the little mermaid | jellal fernandes [discontinued]

Chapter 20- Seafood

Jellal tapped his fingernails in a staccato rhythm against the mahogany table. Sure, they've been sitting here for only a few minutes now, waiting for the (e/c)-eyed beauty he knew nothing of and the tempting early dinner. 

That nagging feeling in the back of his head returned. Where had he seen her? Maybe during one of the royal tours? Or maybe she had worked here? But no, it couldn't be. A girl like that he would have remembered. 

As if on cue, said girl timidly enters the dining room, eyes in wonder running over the frescos on the ceiling, depicting old kings and fables of fearless lions and towering castles. 

No, he definitely could never have missed a girl like this. 

Especially not in such a beautiful dress; a soft, delicate baby pink that clung to her waist and went down in soft waves of slightly sheer fabric, so I could see a faint outline of her legs. It twinkled in the morning sunlight, putting the small threads of gold and white to show. Stunning white lace gloves stretched over her (s/c) skin. 

She curtsied shyly, her gaze on the ground the entire time. 

They stood up. 

"You look wonderful," Jellal murmured, watching as the little pearl earrings caught the pink light from the sunset. 

She nodded her head in thanks, smiling shyly as those deep, mischievous eyes met his. 

The Prince could almost see the secrets that were swirling in her irises, but he said nothing and lead her to her seat. 

She moved her hands and head with this gentle grace, angling her chin slightly. He could tell that Freed noticed as well- if she really was someone from the town, as they had previously assumed, she'd had lessons in etiquette. 

Who taught them to her?

*

Delight filled me as I took in the cutlery. I tried hard not to show it- who would get this excited over something that Jellal called incredibly common in his world? I hadn't seen a fork since... since Gramps destroyed my cave, the trinkets buried under the sand along with a little part of me as well. A collection that I had worked hard on. Seeing familiar items here was a relief considering the how hectic the past few days were. So much happened. 

Besides that... 

I could barely look him in the eye. 

I kept recalling the lessons that Jellal had given me years past- mixed with my own, and I tried to adapt to their ways fairly quickly. They weren't as different as ours- oh, if Gramps heard me right now, I'd be dead for saying that. Actually, I'd already be dead for being here. 

I miss his teachings. 

* 

"We are eating the delicacy that is seafood, of course," Freed announces, gloating as he tucks his ivory napkin into his collar. 

Jellal sighs. Why isn't he surprised? It's the chef's specialty- from clams to swordfish. He rather preferred vegetarian dishes, but Freed gobbled them up like candy. He glances at the girl in front of him, who looks positively revolted, as if they were going to eat her instead. 

A hint of a smile appears on his lips. 

Cute. 

A servant came in, a petite girl named Letitia, setting the plates with gleaming cloches in front of us. 

"Stuffed crab, I heard..." 

The girl went from green to white. 

The dinner was rather hectic, as her food seemed to have disappeared. Freed went pink in humiliation- even she laughed as he scuttled to the kitchen to have a word with the chef. After that, everything went rather smooth. 

She kept throwing shy glances at him- quickly tuning away when he caught her eye.

And wow, he had never seen anyone as beautiful as her.

Beautiful in a literal sense, of course, but also of a strange... familiarity. Like he knew her from somewhere, but couldn't put in words. A feeling of warmth and love,

A feeling of former lovers, in a way.

The Prince shook the thought away; what absurdity. He had never met her; if he did, he would have remembered.

Right? 

* 

I shake my head in embarrassment of the previous events. 

Kelton had ended up on my plate- a piece of a green leaf on his head. I had slipped him in under the table before anyone could see, but that ended in a confusion as to why I didn't have any food on my plate. 

However, I think with a dreamy sigh, Jellal had a good laugh at the disappearance of the stuffed crab. Freed, not so much. 

"You're not planning to go to your quarters just yet?" 

I jump at his voice- and shake my head. 

The Prince stands there at the doorway of the balcony- shadows casting over his face, in his royal uniform of golden pins and silk fabric. He made his way over to me, steps cool and calculated. 

The breeze ruffles my white nightgown as we stare at the darkening purple sky. The sun was just a sliver on the horizon, still bright in it's yellow to orange color. 

It wasn't often merfolk could see the sky. But humans, they could do so everyday. 

"Tomorrow... would you like to me to give you a tour of the town? Some mild sightseeing, nothing too much," he proposes, blue locks swaying. 

I nod animatedly- a wide smile blossoming on my face. 

The wind pushes my hair back as I stare into his soft, brown eyes, flecked with gold. Or was it ringed with gold? 

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow then, 10 am?"

I nod again- while the sun fully disappears under the ocean. 

And I scream.