Eyes Outshine the Horizon Line

Chapter 5 - Sea Legs

Nancy's head broke the surface. Lucas surfaced as well, helping her maneuver the surface water. Mike caught up to them, squinting from the sun. "And you guys like to torture yourself like this?" Mike asked, helping her swim. He looked to Nancy for an answer, to suddenly tell him off, but then he remembered. "Right. Sorry."

"Not so easy without your tail, is it?" Lucas chided. Nancy rolled her eyes and glared at him. "I'm sorry Nance. It just slipped. I had no idea she would do that." Lucas apologized. She then hugged him. His face turned red, suddenly realizing she was naked. She must have remembered this too and pulled away. They just kept swimming. "You just need to get your sea legs, we're almost to the beach." Lucas let go of her and moved ahead with Mike as a large netting came up, taking Nancy with it. Lucas and Mike immediately ducked beneath the fishing boat.

The netting was deposited onto the fishing boat and Nancy immediately felt the damp wood under her. "Holy shit." a voice said, pulling the netting away. "Are you ok my lady?" The man had a lazy way of speaking with long straight black hair and a yellow fishing cap on his head. "You must be in shock my dude." he said, putting a blanket over her shoulders. He then turned away, moving back to his quarters, mumbling words Nancy didn't recognize. She pushed away the seaweed still sticking to her feet. Her own feet! Nancy felt her vision blur but blinked it away.

"Nancy, are you ok?" Mike whispered. "Yeah, are you?" Erica answered for her, appearing overhead. Nancy shrugged. Nancy pushed the blanket off her shoulders and stood, wobbly. Then she immediately toppled over, her thud was probably heard by the fisherman. She now saw a plaque on the wall. Captain Argyle.

Then Erica drifted towards the sea. "What are you doing here? Why are you suddenly taking boat rides?" Erica asked. "She cut a deal with the sea warlock, Vecna." Lucas explained. "I told Karen how she saved a human and she decided to blow up her grotto and then-" Mike pushed Lucas's head under the water. "A sea warlock? Be serious." Erica pondered. Nancy wiggled her toes, still trying to grasp how this was real. "At least he gave you a nice set of legs." "That's what you're concerned about? Come on Erica" Lucas said, resurfacing. "Well hello to you too." Erica grumbled. Then there were footsteps. The mermen and Erica dove in the water as Argyle came from his quarters and a green coat over her shoulders and the blanket back around her.

"If we button this up, that'll do to get you in the palace. People will help you there." Argyle said as they docked and he helped her onto a cart. Nancy halfway did the buttons of the coat. It hung almost to her knees, making her feel even smaller. Nancy covered her head with the blanket as the cart began to move. Nancy pulled it off, seeing a bustle of other fishermen. Some even ran along the shoreline. If only she could manage to stand. The sun burned her new legs and soaked up the sun with her face. The sky was especially blue. She just had to try again. Nancy braced herself on a covered crate and tried to stand. But then the gravity of everything pulled her back down to sit.

She could see it now, the palace looking even grander as they went under a bridge and past the main gates. More people rounded the cart. "Get Robin and Steve, quickly." Argyle urged some palace folk. "We'll help her in." A lispy voice said. He wore a shirt with a fish pattern and a newsboy cap on his head. Another girl was at her side. The girl paused, seeing Nancy's face. Nancy then realized this was El, from the ship. El seemed to shake it off and helped her walk into the palace. She felt as if the children were dragging her as Argyle trailed closely behind. They sat her down at a chair as a woman with short hair and another man came in. Another man who she recognized as Jonathan followed.

"What is all this?" the man, Steve asked. "What on Earth?" Robin said breathlessly making her way to Argyle. The people in the room looked no older than her. Steve and Jonathan looked at Nancy. She raised a brow at them and waved. They almost looked to be in a daze. They were attractive, perhaps in another life she may have liked them the way she did with Eddie. They waved back.