Capture me a Mermaid

Dreaded Days

Agatha punched at the sack from the inside. Agatha hadn't been given any warning when Camelot's royal guards barged into the brig and threw her into the sack.

She beat around in it until, one of the men, walked her in the head with a plank through the sack. It started to throb and more tears tugged at her eyes.

A part of her wondered if it was Tedros that hit her, after all she couldn't see out of the sack--

No. She told herself. He wouldn't hurt me... although he did take me here to be skinned, although he wouldn't be the one skinning me he is still hurting me--

No! She stopped the bad thoughts flowing. And that final.

She wondered if Tedros wasn't caring the sack, where was he? Did he go on back to his royal life without sparing her a thought? Was he summoned by his father? Was he unloading the ship?

The question she should be asking is why did she care? Why did she want to know where Tedros was? It's not like she missed him?

...or did she--

She felt the bag tip upside down. She screamed before she fit water.

She tasted the salt in the water... was she in the ocean? Her heart started to flutter, but when she came up for breath, her dreams were crushed.

She was in a lap pool, with for guard glowering down at her. She could see a sign hanging on the other side of an open door that read:

Do NOT enter!
Dangerous Beast Past This Point!

Agatha scowled at the sign. A beast? Some might say that mermaids were majestic and beautiful-- but no! A beast is what she's being called.

The guards left, mumbling slurs at her.

She was all alone in this big empty place. She looked down the far end of the pool, the whole thing was about, 25 meters long, and there were 8 lanes, so she had a lot of room.

Agatha wondered if the people knew that the king had kidnapped a mermaid. If they didn't then that would explain the sign, it was to scare them away so they wouldn't enter.

Agatha dove into the depth of the water. It was so peaceful and quiet. Swimming made her forget about her troubles, even for the briefest of moments. She had missed it a lot during her stay on the Igraine.

It pained her to think that this was the last chance she'd have to swim.

=======

Tedros threw himself onto his bed, a million thoughts rushing through his head. There were so many that he couldn't even here any of them, it was just a mess of words!

He heard his door creak open. He was expecting his father, but when he sat up a blonde girl stared back at him.

Tedros put on the fakest of smiles. "Lady Lilith!"

"Ahh, Teddy! How I've missed you!" She beamed.

Lady Lilith was the daughter of the Duke of Foxwood, a neighbouring kingdom to Camelot and she and her father were staying in Camelot for the month. The Duke and Tedros's father were very keen on the two marrying-- everyone was, their kingdoms, other kingdoms, and especially Lilith. So everyone was keen... except Tedros and he had showed no romantic interest in her, although he saved her a dance at each ball he attended, he never followed up and made sure she knew he wasn't interested in her or the marriage idea.

Although she was beautiful and graceful, their was nothing special about her! She didn't see the real him, she only saw him for his crown.

He didn't love her.

He'd had enough girlfriends to know that. When he broke up with his last he promised himself that his next would be it, it would be love.

Lilith most certainly was not love.

"Did you bring us back a good mermaid? I haven't seen her yet but intend to-- is everything alright, Teddy?" Lilith asked this because, Tedros's jaw had clenched and his posture had tensened. His face was slowly going red and his eyes gave of a death stare. Side affects of thinking of poor Agatha's fate.

Tedros snapped out of it and straightened his blazer. He covered his sudden flare of angry with a cough. "I am quite alright."

Lilith smiled. "Perfect!"

She sat down on the bed next to him. "Now, I was thinking you and I could take a walk through the gardens!"

Tedros tugged on his collar and stood up, avoiding close contact with her. "Um that sounds lovely--"

Lilith jumped of the bed and clapped her hands together. "Great! I'll--"

"But I need to see my father first." Tedros finished.

Lilith looked like a flower starting to droop because it was left out of the sun. "O-okay..." her face started to brighten. "As soon as your done with him, you know where to find me!" Lilith sang and then glided out of the room.

That girl was... something. Something good or something bad would be determined later.

======

Tedros knocked on the door to his fathers study.

"Come in." Said Arthur's voice from inside. Tedros opened the door slowly and popped his head in. When his father got a look at him, he broke into a grin. "Ah, son! You brought back a fine one! Beautiful scales! We'll get a lot--"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tedros breathed.

Arthur clenched his jaw. "Tell you what."

Tedros took in a calm, but tense breath. "That you've been taking money from the people of Neverland?"

Arthur turned away and poured himself a drink, leaving Tedros with no answer.

"Father." Tedros said, sternly.

Arthur turned back. "I've never taken anything that wasn't mine Tedros."

"That's not how it's seem." Tedros said.

"Why? Because, that mermaid told you so?" Arthur looked his son in the eye. Tedros couldn't bare his glare, and looked away. "Ah, so it was the mermaid! You trusted your prisoner over your own father?"

"It's not that I don't trust you--"

Arthur cut him off. "I'm doing what's good for my people!" He shouted.

Tedros was silent.

"Whether it be, taking Neverland's money or taking their mermaids!"

"Y-you'll be taking more." Tedros wheezed.

Arthur pursed his lips. "Leave me."

"Father--"

"LEAVE ME!" Arthur yelled. Tedros hesitated before scurrying out of the study.

=====

I'm sorry that I kinda made Arthur the bad guy 😬
It was a very Uthur thing for him to do so... just think of him as Uthur

~Jen