Her Lost Voice

Chapter 6- Poor Unfortunate Souls

In the throne room, King Jeremy was holding the flower Samantha gave him, laughing.
"Let's see, now... Oh, who could the lucky merman be?," King Jeremy mumbled to himself. King Jeremy composed himself.

Approaching King Jeremy is where we find Tucker.

Tucker's POV

"Come in, Tucker," Jeremy spoke.
"I mustn't overreact. I must remain calm," I mumbled to myself. I scampered closer to Jeremy.
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty," I said.
"Now, Tucker, I'm concerned about Samantha. Have you noticed she's been acting peculiar lately?," Jeremy asked me.
"Peculiar?," I asked.
"You know, moaning about, daydreaming, singing to herself... You haven't noticed, hmm?," Jeremy asked me.
"Oh, well, I- Tucker...," Jeremy trailed off, cutting me off.
"Hmmm?," I asked. Jeremy gestured for me to come closer.
"I know you've been keeping something from me...," Jeremy trailed off. I gulped.
"Keeping... Something?," I asked.
"About Samantha?," Jeremy tried to get the information out of me. My legs started to shake.

I quickly covered my legs.
"Samantha?," I asked. Jeremy pointed his trident at me.
"In love?," Jeremy asked. I grabbed onto Jeremy's face.
"I tried to stop her, sir. She wouldn't listen. I told her to stay away from humans, they are bad, they are trouble, they- Humans? What about humans?," Jeremy asked, cutting me off.
"Humans? Who said anything about humans?," I asked, laughing. Jeremy grabbed hold of me, glaring at me.

Samantha's POV

Valerie and I entered the grotto.
"Valerie, why can't you just tell me what this is all about?," I asked.
"You'll see. It's a surprise," Valerie explained. The statue of Danny stood in the middle of the cave.
"Oh, Valerie, Valerie you're the best! It looks just like him. It even has his eyes. Why, Danny, run away with you? This is all so, so sudden...," I trailed off, talking to the statue. I laughed and twirled around.

I gasped as my dad was angrily glaring at me from the entrance of the grotto.
"Daddy!," I yelled. Valerie hid behind a chest.
"I consider myself a reasonable merman. I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be followed," dad spoke.
"But, daddy!," I yelled.
"Is it true you rescued a human from drowning?," dad asked.
"Daddy, I had to," I explained.
"Contact between the human world and the mer- world is strictly forbidden. Samantha, you know that! Everyone knows that!," dad yelled.
"He would have died!," I yelled.
"One less human to worry about!," dad snapped.
"You don't even know him!," I yelled.
"Know him? I don't have to know him. They're all the same. Spineless, savage, harpooning, fish- eaters, incapable of any feeling," dad explained. I hid behind the statue.
"Daddy, I love him!," I yelled. Tucker bit his claw.
"No... Have you lost your senses completely? He's a human, you're a mermaid!," dad yelled.
"I don't care," I spoke.
"So help me Samantha, I am going to get through to you. And if this is the only way, so be it," dad spoke. Dad's trident glowed with lightning as an orange glow filled the room.

Beams shot out of the trident and destroyed a human object. Tucker ducked as various artifacts were destroyed.

Dad glared at the statue of Danny.
"Daddy!... No, no... Please daddy, stop! Daddy, no!," I yelled. Dad blasted the statue.

The statue exploded into pieces. I collapsed onto a rock and cried.

Valerie and Tucker watched as my dad left the grotto.
"Samantha, I...," Tucker trailed off. I tried to stop crying but I couldn't.
"Just go away," I spoke. Tucker pouted and left.

Valerie swam after Tucker. Two eels stared at me.
"Poor child," the first eel spoke.
"Poor, sweet child," the second eel added.
"She has a very serious problem," the first eel spoke.
"If only there were something we could do," the second eel spoke.
"But there is something," the first eel spoke.
"Who, who are you?," I asked.
"Don't be scared," the second eel spoke.
"We represent someone who can help you," the first eel explained.
"Someone who could make all your dreams come true," the second eel added.
"Just imagine. You and your prince. Together forever...," the two eels trailed off.
"I don't understand," I spoke.
"Paulina has great powers," the second eel explained. I gasped, placing a hand to my heart.
"The sea witch? Why, that's, I couldn't possibly, no! Get out of here! Leave me alone!," I yelled at the eels.
"Suit yourself," the first eel spoke.
"It was only a suggestion," the second eel added. The second eel flicked the statue's broken face at me.