The Little Mermaid's Name is Luna

8: Glory

"Glory?" Charles asked, eyes widening.

"Charles?" "Glory's" eyes widened, too. "I didn't expect you!"

"Me either!" Charles was grinning. "Are you the girl that saved me?"

Luna was shocked. I saved you! she wanted to scream. I saved you! I saved you! I SAVED YOUR LIFE! Anger boiled deep down in her chest.

This was it. The interference. She wanted to spring at the Sea Witch and claw her face out. She also wanted to throw herself into the ocean and become a mermaid again. She knew with a horrible sureness she was going to die. To join the Daughters of the Air.

She breathed out a frustrated breath. "Are you all right?" asked Charles, and she suppressed the urge to bite him. But he wasn't even the one she was angry with. She managed to shake her head. "Whatever is wrong?" he asked, and she swallowed that strange gasping sensation. 

I want to tell you. I'm a mermaid. I love you, so I gave up my whole life, and then... you found her. The mermaid who ruined me.

But she said nothing, for she was dumb.

The prince stroked her cheek. His look was so soft. So full of love. Or, rather, concern.

I am the one for you. Why can't you see that?

"Shall we go inside?" asked the queen of Weslin.

"But of course," the Land King said.

The inside of their castle was almost the same as the inside of Charles's father's castle, only it was white instead of slightly yellow. Empty suits of armor lined the walls, guarded at intervals by actual royal guards in tall, fluffy black hats. The walk felt excruciatingly long. Luna felt like she was walking on pins. She felt as though she would pass out. All she wanted was to collapse on her bed and sleep away her blues. She wanted her family. Her sisters. She wanted to go back in time, to the day she made the deal, and fix this. She wanted to change it, so she never went to the Sea Witch, never drank the elixir. Instead, she'd live with her sisters, marry a merman, and be the fifth in line for the throne. She wanted to be home, in the sea, where she belonged.

They headed to a room furnished with a long, wooden table, fit to seat sixteen people comfortably. They all sat, the Weslin royal family on one side, Charles's family on the other. Charles sat across from Glory and next to Luna.

"So, we've come to discuss this trade agreement?" said the king of Weslin, directing his words at the Land King and his queen.

"Yes," the Land King said. "Now, we have some goods we think you'll like..."

Glory smirked at Luna, her eyes flashing with malice. She directed her gaze to Prince Charles, a small smile settling onto her face. Luna trained her gaze on the surface of the table, trying to listen to the trade agreements. Still, she couldn't help but feel angry at the Sea Witch. She wondered if she'd been the culprit of the dark shape Luna had seen.

"Mum, Dad, I'd like to say something."

It was Charles who said it. Luna dared to look up. The kings had stopped talking. The room rang with silence.

Realizing he was waiting for permission, the Land King said, "Get on with it."

Charles smiled. "We all remember the tragedy of my sixteenth birthday. A storm rolled in, and I was thrown overboard. I would have died, had someone not been there to save me." He gave a loving look to Glory. "Glory, you have saved my life, and I want to give it to you. Will you marry me?"

The two queens were shocked; the king of Weslin looked shocked as well; the Land King looked almost angry.

Glory looked happy, but it was the fake kind of happy.

Luna got up and ran from the room.

--

In one of the guest quarters, Luna cried long and hard, for the first time in her life.

First had come the gasping sensation, and then a strange wetness in her eyes. She had never cried before, because mermaids have no tears, and the sensation was shocking. It relieved her of  things she had never been able to cry over before. It took her what felt like hours of fits before she could finally stop.

She removed her shoes from her aching feet, and a powerful odor wafted up, so foul she felt nauseated. She peeked at the bottom of her foot and realized it was coated in blood. Her stomach turned, and she fought down her breakfast, setting her shoes aside. She laid back on the bed, closing her eyes until her headache subsided. Finally, relaxed, she heard a knocking at the door.

"May I come in?" asked the voice of Prince Charles, seconds before he opened the door.

Luna sat up. She glared at him. "I have news," he said. "Glory has asked that you be the maid of honor. Do you accept?"

Luna shook her head.

"You seem angry," Charles said.

"Hon?" Glory stepped behind Charles. "Can I have a second with the girl?"

"Of course," Charles said, stepping out of the way. He even had the good grace to close the door. This made Luna's chest tighten with fear.

"I will give you the power to speak," the Sea Witch said, her voice like honey, "but you will only use it to speak to me. Do you understand?"

Luna nodded.

The Sea Witch walked to Luna and tapped her throat. Luna took in a deep gasp of breath, feeling the sweetness of her voice coat her throat again.

What she said first surprised her.

"Owwwwww. My feet hurt. Why did you do that? They're BLEEDING." Realizing this, she looked down at the rug. "Oh, no. The maids are going to kill me!"

"It was part of the deal," the Sea Witch said.

"But bleeding was never mentioned! And neither was you becoming the prince's wife! And my voice sounds different!" It sounded deeper.

"I'm letting you borrow mine," the Sea Witch said.

"I'm going to die. You'll never be able to sleep at night after this. Knowing you killed a little girl."

"I've done worse."

"What's worse?!"

The Sea Witch smiled. "Clam cake, please, sit. It will help with the pain."

Luna realized she was about to spill tears again. "What have you done to me?"

"Nothing. I gave you legs and three days to marry the prince. You're becoming more human every day."

"So what? I'm going to turn into a human?"

"No. You're going to be dead come morning. And so is the prince."

"WHAT?!"

"I'm going to drown him."

"WHAT?!"

"I'm going to take over the Land Kingdom."

"WHAT?!"

Glory smirked. "You were just a key asset. Perhaps I could get your father to make me queen of the Sea, too?"

Luna knew this last part was just to get to her, but the other parts? They could be true. Was the Sea Witch really going to kill the prince and take over his kingdom? Was she really just a pawn in her game?

"I won't let you," she growled.

"That's what they all say. But they always succeed don't they?" She smirked. "In stories."

Luna began to cry. Glory walked up to her and tapped her throat again, taking away her power to speak. Then she walked out the door, silent as the wind.

Luna knew it now: she was going to die, and it wouldn't be the death of a princess at all.