The Princess and The Piscator's Son

Part One: The Beautiful World Full of Human

The ripple of waves hitting the wall of the cliff sounds like a melody to Aurielle’s ears. She hides between the rocky path right below it that leads to a cave, completely concealed from any sights of other people who happen to pass by, basking in the reverie of a certain human she holds dear. Ones who possess dark hair, tanned skin, and a pointy nose. The same boy, who could not be older than eighteen by human age, which had just boarded his little fishing vessel made of solid wood a moment ago.

It’s been a while since he went to the sea on his own. Never once did Aurielle miss her only chance to see him each day, since the first time she met him. Around the same time, at the very dock, where he tied his boat. She remembers his routine each day by heart. Apparently, the old man’s presence whom he always followed around has been gone. Perhaps, the boy has been considered old enough to leave on his own without being supervised like she did, or something happened to him. Otherwise, she’s still glad to know that nobody has been throwing instructions to him in a reverberating voice for the past few days, that sometimes made him nervous and dropped things hither and thither. Poor him, even Aurielle herself flinched when she heard him shouting some words she can't understand, from several distances away. 

She lays under the shade of the jutted rocks, humming to herself, smiling ear to ear. She feels content just watching him from far, as if she got all the time in the entire universe. Never does she know that the time limit her mother, The Queen, gave to her will soon come to an end, and she shall return to Oceanea once again. There is a certain rule for the people of Oceanea made by her ancestors, the ruler of the queendom. Once they are of age, they are allowed to swim closer to the surface of the water for three days—according to the Oceanea time—to get acknowledged with other living beings than their own kind. Three days that feels like forever to Aurielle, because she gets to follow the boy whose name is still unknown, for her own favor. Her mother might roll her eyes when she hears about this, but it's something to be concerned about later. 

Aurielle closes her eyelids when a large wave washed over her body as she slowly submerged back into the water. She hears voices through the rough sands and rocks, between little shrimps and crabs under the corals, or in other nooks and crannies. The herrings keep shouting to each other to be constantly on alert of the predators lurking behind the columns of seaweeds. Aurielle hums a promise to keep this school of fish safe during their travel in this area. After all, she is the youngest princess of Oceanea, a direct descendant of the Queen herself. She is quite fast and mighty from years of training as the heir of Oceanea. Albeit not as wise as her other siblings, her words can also be a command too, if she wants. 

Aurielle sinks a little deeper, still daydreaming about the young boy she is obsessed with. She floats wherever the ocean currents take her. Her skin, which was warm from sunbathing, turns cold as she lets herself be embraced by the ocean, her home. Enjoying the calamity of the water which is usually in a tumultuous tide when it's nearing the time for a full moon.

Aurielle’s blue eyes shoot open when she feels her skin prickles. She can sense that something is coming, slowly brewing in the air above the sea, like the type of oncoming storm that will blow harshly. She swims to the surface, gasping when she sees enormous dark clouds hanging low like it's almost ready to downpour tons of water. Thunders start to clash here and there, followed by a strong wind that blows hard, which allows the top of her head to dry quickly. 

Aurielle darts her eyes in panic. Trying to find a particular boat in the sudden darkness caused by the menace shadow is really challenging, even when her eyes have been trained to spot her favorite person for months. There are several boats by other piscators returning to the land in a hurry, making it even tougher for her to look for him. Until now, she realizes that the boy and the old man whom he used to go to the sea with, are not the only piscators in this area. It's a realization that came a little bit late, because a wave of trepidation washed over her the more time passed.

Everything which usually was vibrant, almost blinding her, turned into a monochrome. It is supposed to give her more advantage because she is used to this kind of sight when she is at home, but it turns out darkness has its own measurements in the upper world. Aurielle almost opens her mouth to call him, whose name she has not collected yet, but then she realizes that her beautiful voice will turn into a high pitched shriek above the water. She continues searching even when the high column of waves starts to form and gets into her way. It hits any floating things on the ocean without mercy. Fortunately a lot of the boats are nearing the beach, so the people on it can save them self immediately. One particular boat on the back end got flipped over, it catches Aurielle’s attention. She noticed the familiar dark hair, tanned skin, and toned arms flapping in the air. She swims towards the boy without any second thoughts. She must save him. 

She grabs his slim waist before he drowns even deeper. He gasps for air under the water. The human body is so beautiful, yet very fragile. They cannot live without the air and sun. Without thinking twice, she kisses him hard, blowing air that she takes from the gills under her ears into his parted luscious lips. Together with him, they swim to the beach. Carrying another person in her arms while maneuvering to stay afloat is really not easy for her. When they are nearing the cave where she usually hides from his sight, she collapses in fatigue. Before her eyelids close, she makes sure the boy is still breathing. And he is. 

***

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to bask into this world. The Princess and The Piscator’s Son and Tuan Putri dan Anak Nelayan are two of a kind stories. Not quite a work of translation, but a product of retelling based on the same famous classic story, The Little Mermaid. It's solely intended to reach a larger audience, especially to those who are fellow mermaid enthusiasts just like me.

If this story piques your interest, kindly add it to your library and support this work. I will post an update once in two weeks every Wednesday, so don’t miss out. While we are in this, please tighten your seatbelt because it will be a long trilogy journey. I hope you enjoy the ride. 

Yours,

Tara