The Little Mermaid's Name is Luna

7: Voyage

It wasn't until late in the night that the fear and sadness she'd harbored since she'd come to shore built up inside her, creating a pressure that made her want to dive into the ocean. She couldn't sleep anymore, couldn't even pretend to try. She got up, ignoring her feet, and walked through the twisting halls on the achingly cold floors before finally coming out into the open night air. Having come out the door of the servants' quarters, she crossed a patch of grass that ended at a sharp drop into the ocean. The water was too shallow for her to jump without killing herself. Despite her trouble, Luna didn't want to do that. She swiveled her head to make sure she was alone, then sat down and started gasping for breath. Everything she'd been suppressing piled into her lungs and made her chest heave. It was strangely relieving, despite the terror at the sensation since she'd never felt it before. It was much like uncontrollable laughter, only it didn't feel joyous at all.

She heaved and gasped like this for several minutes, before she heard the soft noise of water being broken. Since she'd come to shore, every sound had been amplified; the air was much thinner than the seawater she was used to. She glanced up, struggling to regain control of her breathing - but when she saw what had broken the glassy surface, she lost control of her lungs again, except this time it felt a tiny bit more like laughter. It was a head, the head of a mermaid she knew well. It was joined by three others.

Her sisters.

Claira was the one who'd surfaced first, and she was the one who swam up to Luna first. "Luna!" she cried. "Oh my goodness! You really do have props!"

Luna nodded.

Her face fell. "You've really lost your voice, too," she said grimly.

Luna must've shown confusion, because Claira said, "We went to the Sea Witch. We were so worried about you, and somebody said you went to the Sea Witch. She told us that you'd come to her wanting legs, and that you gave your voice in exchange. But she also said she'd given you three days to marry the prince and then you'd die! Is it true?"

Luna nodded, feeling the heaving sensation start to come to her chest. She swallowed it down.

"Why did you do that?!" Pearl cried. "Why did you give up everything for that darned prince?!" Her face filled with concern. "Has he married you yet? Has he even asked?!"

Luna shook her head. She swallowed the heaving again. Desperate for a distraction, she noticed Claira's hair. She reached out to touch the wet, newly chopped locks.

"Oh, yeah," Claira said, sounding a little embarrassed. "We sold our hair to the Sea Witch." She held out something sharp that resembled something she'd seen in the palace kitchens. Luna's breath caught. Claira went on, "She told us to give this to you. If you drive this into the prince's heart, you'll turn back into a mermaid. You'll be able to live, Luna!"

Luna reached out and took the knife, holding it in her hand, tracing her thumb along the blade. She saw her other sisters had cut hair their too.

"Are you going to use it, Luna?" Ferana asked. "If you are, you can do it now, and then come home."

Luna's throat closed. She laid the knife beside her. Her sisters looked at her pleadingly, dying for an answer. Wanting her to say yes.

But Luna shook her head.

Claira looked wounded. "Don't you miss us?" she asked. It was a treacherous question, but Luna softened her features and nodded, cupping Claira's cheek. "Then why don't you come home?"

Luna sighed. I love the prince. Don't you understand?

As if having read her mind, Claira nodded. Anger settled in her eyes. She went beneath the waves. Luna looked at her other sisters. Marine looked Luna straight in the eye, her chin raised and quivering. Pearl looked angry, but not in the same way that Claira had. It was more like disappointment than betrayal. So like Pearl, Luna thought. Ferana looked from the seawater's surface to Luna and back, as if unable to decide whether to follow Claira or remain with Luna. She finally ducked beneath the waves, giving Luna a look of apology. Marine vanished beneath the waves as well, and Pearl finally left, too. Once all her sisters were gone, Luna finally began heaving again, and inside her chest, her heart really broke for the first time.