. She placed her hand near the driver, clinging on as she begged.
She placed the cold girl next to the horse cart's owner, a concerned townsman, and rested the girl's head in his lap. His eyes darted to the nanny's in confusion and fear, but before she could question, her quivering voice cut him off.
"To the palace, as fast as you can. Go!"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A storm brewed as the cerulean waves out in the open ocean crashed down violently.
Ruined wooden planks floated across the surface, bobbing violently over the waves as the darkened sky watched coldly down at the cruel waves.
A figure soon appeared from the dark ocean, gasping as he greedily took in air. The ten-year-old boy gripped onto a nearby piece of wood for dear life, his legs kicking frantically in the water.
He cried out in fear as he felt his grip slip, tiredly pulling himself onto the weakly-bonded planks of wood, a ship, not too far from him, set ablaze as lightning lit up the dark sky. The sea was unforgiving as it sent another wave, burying the boy under it once more.
Lightning illuminated the lost cause of a ship as it sunk, the wreckage floating to the surface as the rest of the boat sunk. The boy soon pushed the water under his arms, rushing to breathe as his head burst through the water.
He rushed towards the large board of planks once more, his pants tattered as he gasped, coughing out the water from his lungs, hyperventilating before a gasp of fear escaped him. His eyes widened as he saw a gigantic tail sink into the waves not too far from him.
The boy let out panicked whimpers as he ignored the wet hair that covered his eyes, his breathing quickening as he pulled himself further onto the planks, making sure that he was hidden by the boards.
He shut his mouth, lightly kicking the water, tensing up once he felt the waves get bigger below him, the skeleton-like patterns on the beast below him moving swiftly as its accents were visible as it moved near the surface.
Soon, it was all over, and the boy was left all alone with the sea, and the beasts it held within it.
