She reigned quietly
in the Red Sea, in the underwater kingdom of Bur Sudan, lived Queen Yaya
Trapped in her own kingdom
Silenced by tradition
And empty after producing many heirs for a King
Triton, the careless, the traditional, the oppressor
Yaya was only comforted by her handmaid, her queen
Her queen slain by her oppressor because she knew too much
She knew Yaya's secrets, every last one
With no one to confide in and the burden of behind a mother to six mermaidens, it soon became too much
Ariel, the eldest daughter, saw it all,
Saw Yaya floating lifelessly in an impenetrable bubble filled with blood
Saw her mother's gaping wrist and ebony hair slick with blood,
And saw her deep brown eyelids close, never to open again
And just like her mother did, Ariel grew wary of King Triton, seeing him as the oppressor.
