The Little Mermaid's Name is Luna

3: Surface

All Luna wanted was to go home, to fall into her sisters' arms and hide the potion and forget it, but then she realized she couldn't; the Sea Witch had taken her voice. Stupid, she thought. So stupid! How could I have been so stupid? No matter how in love I am, no matter how afraid of mortality I am, I should've never gone to the Sea Witch! Never! Now I've lost my voice - I might even die! Luna instead swam out of the Sea Witch's cluttered house and then upward, towards the surface. The tree branches that had been so eager to tangle into her hair earlier flinched back now, allowing easy passage to the surface.

Luna's head burst above the waves; she was close to the Land King's castle - and to the prince. She gulped, swimming forward, remembering what the Sea Witch had told her. She hugged the potion to her chest and paddled against the waves, which were choppy on this brisk day. It took an hour to reach the coast, and, thankfully, the prince was not there. She pulled herself onto the sand, then flopped onto her back, breathing hard.

She checked the potion, and it was okay; she tested her voice, and it was as if her vocal cords had vanished - nothing came out, not even the slightest hello. She sighed voicelessly and sat up, holding the potion in front of her. If she uncorked it and drank it, she'd have human legs and a graceful stride and the prince. But she'd also be in pain when she walked, and she'd have three days to live unless she managed to get the prince to marry her without the use of her voice. However, if she swam back, she'd be unable to explain anything, and if she somehow did, she'd be in a lot of trouble. However, she might able to get the Sea Witch in trouble, and get her voice back...

She set her jaw determinedly. If she drank, the prince was hers. She at least had a chance to charm him - to become his wife! She uncorked the bottle just as a wave of fear shook her. In a bold and perhaps foolish move, she tipped the contents of the bottle into her mouth.

She didn't feel any different at first. She licked her lips; the potion was bittersweet and unpleasant, yet it sent warm shivers through her, down to her fins. She brushed her thumb along her ranking oysters, then yanked them out one by one, not sure what would happen once her tail transformed into human legs. She winced each time she pulled one out, and tossed each one down onto the sand.

She had just braced herself for the seventh one when, suddenly, her tail split, right down the middle. Luna would've screamed in surprise and pain had her voice been with her. She watched in horror as her scales and fins disappeared. The remaining two oysters popped out, rolling on the sand. Luna gasped for breath when it was over. In seconds, her blue tail had transformed into two skinny, perfect human legs as dark as the rest of her. The pain left in a series of pins and needles.

Oh, wow, she thought, rubbing her hands up and down her perfect, hairless legs, bare and beautiful. She wiggled her delicate little toes, watching in wonder as they moved. She bent her knees and kicked; she'd never been able to move this way before. She was fascinated.

"Hello."

She looked up. There he was, in all his glory: the windswept blond hair, the deep blue eyes, and the strong stature.

The prince.

He kneeled onto one knee so she wouldn't have to strain her neck to look into his face, which framed by the sun. He smiled at her with straight white teeth. Suddenly self-conscious, Luna wrapped her long, dark, soaking wet hair around her to form a makeshift covering. The prince, she noticed, was wearing a shirt and a red velvet vest, as well as tight black pants. She, on the other hand, wasn't wearing anything at all.

"It's okay, lovely lady," he said. "What is your name?"

Luna opened her mouth, ready to tell him, but then snapped it shut when she remembered her voice was gone. She shook her head and pointed at her throat.