Bastian's Song [Complete--Editing]

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Arsenius followed the path of the tear with his eyes as it rolled behind Melodia, coming to rest after it bumped into the hatching chest. The egg rested inside with Melodia's silver tail curled protectively around it.

He didn't notice her right arm rising feebly. Not until her talon was already piercing his skin, just above his left eye. Arsenius cried out, moving backwards reflexively and releasing the mermaid from his grasp. 

But she was hooked now.

Melodia gasped as water flowed through her gills once more, bringing fresh air into her body. Even as she struggled to regain her breath, she dug in with her talon until Arsenius' blood flowed into the water. He reached up, gripping her wrist tightly and trying to pull her hand away. The motion only caused him more pain as her talon sliced deeper into his skin.

She threw herself into him, pinning him to the ground and wrapping her tail around him to constrict his arms. He struggled, but Melodia had more at risk than he did and her desperation gave her strength. She bared her fangs at him and coughed heavily, eyes wide with terror.

"You will never harm my child." Her voice was gravelly and rough, but it was clear enough to carry her message.

"Swear it, or I will rip you into pieces and feed you to the viperfish."

Arsenius grunted, glaring up at her with the eye that was not covered in blood. Melodia tugged down on her finger, drawing ever closer to his eye until she began to pierce the orb.

"Swear it!"

The Prince cried out in pain and his back arched up. "I....I swear it!" His whole body shuddered as Melodia's magic sparked around both of them, filling the water with silver shimmers of electricity. Slowly, she pulled her finger out of his eye and unwrapped her tail from around him.

"Go then, Arsenius. And remember your oath. You will never harm my child."

Arsenius lifted his hand to his still bleeding eye and considered the mermaid with his good eye. Without a word, he rose up and swam backwards, never once taking his eye off her until he was far down the hallway and out of her reach.

When she was sure he was gone, Melodia moved to Militum's side and turned him towards her. His eyes fluttered weakly, the milky second lid showing. "My lady?" He couldn't seem to concentrate on her face. "Hush, Militum. The danger is passed." She placed a bloody hand over his side, where magic had ripped a hole, and she tried very hard to believe her own words.

As Militum's soldiers recovered enough to bring aid to their fallen leader, Melodia's gaze fell onto her hatching chest. Despite the violence that had taken place right in front of it, the egg remained untouched and gleaming. 

Melodia smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "The danger is passed." She repeated under her breath.

Blood swirled lazily in the water, surrounding the egg with wicked tendrils.

~*~

After the Arsenius incident, Militum placed a tighter watch on Melodia's room and even went so far as to place a magical seal on the hallway leading up to her door. They both knew it was not an effective measure, because the magic of the Triton's bloodline was far above anything Militum could conjure up. Still, it made the guard feel better about things, so Melodia chose not to say anything about it.

Over the next two months, Militum recovered with nothing but a new scar on his side, and Melodia saw no sign of Prince Arsenius anywhere near her quarters. To keep a better eye on her egg, she began to take her meals in her room and Militum adamantly demanded to taste all of her food before she did. 

Poison was a wretch's choice of weapon, and Melodia did not think a Prince so noble as Arsenius would stoop to such a level, but she was wary of taking chances now.

Arsenius had showed her what could happen if she were not paying close enough attention. 

The days passed in a tense blur, one blending into the next. The Naiads grieved and seemed to stop functioning. Without a Triton to lead Nereus, precious little could be decided. Only the most basic necessities were tended while the people stared wistfully at the golden palace that housed the noble family. 

Prince Arsenius could not be crowned unless Triton Augustus' child was a girl. If it were a boy, then the crown would pass to the child when he reached maturity. It all hinged on the egg.

All the while, Melodia wrote in her journal and waited. She hoped and dreamed and watched. 

It was the middle of the night cycle when the egg first began to twitch and a crack sprung up along the top dome. Melodia woke with a start and looked at the egg as it rocked gently in its hatching chest. 

She swam to the egg and raised her hands around it, just out of reach. It was bad for the child if she helped it hatch, but she yearned to rip the shell away. Melodia waited impatiently for the child to break their own way free.

With quiet determination, the child chipped away at the egg piece by little piece until the cracks were wide enough for it to squirm through. 

Melodia cried out with joy when she met her child, and scooped the baby into her arms, its tail glittering bright gold. Though it was only a hand long, and slender as her arm, she knew it would grow quickly.

"My baby boy." She cooed at him while he blinked his eyes uncertainly. "My little Prince."

All of her prayers had been answered. She had a son to grow and take the crown for himself. It was a small consolation for the husband she had lost, but it was more than enough for Melodia.

The former Siren leaned down and kissed her son's dark hair gently. A silver light flashed from the inside of his right wrist, forming the shape of the Moon. Selene had chosen him to become the next Triton and blessed him the same gifts that had belonged to the very first golden-tailed merman.

"Welcome to the world, my dearest Bastian."