When Worlds Collide

Chapter 7

Lucy had heard many legends of mermaids. Her own mother had told her stories of them and years later she would hear traveling merchants spin a few tales. Her father didn't believe in them, in fact he didn't believe in any of magical creatures said to live in Fiore. Not the merfolk or the water horses, not the giants or the manticores, not the sylphs or the phoenixes, not even in the genies and the dragons native tho their city. But her mother believed in them all, so Lucy believed in them too. But believing in something and actually seeing it right in front of you were two completely different experiences

When the princess first saw the mermaid, she was at a complete loss for words and her mind had gone blank. Was she real? Was there really a half woman, half fish, in this river? She first suspected that she had to be imagining things due to being over exposed to the heat. But she could smell the coppery scent of blood in the water and smell does not lie. The mermaid was real. Lucy was seeing real mermaid. One who was every bit as beautiful as she believed a mermaid should be. Delicately fair with a darling frame, and beneath her long dark eye-lashes we're the legendary blue eyes that shone with truth and purity.

"Please, please don't hurt me." Her voice was as cool and fresh as bubbles rising from the ocean. "I meant no harm, I only wanted to see what a human girl looked like."

The fear in her voice and the smell of blood quickly snapped Lucy out of her stunned state and she instantly sought to correct her mistake.

"Oh please forgive me!" She pleaded remorsefully. "I assumed that you were some filthy and perverse man, peeking on me. Here, let me help you."

Lucy stepped into the river and approached the mermaid with slow caution.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to fix your fin."

The maid from the sea didn't know what to think. She had been forbidden to even speak to humans, let alone allow one to touch her. She had also been instructed to never trust a human. That all humans were selfish, hateful, and wicked. That a human would only do her harm and this one already had. On the other hand though, she could see the immediate regret and incredible kindness in this girl's eyes. She sincerely didn't mean to hurt the mermaid and was trying to make up for it.

"You're not going to hurt me?"

"No. I promise." Lucy swore. "I'll just call my handmaidens over and they'll-"

"No!" She became scared again. "You can't tell anyone I'm here! It's bad enough I've let one human see me, if I'm seen by anymore I'll be in big trouble!"

"Alright then, I'll try to dress your wound myself."

Lucy tore the sleeve of her silken robe and used it to carefully bind her wound.

"This might sting a little." Lucy warned.

"I don't mind. I'm very pain tolerant." The mermaid assured her.

"I'm Lucy by the way. Do you have a name?"

"It's..." She hesitated for a moment before speaking. She really shouldn't be introducing herself to a human. Her brother wouldn't stand for it. However, she herself didn't see any harm in it. "It's Juvia."

"Nice to meet you. So where did you come from? And what are you doing here? I'm no expert on your kind, but from what I've heard you're supposed to be native to the oceans of the Verdenshav Kingdom."

"That is where I'm from."

"Well that's a very long trip and you're in a river. How did you get here from the ocean?"

"Merpeople like myself can travel to any large body of water in the world."

"Really?" Lucy said looking astounded. "So does that mean you can travel anywhere?"