Ensnared

Chapter 3- The Sea Witch

CAUTION: STRONG LANGUAGE AND A BIT OF NSFW BUT NOT DESCRIBED, JUST IMPLIED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, DON'T @ ME.

"Yes, sir!" the men said. The boat took off in the direction of the necklace. 

Firenze retrieved the necklace and handed it back to me. I slipped it over my head and he smiled at me. I looked out over the ocean, watching Opus Aridiam shrink into the horizon, the shell on my necklace floating towards the ship's bowsprit. After a while, the necklace flopped against my chest.

"Hey, stop, I need to get off here!" I said. Firenze shouted at the crew to spill the wind and they quickly let the sails flap in the wind. The ship slowed down and the prince picked me up again. He brought me to the edge of the ship.

"Toss me in!" I told him. He shrugged and did as I asked. I hit the water with a splash and popped my head up to wave goodbye. The ship was already moving on. He blew me a kiss and I felt my face heat up. I sank under the water and swam towards the glimmering of the castle, the piece of my fin that got torn flapping like the luffed sails of the ship I was on. I got to the castle and rushed to the royal healer's chamber. She was a mermaid with a rose pink tilapia tail and eyes that were completely white. She looked at my wounds and gasped.

"Good gods, boy! What did you get yourself into?!" She quickly swam over, grabbed my arm, and pulled me over to her seaweed cot. She laid me upon it and gently examined my caudal fin.

"Fishermen." I said bitterly. She gasped.

"And you survived?!" She exclaimed. I nodded.

"Thank the gods I know the prince of Aridiam. He apparently put some kind of protection over me? Anyway, the net tore my fin and the fishermen tore it even more when they were looking at it." I said.

"And the cuts on your skin are from...?" She asked, pressing the ripped fin between her hands. Her hands heated with magic and I felt the fin start to fuse together.

"The net. It cut me pretty bad when they pulled me up." I said. She nodded. She softly slid her hands down the rip and the tail was back in one piece where her hands left. When she was done with my tail fin, she moved up to my torso, placing her hands on my stomach. The cuts welded themselves together, leaving net-like scars on my upper arms, where the most damage was dealt. The cuts on my stomach and chest closed as well and didn't scar very much. A feeling of relief flooded through my veins.

"Thank you very much, ma'am. May Jeneau be with you," I bade her farewell and left, going to the throne room.

"Kai! A wonderful sight. How are you doing, my boy?" My father asked.

"I'm good now," I said. My mother's eyes widened when she saw my forearms.

"Gods, what happened?!" She exclaimed, shooting up and darting to my side to trace the lines in my skin.

"Ah, mom, that tickles! I'm okay, just got a little tangled in a net is all," I said.

"You dummy! You know not to go near those!" My mother scolded.

"I know, but the fish were trapped and I had to get them out!" I whined. My father shook his head.

"Son, you're too compassionate. It's okay if a load of fish gets taken from my ocean. As long as it isn't too much, it's healthy. Please stay out of nets from now on, okay?" He said, disappointed.

"Yes, sir..." I said. I left the throne room and headed for my sister, Kalindi's room. I knocked on the door.

"Kali? It's Kai. Can I come in?" I asked.