The Mer Prince

Chapter 28

Charley

Courage? People everywhere have courage. It's a momentary strength in the face of something that could go so wrong. Bravery? Bravery is in one's character. I don't have that.

I do, however, have enough courage to sneak out now.

I noticed decorative holes my room ceiling a few days into my 'confinement' for throwing 'a fit' and possibly crying for two hours on a ceiling. The metal grating blocking the way of my escape was easy enough to push out, like a screen door to a window. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was a latch on the outside that scratched along my left arm and side of my tail, which left two long cuts. The blood floated up and was tinting my white, tailored clothes pink.

Reaping the sweet reward of freedom with only my minor injuries, I swam as fast as I could manage away from that awful place. I couldn't tell how the water was, or where the currents were going, but I was doing alright for a man who was a human only about three days ago. Sunlight was so far up ahead, I was tempted to go see if I could wake from some nightmare by chasing the light. Instead, though, I took a different approach, looking over the palace with roaming royal merpeople and nobles.

I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Maybe a giant door that screamed dungeon. Maybe a guard pushing some poor person into a cave. Instead, I found something better. I found the man I was looking for.

XY was chained, and led with a black rope, towards an odd building that looked like it sunk, maybe part of Atlantis. The place seemed like it could hold a pocket of air, and when I swam down between two guards and easily into, the observation was confirmed. Above us was, in fact, a pocket of air, the water rippling and distorting what I believed to be a painting of mermaids.

I watched as XY was led on the rope, towards the pocket, and for a moment I had a sickening realization. Those aren't paintings.

What I thought to be paintings were actually tons of dried corpses, tied up in an air pocket by noose.

XY was being led with a noose towards the gallows for mermaids.

"XY!" I called out, quickly swimming over.

XY seemed startled to see me, his executioner even more so. "Don't you know not to interfere in here, orangy?" The executioner barked.

I mustered up more courage, for all I had right then was a bluff and hopes it would work. "I'm the Prince, thank you very much." I tell him stiffly. "I'm here to tell you to let him go."

"Let him go?" The executioner laughed. "Your father would never allow that. Especially for his 'crime'."

I shook my head, knowing the bluff wasn't working. "I don't care, let him go! He hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Nothing wrong? He's an assassin!" The executioner snorted. "Aren't you scared of this big, bad killer?!" He taunted, trying to scare me off like a child.

"No! No I'm not!" I stated, looking at XY to solidify that, despite being piss-myself scared.

"Charley...." XY said, eyes soft and to mine, subtle surprise on his bold face.

The executioner started to laugh. "Prince and assassin? You would never work- I'm amazed! Your father would never let you dirty your bloodline, and nobles are already after your hand- on top of that, I have a job to do." The executioner mocked and pulled on the rope, tightening the noose around XY's neck.

"No! You can't do that!" I yell, snatching the rope from him with all my strength. The action made me flip backwards and the noose pulled XY the other way.

The castle guards suddenly seemed to catch on that I wasn't supposed to be there, as they rushed in. The executioner was raising his arm to slap or snatch the rope from me, and XY tensed behind me. They all rushed towards us so suddenly, and I couldn't tell where to go.

"Charley!" I was grabbed around the waist and pulled down, into the castle-structure faster than I could go myself. XY's chest pressed against my back like he did when the shark came, and he carried me quickly, in a rush to escape the chasing guards and the executioner. The fast dodges and appearance of more guards made me thankful that XY could move any direction in the water. Then an idea came to me.

"Go up!" I called immediately, XY not questioning my order as he rushed us towards the surface. That's when everything started going even more down hill.

A trident sailed past us, clipping XY's right side. He rushed quickly by the surface away towards open water, when I noticed something in the water ahead. A net, and sharks.

"Go the other way! The other way!" I cried, but the warning was too late as brown netting hit us and started pulling us up, only the bravest guards now following us, and now focusing on primarily trying to cut the net and fight the sharks. Screams traveled to my ears from below as I let out my own.

My cut from before brought the sharks closer, XY's side slash too, and as the stronger of us, he easily flipped out of the net. I tried to follow, but the sharks now circled, and my arms were caught in the netting, as the net started to lift. "XY!" I screamed, looking back to see only blood before I was pulled from the water, a loud chopping sound above as a helicopter lifted the net. "XY! HELP!"

My throat became patchy as the water below became red, all my rescuers encountering sharks, and leaving the waves red. My voice was failing, my sickening nightmare that haunted me for these three nights coming true.

I was drowning above water, my tail feeling dry and stiff. My voice was failing, my throat giving out. "Help! P-Please! XY...." I trailed off as black spots blurred my vision, and with a blink, I passed out.