the Little Mermaid (2023) [H.S. x J.C.]

Prolouge

The sea is filled with a mystical of wild, dangerous beasts, but none more dangerous than the ruthless merfolk. At least, that's the rumor. As the sailors aboard a trade ship catch sight of a shadowy form just below the ocean's surface, one thought races through all their mind: Could this be a merman?

There's a flurry of activity on the deck, with their excitement growing at the thought of seizing a creature no one's ever captured before. Justin, a crewman made rough from years at sea, leads the other sailors forward.

"More harpoons!" he yells. "Ready the nets, men!" Several sailors crowd the ship's railing, hoping to catch a glimpse of the merman. A barbed spear is launched down through the water. It narrowing misses the creature.

Meanwhile, John stands high up on the rigging, looking far more like an average sailor than a prince. He has always felt more at home on the sea than on land. Out here he is free from the judgment and constraints of royal life. He's lost in his own world as he furls the sails to prepare for rough weather.

The commotion below grows louder. "I say kill her or him before he comes aboard!" cries Justin, an old deck-hand. The others chant in agreement as they prepare their weapons and nets. Who knew what a live merman could do!

John pauses as Justin's comment, followed by the splash of a weapon hitting water, catches his ear. He glances down just as another harpoon is thrown. It misses its target again.

"Ahh, he's a fast one," Justin says. He gestures toward the harpoons. "Give me another!"

Horrified, John swings down from the rigging and pushes his way through the crowd. "Move! Get back! What are you doing?" John grabs Justin's arm an instant before the sailor throws another weapon.

"It's a merman, sir!" Justin says, his voice full of fervor.

Seriously? John inwardly groans. "A merman? Use your eyes!"

The prince gestures to the water as the sea creature majestically breaches the surface. It's a dolphin. It does a little spin in the water before swimming away. The sailors all fall silent.

"What were you thinking?" John folds his arms as he looks at the crowd with disappointment.

It is clear Justin isn't sure whether to be brazen or sheepish. "Well, these are dangerous waters."

"And this is a dangerous time," Justin adds. "Tonight is the Coral Moon." He pushes his way closer to John's side as the prince starts reeling in the ropes attached to the harpoons. Justin lowers his voice before continuing. "They say this is when the sea king calls his mermaid daughters and merman son to lure men to their deaths."

"Is that what they say?" John frowns. He remembers hearing tales from his mother about the cruel, perilous merfolk. Even when he was a child, that idea had seemed so far-fetched to him.

"Aye!" Justin cries, his voice rising once more. "With siren songs so sweet and pure that not even the strongest can resist their spell."

"It's just an old tale," John says. And a silly one at that, he thinks. He grabs on to the railing as a gust of wind causes the boat to lurch. "All right, back to work!"

The men start to disperse, but Justin is still vexed. He follows John across the ship, convinced that any unsteady movement is proof enough of a nefarious sea king—not to mention the mermen. The next rock of the ship sends Justin stumbling.

"You see there?" Justin calls to John as he attempts to catch his balance.

"Crosswind gust kicked up the chop, that's all." John pauses to help a crew member tie some loose netting.

Justin scoffs. "The sea king would pull us under himself if he could."

John notices a spiritual that has caught the wind and gotten tangled on the bowsprit. He starts to make his way toward it, but Justin catches his arm.

"And mermen? Heartless creatures. They say they have no tears." Justin points to his own eye for emphasis.

"Well," John says, managing to shake himself from Justin's grasp. "I suppose they must feel everything that much more deeply."

With that, he strides away, leaving Justin to mutter under his breath. In truth, John doesn't know whether he believes in mermen or any of the many creatures of lore. If they do exist, he can't imagine them to be the horrible beings his men describe. For all his mother's descriptions of cruel and heartless creatures, her stories also mentioned traditions and celebrations and families. If anything, mermen are probably misunderstood. At any rate, this isn't the time to be wasting resources shooting at dolphins. They're starting to hit rough waters and need to be prepared. John shinnies onto the ship's narrow bowsprit to free the spritsail rope. He nearly loses his balance when the ship lurches again, but he manages to catch himself.

"John! What are you doing out there? Get back here at once!"

Looking down, John grins when he sees Sir Luke, the prime minister and his mentor. He looks a little green, but the expression of combined worry and exasperation on his face is one the young prince is all too familiar with.

"You ought to stop worrying so much about me, Luke." John calls to him.

Luke raises an eyebrow at the prince's light tone. "Call me selfish, but I do not want to tell the queen that her son fell overboard on my watch—and on his birthday, of all days."

Something in the distance catches John's eye before he can respond. A thrill goes through him. "Hey! Looks like there's a ship out there bearded towards the mainland. We could follow them to port, see what they've brought to trade." The prince jumps back onto the deck and makes his way toward Luke. He takes a spyglass from Luke and raises it.

"Our ship is loaded to the gills as it is!" Luke argues. "We've risked our necks out here for seven weeks already. We're going home–tonight!"

But, John isn't focused on Luke's words. He's already envisioning all the wonderful things out there to learn and explore. An entire world. Luke may be done after seven weeks, but John could never have enough time to on the sea. He leans over the railing for a better look. Luke, unimpressed, snatches the spyglass from his hand.

"John, please! Pay attention." he chides him. "I need you to be more careful—Ohhh!" The ship is rocked again by a heavy wave. Luke loses his balance, and the spyglass slips from his grip and falls overboard.

It sinks beneath the surface and winks out of sight. John sighs. He supposes it'll be something for the mermen or mermaids to enjoy now.