The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate

Epilogue

Now that Sirena's curse was broken, Viviane went back to the mermaid colony. Sirena was sad to see her friend go, but she knew the pirate's life wasn't for everyone. Viviane needed to go wherever she would be happiest. They shared a tearful goodbye that day but promised to keep in touch via enchanted seashells. Pan returned to his Lost Boys. His goodbye was tense, but Sirena's anger towards the eternal boy had fizzled out because he had helped to free her.

The days after the goodbyes were filled with music, dancing, and an impressive amount of rum. The crew rejoiced that their captain was back. Killian may have the title from their years together, but the men followed Sirena. She was bold, cunning, powerful, and a natural leader. Killian might not admit it to Sirena, but he would call her captain in front of the crew without any qualms.

The group lived the pirates' life for many years. They were happy and free. Their numbers wavered as some of the men found love during their travels, but they returned with their wives after some time. Sirena was happy to have some women on board with her, especially when they had their first baby on board. The mermaid loved that child as her own. Her eyes sparkled when the mother asked her to look after her while she got some rest.

Killian was happy with the development as well. He couldn't tire of Sirena's face when she held and played with Carmen. His thoughts often drifted to her being a wonderful mother someday. That's when he realized that day could be closer than he thought. All he needed was a ring. He had the ship docked in a port with a large market. He had to search for a ring that would tell his mermaid everything he wanted to say.

"Why haven't I thought of this sooner?" he mentally kicked himself. He loved the woman with all his heart. And he knew she loved him the same way, she never shied away from expressing it. He searched for hours. The sky grew dark but he wasn't satisfied with his findings yet. Until he sat down at a bar to get a drink and some food so he could gather his thoughts.

"I know that look well," the barmaid teases. "You are searching for something, yes? Perhaps for your lady love?"

"How did you know?" his eyes open wide.

"A woman's intuition. What are you looking for?"

"A ring. I want to propose to her. But I can't find the one."

"I see. I might know someone for you then. She makes the most beautiful jewelry. Unique pieces you won't find from most markets. Some say she is a mermaid, but I've yet to see proof of the rumor," she laughs.

"Where can I find her?" Killian demands, excitement filling his chest.

The barmaid chuckles and gives him directions to the seller. Killian inhales his food, desperate to succeed in his little quest. He presses the payment for the meal into her hand and thanks her heartily. "Good luck, sir!" she calls after him.

Killian runs to the house she spoke of and calms himself before knocking on the door. An old lady with a kind smile opens the door.

"Hello, I was told you make unique jewelry. I was hoping-"

"That I would have a ring for the woman you love. I know," her smile widens. "Come this way. I had a vision that a man was coming to find a ring last night. I've been waiting for you." She leads him to a table where a box with several small compartments sits. Each section holds a ring unlike any the captain has ever seen. "Which one speaks to you?" the woman asks, watching Killian with a sparkle in her eyes as if she knew what was about to happen.

He scans the selection until he freezes. He picks up a ring, "This is it. This is the one. Sirena will love it. How much?" The woman says a fairly low price but asks to be invited to the wedding. "Are you sure?"

"The expression on your face is why I do this. I sell plenty of my rings to people who don't care about my work. If I get to see the joy that it brings to a happy couple then I will be satisfied."

Killian thanks her multiple times and slips a little extra into her hand. They introduce themselves and talk for a long time. Killian goes on and on about Sirena and the woman grins as she listens. "As much as I enjoy hearing you express your love for this woman, you should get going. Give her the ring. Tell her what you told me. She will say yes, I can see it." He nods, thanks the woman again, and runs to his ship, a plan forming in his mind.

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The next day, Sirena notices how jumpy Killian is. "Are you alright, love? You can't sit still."

"It's nothing. I'm fine. In fact, I'm wonderful," he says as he grabs her hand and spins her into his arms.

"Well alright then," she giggles, placing a sweet kiss on his lips. "I'll see you at dinner tonight. I have to get some fabric. Carmen needs some more clothes. She keeps growing out of them!" she laughs.

Killian says a goodbye to her and grins to himself. This is perfect. He can set up his plan now. He cleans his cabin frantically before setting up a table by the window. He clears the middle of the room and places candles along the sides. He puts a few vases with flowers on the tables, then sets the dinner table. He speaks to the cook and they decide on the menu for dinner. Finally, he finds his best clothes and puts them on and cleans up his beard and his hair. Now it was time for the hardest part, waiting for Sirena to return. He paces on the top deck, the men watch and chuckle to themselves, careful to not be heard. Killian keeps patting his breast pocket to ensure the ring is still there.

At last, he saw her walking towards their ship. She had her arms full of bolts of fabric and she had a skip in her step. Killian runs to her and takes the load from her. "Looks like you had a good time shopping," he teases.

"That I did. Now I'll be able to make all the clothes Carmen needs. At least for a little while, she's growing like seaweed!" she giggles.

Killian passes off the fabric to one of his men and tells him to bring it to the baby's room, winking to let him know to put his plan in action. The couple goes to the captain's cabin and Sirena lets out a gasp, taking in the flowers and candlelight.

"Killian, what is all this?" she turns to see him kneeling.

"Sirena, you have changed my life. Actually, you are my life now. When I lost you, I couldn't rest until I had you back. I was a mess when I thought you were in danger. The relief I felt when I saw you in Wonderland was indescribable, though I should have known you would find your own way out,

"Since then, you have made every day a beautiful adventure. I love seeing you in action. You lead the men like you were born to be a captain. And my heart swells watching you care for Carmen like she's your own. So what is stopping us from having that life, too? Nothing except time. Until now," he pulls out the ring and Sirena gasps again. It's a beautiful silver band, with small pieces twisting around each other before coming together to form tiny petals surrounding a sapphire as blue as the ocean.

"Sirena, will you make me the happiest man in the history of humanity and marry me?" he asks, his heart in his chest. Sirena had been standing in stunned silence, making Killian's nerves spike.

She let out a tiny "Yes." Then she finds her voice, "Yes, I will marry you!" A relieved Killian places the ring on her finger and she jumps into his arms and gives him a joyous kiss. "So that's where you were yesterday," she teases.

He chuckles. "Yeah, I had to find the perfect ring for you. It took all day. Thankfully, there was this woman who makes rings unlike I've ever seen in my travels. She actually said that she saw a vision that I was coming."

Sirena's eyes opened wide. "Did you happen to get her name?"

"Yes, it's Ianthe. Why?"

"I know her! She was my mother's mentor!" she exclaims.

"Well, she did ask to come to the wedding. She must have known somehow," he chuckles.

She pulls him into a tender hug. "This has been a truly wonderful day."

"One with many, many more to follow, lass," Killian agrees.

And he was right. 

AN: So there we go. They get their happily ever after and I have finally finished this story. Thank you for reading!